CWI News—Jan. 21, 2022
In the Spotlight
Presidential Ambassadors, faculty, staff, and President Jones joined the Student Affairs team this week to welcome students back for Spring 2022 semester. Cutting the stress of finding the right building and classrooms, students were greeted with bagels and an awesome group of volunteers to help them navigate their first day. Tutoring Services, Counseling Services, and Advising were also on hand to provide students with information about services and resources available on campus.
News Highlights
Introducing Studio CWI
Behind a door in the corner of a back hallway at College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Canyon County Campus is a classroom. Similar to other classrooms on campus, this space is often filled with students learning and collaborating. This particular classroom, however, is where creative magic happens!
CWI’s Communication and Marketing department and Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) have come together to create the College’s very first media lab. This new space will provide cutting-edge, hands-on learning experiences for students while additionally supporting online course content development for faculty.
“We wanted to create a collaborative, guided, makers space where students could apply and practice the skills they are learning in their classes that CTL could also use to produce online video content for courses,” said CTL Dean, Courtney Colby Bond.
Students in Marketing Communications Instructor, Dan Garrity’s, Multimedia Storytelling (COMM 261) class were able to showcase their skills during the first-ever, live-streamed show from the new media lab, Studio CWI, in December. The Global Idaho Live show was created as part of the Onramp program’s Everyone Can Create initiative which provides opportunities for students to utilize Apple media platforms to share information and make connections.
Focused on Idaho’s refugee population, Global Idaho Live provided a platform for refugees to share their stories and highlighted a wide range of projects created by the students during the semester showcasing CWI’s diverse student population and the importance of embracing your own unique background. Production of the show allowed students to gain technical competencies required to meet industry needs, demonstrate skills in production and teamwork, and effectively tell stories and share information in the digital world.
“Global Idaho Live was really a three-year dream come true,” said Garrity. “To see it unfold in front of my eyes was pretty moving. The students proved they can courageously step up to a difficult challenge and handle it with grace and poise. When the show was over, the look of real joy on the students' faces was exciting. They had tackled something huge, and they did it well. Really well. It was a clean production, and it did exactly what I wanted it to do: showcase to our community just what these students are doing to make a difference with what they are learning and showcase the kinds of amazing students we have here. I didn't know how many of them would be so moved by what they accomplished together. They were pumped!”
“The new media lab was really awesome to work in,” said Madeline Mae Gentry, a 2021 Media Arts graduate. “It made us all feel a little more professional when preparing our live show. This space is going to be really beneficial as it allows students to have hands-on experience with professional equipment giving them a competitive edge and an opportunity to explore different pathways within the media and communications industry.”
Four of Garrity’s classes will be going live in Studio CWI during the Spring 2022 semester. Check out #C5SP22 on social media, and stay tuned for information on how you can tune in to You Otter Meet this Prof, Otter Tank, and 3Q+U.
“This experience reaffirmed my belief that in repurposing normally-occurring academic artifacts in this manner,” continued Garrity, “students connect more directly with their audience; gain new skills in and understanding of the emerging world of live, remote engagement; and creatively find a way to spotlight the amazing people and programs we have here at CWI. The students behind Global Live Idaho have paved the way for many more such showcases to come out of Studio CWI.”
“We envision the space continuing to become a busy location for exploration, learning, production, and creativity with the next stage of development being the ability to transport and produce content at our multiple campus locations as well as within the community,” added Colby Bond.
Watch the Global Idaho Live Broadcast Visit the Global Idaho Live Website
Faculty wishing to record videos in either the media lab or other locations where technology can be used to create effective learning experiences for students are asked to email CTL@cwi.edu.
CWI Joins JED Campus to Support Student Mental Health
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has announced it has joined JED Campus in support of student well-being and mental health. The program is a nationwide initiative of The Jed Foundation (JED) designed to help schools evaluate and strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems to ensure that schools have the strongest possible mental health safety nets.
By joining JED Campus, CWI demonstrates a commitment to the emotional well-being of its students. JED Campuses embark on a multi-year, strategic collaboration that not only assesses and enhances the work that is already being done but also helps create positive, lasting, systemic change in the campus community. The program provides schools with a framework for supporting student mental health, as well as assessment tools, feedback reports, a strategic plan, and ongoing support from the JED Higher Education team.
“We are excited to be working with The Jed Foundation to shine a light on such important issues, and we look forward to engaging the whole campus in supporting the mental health and success of all CWI students,” said Dean of Students, Chad Trisler.
“The college years are the age when many mental health issues first manifest, and it can be a time of significant stress and pressure,” said John MacPhee, Chief Executive Officer of JED. “JED Campus helps schools by working with them to survey everything their college or university is doing to support their students’ emotional health and find practical ways to augment these efforts in a comprehensive way. We believe that the implementation of a campus-wide approach to mental health will lead to safer, healthier communities, and likely greater student retention.”
CWI’s membership in JED Campus begins with establishing an interdisciplinary, campus-wide team to assess, support, and implement program, policy, and system improvements and completing a confidential, self-assessment survey on its mental health promotion, substance use, and suicide prevention efforts. Upon completion of the assessment, JED subject matter experts provide schools with a comprehensive feedback report identifying successes and opportunities for enhancements. Over the course of four years, CWI will collaborate with JED to help implement enhancements. All self-assessment responses and feedback reports are confidential.
