NG LEVELING UP
STUDENT ENRICHMENT
ACADEMIC INNOVATION
CAMPUS GROWTH
GREETINGS,
At College of Western Idaho (CWI), we are driving opportunity and transformation by delivering affordable, accessible education that prepares students to level up in their careers and futures.
This year, we celebrated major milestones that underscore CWI’s role as an economic driver in Idaho. The opening of our new Agriculture Sciences Complex and Health and Science Building — state-of-the-art facilities designed to train tomorrow’s workforce — reflects our commitment to innovation. These projects were made possible through the support of key industry partners, including Simplot and Delta Dental, as well as the State of Idaho, whose investments in CWI will expand opportunities and allow us to meet the evolving needs of students and employers.
We are especially proud to have launched our first Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration, offering an affordable and costeffective pathway to a four-year degree. This program was developed in collaboration with local industry experts to ensure our students graduate with the skills and knowledge most valued in
today’s workplace. Enrollment has already exceeded expectations.
As the Treasure Valley grows, so does CWI. We’ve experienced nine consecutive semesters of enrollment growth, we serve the largest number of career-technical students in the state, and we remain Idaho’s leading provider of dual credit. Our strategic partnerships with industry fuel the local economy by supplying job-ready graduates to a wide range of employers.
Looking ahead, CWI remains committed to innovation, accessibility, and impact. By keeping education within reach for all Idahoans, we honor our mission and strengthen the promise of higher education to transform lives, drive economic growth, and support our community.
PRESIDENT GORDON JONES
COLLEGE OF WESTERN IDAHO LEADERSHIP
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
CHAIRPERSON
JIM REAMES
zone 3 Serving Since 2021
Driven by a desire to empower individuals and an enthusiasm for finance, Trustee Reames has devoted over two decades to the banking sector. Beyond finance, he dedicates his time to nurturing the next generation, demonstrated by his former role as President of the Nampa Boys and Girls Club board.
jimreames@cwi.edu
VICE CHAIRPERSON
NICOLE BRADSHAW
zone 1 Serving Since 2022
Trustee Bradshaw is an awardwinning, strategic healthcare executive with over 30 years of experience. Her personal goal is to be a positive change in our community and support students. She has also served on the Caldwell Historic Preservation Commission and is a proud member of the Nampa Chamber of Commerce.
nicolebradshaw@cwi.edu
PRESIDENT’S CABINET
PRESIDENT
GORDON JONES
208.562.3200
gojones@cwi.edu
DENISE ABERLE-CANNATA
SECRETARY/TREASURER
MOLLY LENTY
zone 2 Serving Since 2018
Trustee Lenty brings more than two decades of community relations experience to College of Western Idaho's Board of Trustees. She remains deeply committed to civic engagement, leading and supporting community initiatives with the Treasure Valley Education Partnership, Nampa School District, and United Way of Treasure Valley.
mollylenty@cwi.edu
Provost & Vice President, Academic Affairs
208.562.3218 denisecannata@cwi.edu
RANDI MCDERMOTT
Chief of Staff
208.562.2752 randimcdermott@cwi.edu
MARK ARSTEIN
DAVID BISHOP
zone 4 Serving Since 2025
Trustee Bishop joined the CWI Board in 2025, bringing more than three decades of healthcare leadership to the role. A passionate community advocate, he has served with Rotary, the YMCA, St. Luke’s Children’s Advisory Board, and international medical missions, championing education and workforce development.
davidbishop@cwi.edu
Vice President, Advancement & Chief Development Officer, CWI Foundation
208.562.3035 markarstein@cwi.edu
KEN KLINE
Vice President, Finance & Administration
208.562.3146 kenkline@cwi.edu
NIC MILLER
zone 5 Serving Since 2020
Trustee Buckner-Webb, a fifth generation Idahoan, served in the Idaho House of Representatives and the Idaho Senate. Her credo, “leave a legacy,” underscores her commitment to purpose. She serves on many local and national boards, and has received numerous awards in acknowledgment of civic, state, and national service.
cheriebucknerwebb@cwi.edu
Vice President, Strategy & Operations
208.562.2215
nicmiller@cwi.edu
EMILY TETZ
Vice President, Marketing
208.562.2278
emilytetz@cwi.edu
TRUSTEE
EDUCATION ELEVATED
Mission
College of Western Idaho is committed to empowering students to succeed by providing affordable and accessible education to advance the local and global workforce.
