Fall Brings Energy to Campus
I look forward to the return of fall each year. It’s energizing to see the campus full of new and returning students. At this time of year, I recall my first years at the College of Southern Idaho as an instructor in our Technical division, seeing the students assimilate to college level classes and new challenges. Some 30 years later, CSI feels like a much different place in many respects, but each new school year produces the same pride and anticipation I felt back then.
I am encouraged by the strong enrollment we experienced this fall. Our student head count increased about six percent over last fall. Our official ten-day census was 7,204 students. The breakdown of those numbers is intriguing:
- 46-percent of our student body – 3,329 students – are freshmen.
- By an almost two-to-one margin, 65.5% of CSI students are female.
- 30.9-percent are ‘traditional’ students from age 18 to 21.
- 45.8-percent are 25 or older, with 10.3-percent 65 or older.
- 14-percent, including the hundreds of concurrent credit students at more than 30 Idaho high schools, are under 18.
- Nearly a third of the CSI student body – 31.7-percent – are married.
Other data show that a great number of our students are juggling the responsibilities of full or part time jobs and children along with their class work.
I urge you to take time occasionally to walk the campus and to see the classrooms, labs, and gathering areas for what they really are – incubators for dreams. My job – and yours – is much more than the meetings, decisions, committees, paperwork, and other obligations we have to do from day to day. Our real job is to help our students get what they want in their lives. Please accept my thanks for all the things you do – large and small – that make the College of Southern Idaho a positive experience for our students.
One of the important ways we can support our students is to support the many activities, fundraisers, and events they sponsor. Did you know that we have more than 60 student clubs and organizations on campus? Through the school year, almost every one of those groups will do a service project, encourage a small purchase or participation, produce an event, or host a guest speaker or performance. Join me in supporting these student functions. Your involvement will be noticed and appreciated.
2008 will be another landmark year for the CSI campus with the reconstruction of our Falls Avenue entrance and the ‘North Loop Development’ that will accommodate the expansion of the campus to the other side of North College Road. Construction on the front entrance is expected to begin right after graduation next spring and should finish before the fall semester begins. The front of the campus will look very different than it does now and will be infinitely safer for both pedestrians and motorists. The design should allow traffic to move onto and away from the campus much more efficiently.
I am very excited by the prospects we face as construction on the new Biology/Health Sciences building begins next spring. The planning/design team for this building has been working for several weeks, not just on what the building will look like or the programs it will house, but also on the feelings we want to convey to students and visitors to campus. In keeping with CSI’s core values and providing environmental stewardship for our students and community, we plan to LEED certify the new building. This stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a program of the U.S. Green Building Council. As such, it will feature the most advanced construction technologies available today to minimize energy usage and to maximize efficiency and sustainability. The Biology/Health Sciences building will be equipped to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s technologies. We trust that it will serve generations of students who will become tomorrow’s health science practitioners. Just as exciting is the fact that our Biology/Health Sciences building signifies a whole new expansion and direction for CSI as it pushes beyond North College Road. As you know, the ‘main’ campus circle and the design of a beautiful campus commons area has been embraced and praised by the community and college design experts for its visionary combination of learning and gathering spaces, room for expansion and new construction, and adequate parking for the past four decades. We want the soul of “the community’s college” to be reflected as the Biology/Health Sciences building pioneers the northern reach of our campus.
An interesting Idaho legislative session is shaping up as we look ahead to the coming year. Among the objectives Governor Otter would like to achieve is a plan that would bring the pay and benefits of state employees in line with the private sector. It’s important to note, however, that although the governor’s plan would increase our basic compensation over several years, it would also reduce our benefits. CSI has walked a fine line in recent years in our efforts to shield our employees from the dramatic increases in health insurance premiums and the reductions in covered medical and pharmaceutical costs. The governor’s plan would mean that state employees would pay more of their covered medical charges as opposed to the approximately 22-percent they pay now.