Constantine Named Staff of the Month
Congratulations to Juddson Constantine, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Staff of the Month for December 2021. The College’s Audio Visual (AV) Project Manager, he is a familiar face to many at CWI and has been for the past seven years.
Constantine holds a bachelor’s degree in Virtual Technology and Design from University of Idaho.
“I began my college journey majoring in architecture, but found myself drawn more to the design software I was utilizing in my preliminary architecture courses,” said Constantine. “This inspired me to switch my studies to something that focused more broadly on design by integrating a multitude of software and mediums.”
After graduating from University of Idaho, Constantine worked in graphic design designing small ads for local high school sports calendars and did contract work for Hewlett Packard and Microsoft before beginning his career in the AV field.
“A small AV company allowed me to get my foot in the door and helped me build my skills and knowledge to the point where I became qualified enough to join CWI’s AV team.”
As the College’s AV Project Manager, Constantine is responsible for planning, designing, purchasing, installing, and maintaining CWI's classroom technologies, multimedia, and security camera infrastructure. He additionally provides support for live and virtual events for students, staff, and faculty.
“I have always been drawn to situations in which a need is identified and an outcome is suggested. The fun part for me is in figuring out all of the steps and processes needed to reach the desired outcome and coming up with unique solutions to deliver that. I get to do this every day at CWI. It’s a great place to be. The staff and faculty are sincere, passionate, and invested in what they do and how they enhance the student/work environment.”
One particular semester, Constantine was assigned to provide AV support for a series of Listening Tour events hosted by the College within the community.
“With minimal staff support and technology, we were just trying to figure it out along the way. The events had minimal attendance, and I don’t think the majority of the community even knew about CWI at the time. The development and growth of the College and our live productions since then has been amazing and is a testament to the quality of people who work here.”
"Judd is extremely in tune with what technology the College needs and how to make it as accessible as possible,” said Multimedia Tech, Adam Eichten. “He always looks ahead to plan for the best course of action, whether that’s long term installation projects that take years to plan, next semester’s technology upgrades, or even anticipating an instructor’s needs for the next day making sure they are accommodated without the instructor ever knowing he was there. We are lucky to have such a dedicated project manager, and I’m very excited to see how he’ll be able to integrate the latest and greatest AV into across campuses.”
“Judd is resourceful, innovative, and congenial. His excellent, high-quality work is vital to many departments at CWI,” added Dean of Health, Cathleen Currie. “He is a behind-the-scenes hero!”
Constantine grew up in Parma, Idaho, and has lived in Boise for the last 14 years. Outside of work, he enjoys watching and betting on sports, exploring nature and the outdoors, and checking out nightlife activities with friends. He is also an accomplished musician and can often be found playing his guitar and singing at various local gigs.
Johns Named Faculty of Distinction
Congratulations to Darcia Johns, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for December 2021. Johns is Adjunct Faculty for Business and has been with the College for two years. In addition to teaching, she is also an accountant and a business owner and holds a master's degree in Accounting from Boise State University.
“I decided accounting would be a great field to study because I wanted to know as much as (or more than) the professionals who were advising me and helping me reach my financial business goals,” said Johns. “I wanted to have educated conversations with these professionals and not just lean on them to make the decisions for me. I have never regretted this decision.”
Passionate about education, Johns believes there is power in learning new ideas, furthering one’s understanding, and accomplishing goals.
“I love being a part of the transformation that education offers. CWI empowers students to achieve more than they thought possible! This is my favorite thing about CWI and education in general – what was thought to be out of reach becomes attainable which allows for more growth and elevates all of us to a higher standard. I also have the BEST students! They are willing to put in the work to reach their goals, which makes my job incredibly exciting!”
“Darcia always goes the extra mile,” said Associate Professor, Joe Welker. “She has dedicated many hours off the clock to reviewing and improving her accounting and finance classes to both improve as an instructor and foster student success. Very giving of her time, Darcia willingly works with her students before and after classes and serves as an Adjunct Faculty Senator. Her contributions to the College have been countless.”
“CWI is the perfect place to gain an education because it sets students up for success as they move forward in their college and career goals,” Johns said. “We have incredible instructors who care about their students, see their true potential, and want them to learn and succeed. Because of fantastic instructors and superb students, CWI will continue to have a long legacy of greatness.”
Johns grew up on a farm in rural Idaho. She has been married for 20 years and has five children. One of her favorite things to do outside of the classroom is kayak.
“The North Fork of the Salmon River is my favorite. There is nothing better than resting on the beach after a long day on the river watching a bald eagle soar overhead, normally a nightly occurrence. I also enjoy hiking, water skiing, and snow skiing with my family.”
Help Us Design CWI’s Future Mascot
College of Western Idaho (CWI) has identified the otter as its official mascot. It is now time to bring the otter to life with a creative identity including a name and design!
To kick off the mascot development research phase, we want to hear from you. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to share their input and opinions about the new mascot via the survey linked below. Results of the survey will be used to guide the naming and design process.
Please complete the survey by Friday, Jan. 28. Stay tuned for additional opportunities to provide input which will be shared in the coming months. Unveiling of the new mascot is currently scheduled for Fall 2022.
Thank you for taking time to engage in this important process.