Vision
College of Western Idaho will be a best-in-class community college that provides quality, affordable, and accessible education by delivering innovative and costeffective programming that empowers students, leads to economic and social mobility, and meets evolving community needs.
EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH ACCESSIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL.
CWI is committed to advancing community needs WHY through open, affordable access, a student-first commitment, and an innovative growth mindset HOW to deliver career-oriented outcomes for Idahoans, fueling our local workforce and the entire state of Idaho.
WHO WE SERVE
NEW BACHELOR’S DEGREE FOR ADVANCING IDAHO'S WORKFORCE DEGREE
SPOTLIGHT
While the skyline is changing across College of Western Idaho (CWI) campuses, something even more foundational is taking shape inside. The Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Business Administration, developed in partnership with Idaho’s business leaders, launched in Fall 2025 as the first degree of its kind in both the State of Idaho and at College of Western Idaho.
As with all CWI programs, collaboration with industry is essential. Employers, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts, all Idaho-based, were directly consulted to ensure the applied business degree aligns with real workforce needs in the Treasure Valley. Leaders like Dr. David Peterman, former CEO of Primary Health, and Connie Miller, former CEO of Icon Credit Union and current CEO of Credible Advantage, played a key role in shaping the curriculum, selecting faculty, and making sure the program serves working professionals.
Both Peterman and Miller are very passionate about the mission of CWI. “CWI isn’t just a necessary community institution. It’s an unbelievable resource that fills vital roles in our workforce,” said Peterman.
“There comes a critical point where leaders need to transition from managing tasks to leading people. This degree gives them the tools to do that.”
CONNIE MILLER, CEO OF CREDIBLE ADVANTAGE
“CWI isn’t just a necessary community institution. It’s an unbelievable resource that fills vital roles in our workforce.”
DR. DAVID PETERMAN, FORMER CEO OF PRIMARY HEALTH
A WORKFORCE-DRIVEN APPROACH TO HIGHER ED
For Peterman, the motivation to get involved was simple: most Idahoans don’t work for Fortune 500 companies with robust internal training. They work for small and medium-sized businesses that often lack resources to upskill employees. Peterman recalled, “We had to create our own training programs because there was nothing like this degree, “Now CWI can do that for us.”
Miller shared the need for professional business skills in Idaho came up repeatedly during advisory committee meetings, which she attended for years.
“There comes a critical point where leaders need to transition from managing tasks to leading people,” said Miller. “This degree gives them the tools to do that.”
Designed with direct input from respected executives in healthcare, retail, finance, and public service, the business degree offers courses in customer service, human resources, budgeting,
inventory, control, and leadership, with no advanced math required. While Peterman was part of the hiring committee to select program leadership, Miller also played a critical role in advising curriculum and will help develop the program’s leadership course.
“Strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and courage are the competencies we need in business,” Miller said. “This degree builds them.”
BUILT FOR PEOPLE ALREADY WORKING
Unlike traditional business degrees aimed at recent high school grads, CWI’s BAS in Business Administration is tailored for adults already in the workforce. It is built to serve tradespeople, firefighters, healthcare workers, technicians and more, looking to level up in their careers.
“This is a degree for someone who needs a promotion but doesn’t have a bachelor’s degree,” said Program Coordinator for the program, Ryan Hanson. “It’s about helping people remove that last barrier to advancement.”
130 PROGRAMS OFFERED AT CWI
CWI is committed to supporting individuals at any stage of life, with hundreds of programs and course options to meet the needs of our students and community.
AREAS
• Academic Transfer • Career & Technical Education • Dual Credit
Workforce Development • Adult Education
• Certificate or Associate Degree
• Bachelor’s Degree
ACADEMIC TRANSFER
CWI provides an affordable and quality option to start a four-year degree journey. With 45 programs available, you can earn an associate degree while preparing for a career or transferring to further studies.