Whether the governor’s plan goes into effect or not, one of the ways we can help beat the rising cost of medical care is to take good care of ourselves. I encourage you to take advantage of the wonderful programs and events sponsored by the CSI Wellness Committee and the benefits offered at our nicely equipped StudentRecreationCenter. These are two of the benefits of working at CSI, each offering us many ways of developing healthy lifestyles, getting into better shape, and maintaining our health. I encourage all of us at CSI to be health and wellness role models to the community.
Thank you again for your contributions to CSI and to our students. Have a greatyear.
Jerry Beck
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s That Time of Year for PACE Reps
Current Reps need to be thinking about staying on for another year or finding a replacement. New and returning Reps will begin their new year of service in January, 2008. Be thinking about this during the next couple of weeks. The current Reps will be receiving an e-mail with more information about a get-together during the later part of November.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Executive Committee Nominations Info
It is that time of year again when we are in need of excellent candidates to represent our staff as a member of the 2008 (two-year term, Jan. to Jan.) PACE Executive Committee. As a member of the executive committee you would be responsible for the overall direction, continuation, promotion, credibility, and success of the CSI Professional and Classified Organization (PACE). A successful candidate would be someone who is willing to foster and enhance communication among staff, faculty, and administration. The position requires attendance at the monthly executive meeting and various activities sponsored by PACE. All regular part-time and full-time, non-teaching, non-administrative employees are eligible for nomination. Please send your nominations to Christy Bowman (PACE Co-Chair). All employees nominated will be notified for acceptance prior to the election. An online ballot of nominated employees will be made available for vote the first full week of November. Election results will be announced the 2nd week of November. We look forward to receiving your nominations!
To find out more about PACE and its function(s) visit our website at and click on By-Laws.
Christy Bowman
PACE Co-Chair
Ext. 6575
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2007PACE Rep Meetings
2-3 PM2nd Wed. of the MonthTaylor 248
Check Your E-mails for Any Changes
Date...... Chair...... Recorder
November 14...... Ann Keane...... Kristi Bronson
December 12...... ______...... ______
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MonthlyList
Check it out after the first of every month.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ICE on Your Cell Phone
Here is a nice handy tip in case you are ever in an emergency situation. If you have a cell phone add the name ICE as one of your contact names. Put in the # of the person you would like emergency personal to notify In Case of an Emergency. In the event that you are involved in an accident and cannot communicate this could be a true advantage for you and your loved ones.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PACE Employee of the Year News
It is time for the EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR Nominations again!
Eligible Employees:
- Full-Time, Professional & Classified Employees (Administration, directors & above, not eligible)
- Employed for a minimum of two (2) Years
- Employees who have demonstrated Caring, Commitment, Integrity, Professionalism & Knowledge
- Previous winners of this award are not eligible
Nominations will be accepted from November 5th through December 7th
Winners of the award will be announced at the Spring In-Service in January.
An e-mail will be sent outNovember 5th with a link to the nomination form.
Dannette Starr
Employee of the Year Committee
Ext. 6270
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Training Committee
Laugh and the World Laughs with you!!!
Stress is all around you. You can’t take one more thing. Try Laughing. Take a deep breath and just laugh. Laughter can help relieve stress. Give it a try!!!
- When you make fun of yourself, you remove any possible chance that there could be a confrontation.
- Laughter will help dissolve tension, stress, anxiety, irritation, anger, grief, and depression.
- Medical research has found that laughter boosts the immune system
Put the following web site in your browser and see what is being said about laughter on WebMed.
The web site listed below is for laughter aerobics. Give it a try. Have a laugh!!!
Tina Standlee
Training Committee
Ext. 6205
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reminders
- CSI Employees can have a cup of coffee or pop for 50 cents in the Eagles Nest.
- Just ask and be ready to show your ID in case the server doesn’t know who you are.
- Advertise your personal goods on CSI Classifieds at
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Faces on Campus
Alex Mitchell
New Position
Web Programmer & Developer
GRM / Library, Ext. 6897
Dated Oct. 09, 2007
I grew up in Rupert, Idaho graduating from Minico HS in 2000. After that I bounced around between jobs and College until I settled on the Web Application Development Degree here at CSI. I completed the degree last year. I’m happy to be here at CSI and look forward to working with everyone.
Next Edition Scheduled For November, 2007
(Subject to Change)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~