4% increase in Academic Transfer student headcount year over year
$2M+ in savings to students through Z-degree initiative1
DUAL CREDIT
Dual credit allows Idaho high school students to get a head start on their college education, explore interests, save time and money, and discover what college has to offer while in high school.
6% increase in students receiving CWI dual credit2
CAREER-TECHNICAL
Serving the largest number of Career and Technical Education (CTE) students in the state³, our CTE programs offer intensive, quality training on flexible timelines. Our 50 fastpaced, hands-on programs align seamlessly with industry needs, ensuring our graduates earn a degree with a competitive edge; making them top picks for employers.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT/ ADULT EDUCATION
CWI’s Workforce Development and Adult Education programs provide on-demand essential training and certifications. Our 36 workforce programs aid career advancement and retraining, while our Adult Education programs offer free⁵ classes to boost college readiness, prep for the GED, improve English language skills, and more.
28% increase in CTE student headcount year over year3
by
KATHLEEN BURNS-WICK
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
When Kathleen Burns-Wick first discovered College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Advanced Mechatronics Engineering Technology (mechatronics) program, she saw an opportunity to challenge herself and pursue a career that combined her love of problem-solving with hands-on technical work. Switching to a technical field later in life was intimidating, but it also offered a chance to grow and thrive. Her husband, Lee, who had also completed the program and is now employed with Kokusai Semiconductor, was a constant source of support, cheering her on and helping her balance school and life.
SKILLS THAT TRANSLATE
Though excited by the material, Burns-Wick initially felt out of place. Surprisingly the transition from her art background to mechatronics went pretty well. Her experience with spatial awareness and translating visual information helped her quickly grasp the movements and programming of industrial robots. “Compared to other classmates who hadn’t worked with robotics, I had an easier time adjusting to the way I needed to think,” she says.
LEARNING THROUGH TUTORING
Burns-Wick’s journey has been defined by determination and the desire to help others succeed. While excelling with a 4.0 GPA, she shared her knowledge by tutoring peers in several courses, turning her own learning into an opportunity to lift others up. “Tutoring has been a huge part of my learning,” she explains. “It’s like taking certain classes twice. Explaining concepts to others reinforces them in my own mind, and it helps me really understand the material.”
“Working through uncomfortable situations builds resilience and prepares you for whatever comes next. Sometimes it feels like there’s so much information, it’s like drinking from a firehose. But when a concept comes up a second time, it clicks, and I realize I can actually work with it.”
KATHLEEN BURNS-WICK, ADVANCED MECHATRONICS ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY STUDENT
EXPECTED GRADUATION DECEMBER 2025
HANDS-ON LEARNING THAT STICKS
One of the most valuable parts of the program for Burns-Wick has been the chance to work directly with industry-level equipment. From programmable logic controllers to robotics and automation systems, every class connects theory with practice. “The hands-on labs at CWI are where it all comes together,” she shares. “Seeing the concepts in action made everything click for me.” She also appreciates how the program revisits key ideas in different ways. “Each time we come back to a concept, I understand it more deeply and feel more confident applying it,” she says. These experiences helped turn complex theory into skills she can take directly into the workforce.
INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS
The mechatronics program is designed with input from Idaho’s growing tech sector, ensuring students graduate with skills employers need. Local partnerships with companies in manufacturing, semiconductors, and automation provide students with real-world context and opportunities to see how
classroom learning translates into professional work. These connections help graduates like Burns-Wick confidently enter high-demand industries and contribute from day one.
LOOKING AHEAD
Graduating this December with an Associate of Applied Science degree, Burns-Wick is excited to enter the semiconductor industry, where she can continue to grow as a technician, and contribute to the evolving world of technology. “I want to work somewhere I can continue to learn, stay sharp, and make a lot of money,” she says.
ADVICE FOR OTHERS
For anyone considering a career change or exploring a completely new field, she has simple advice: face the fear and embrace the challenge.
BUSINESS
PARTNERSHIPS:
FUELING A SKILLED WORKFORCE
At CWI, we prepare Idahoans for success in Idaho’s job market. Our programs are designed around industry advancements and employer expectations. Through strong partnerships with local businesses, we ensure students gain hands-on experience and the indemand skills needed to thrive in their careers.
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
At CWI, deep relationships are forged with employer partners in our community. Types of symbiotic relationships between CWI campus and the business community include:
• Corporate Donor
• Advisory Role in Curriculum Development
• Work-Based Learning, Internships, & Co-Op Programs
• Graduate Job Placement & Recruitment
• Customized Training & Education Support for Employees
FEATURED
EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIPS
Unlock the opportunities a partnership with CWI can offer! Our Work-Based Learning Center is ready to collaborate. Visit cwi.edu/wblc to learn more.
CWI IS PROUD TO PARTNER WITH OVER 200 EMPLOYERS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
Fixing cars, driving joy.
WORKFORCEREADY GRADUATES:
CAREER PATHWAYS
Each CWI graduate follows a unique path, some stepping directly into the workforce and others continuing their education to build on their success. Together, these outcomes reflect CWI’s strong commitment to student readiness and community impact.
GRADUATE OUTCOMES
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POWERING THE TREASURE VALLEY:
RAISING THE BAR
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Powering the Treasure Valley campaign has moved from vision to reality. Together, we are bringing new facilities to life, creating opportunities for students, and fueling Idaho’s workforce with the talent it needs to thrive.
This year, we’ve celebrated groundbreaking ceremonies, sign unveilings, and ribbon cuttings that mark the final stages of our comprehensive campaign. We’re almost to the finish line, and each step represents the impact of your support and the future we are building together.
Your investment is creating lasting change, ensuring CWI students have access to world-class facilities, transformative education, and pathways to success that strengthen families and communities across the Treasure Valley.
CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT
As we near completion of this historic campaign, the following projects are transforming our Nampa Campus, expanding student access in Boise, and enriching the student experience:
1. Health & Science Building | Ribbon Cutting
2. CapEd Student Success Center | Topping Off Ceremony
3. Agricultural Sciences Complex | Simplot Agriculture Building | Ribbon Cutting
4. Boise Location | Groundbreaking Ceremony
5. Boise Location | Rendering
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The progress we are making with these new facilities is a testament to the incredible support CWI has received from our partners and our community. The CapEd Student Success Center, Delta Dental of Idaho Oral Health Center, and Simplot Agriculture Building all represent a commitment to our shared purpose of investing in CWI students.
Mark Arstein Vice President, Advancement & Chief Development Officer, CWI Foundation
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TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION
Our campaign progress is more than buildings, it’s about the lives being changed inside them. With every milestone, we are creating new spaces where students achieve their dreams, faculty inspire growth, and businesses find the talent they need. We invite you to join us in our commitment to providing a high-quality, transformative education at an affordable cost.
STUDENT SUCCESS
At the heart of Powering the Treasure Valley are the students whose lives are being transformed every day. These new facilities are providing them with access to cutting-edge technology, hands-on learning environments, and the support they need to achieve their goals. By investing in our students, we are fueling a stronger workforce and building brighter futures for families across Idaho. We have come so far, and now we invite you to join us in finishing the campaign and ensuring student success for generations to come.
MARK ARSTEIN
Vice President, Advancement & Chief Development Officer, CWI Foundation
markarstein@cwi.edu
RYAN GERULF
Assistant Vice President, Advancement
ryangerulf@cwi.edu
SHANE CHARITON
Senior Director, Major & Principal Gifts
shanechariton@cwi.edu
MAHMOOD SHEIKH
Assistant Chief Advancement Officer, Strategic Initiatives
mahmoodsheikh@cwi.edu
HAYLEY KINDALL
Director, Strategic Communications
hayleykindall@cwi.edu
SHELLEY CRICHTON
Director, Donor Relations
shelleycrichton@cwi.edu
STEPHANIE BOREN
Strategic Events & Operations Coordinator
stephanieboren@cwi.edu
AURELIA REYES
Executive Assistant aureliareyes@cwi.edu
