North Idaho College

North Idaho College
Former name
Coeur d'Alene Junior College (1933-1939)
North Idaho Junior College (1939-1971)
Motto"Changing Lives Every Day"
On seal: Excellentia inter amoenitatem (Latin)
Motto in English
"Excellence between charms"
TypePublic community college
EstablishedAugust 10, 1933; 91 years ago (1933-08-10)
Parent institution
Idaho State Board of Education[1]
AccreditationNWCCU
Academic affiliations
Space-grant
ChairGreg McKenzie[2]
PresidentNick Swayne[3]
Administrative staff
162
Students3,979 (Fall 2023)[4]
Location
Coeur d'Alene
,
Idaho
,
United States

47°40′32″N 116°47′56″W / 47.675654°N 116.798980°W / 47.675654; -116.798980
CampusSmall city[5], 77 acres (0.31 km2)
Other campuses
NewspaperThe Sentinel
ColorsMaroon and gray
   
Sporting affiliations
NAC
MascotCardinal
Websitenic.edu

North Idaho College (NIC) is a public community college in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It has an enrollment of approximately 3,900 undergraduate students. Its main campus is situated at the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene near downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Tubbs Hill, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at the east bank of the outflowing Spokane River.[6] It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities but was placed on "show cause" status in early 2023 due to concerns about its board of trustees. Together with the College of Eastern Idaho, College of Western Idaho and College of Southern Idaho, NIC is one of only four comprehensive community colleges in Idaho.

History

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The school was established during the Great Depression in 1933 as "Coeur d'Alene Junior College," with classes held at City Hall. It moved to its present campus in 1939, at the site of the old Fort Sherman (1878–1900), and the name was changed to "North Idaho Junior College"; the present name came in 1971.[7][8]

The college's board of trustees has engaged in actions that have drawn national attention on multiple occasions. In 2021, the board fired the college president without cause (later settling a lawsuit with him for nearly $500,000).[9][10] Continued conflict among board members led to resignations of senior administrators at the college, the resignation of two trustees, the nonrenewal of some of the college's insurance policies, and a warning from the college's accreditor.[10] In late 2022, the board suspended the college president, Nick Swayne, without explanation and hired a new attorney without an application or interview process; a few months later, the college was ordered by a judge to reinstate Swayne.[10][11] These actions and concerns about their legality and the college's stability led Moody's Investor Service to downgrade the college's bond rating and warnings from the college's accreditor, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). In February 2023, NWCCU placed the college on "show cause" status, giving it one month to convince the accreditor that the college should remain accredited.[12][13] The college was subsequently given until October 2024 to demonstrate compliance with the accreditation standards.[14]

Catchment

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Its catchment area includes all of the counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, and Shoshone. Of them, solely Kootenai County is in the college's taxation zone.[15]

Academics

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North Idaho College offers Associate's degrees, including transfer degrees and the Associate of Applied Science degree.[16]

Notable alumni

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  • Meyer Health & Sciences Building
    Meyer Health & Sciences Building
  • Edminster Student Union
    Edminster Student Union
  • Christianson Gymnasium
    Christianson Gymnasium
  • Historic Fort Sherman Officers Quarters
    Historic Fort Sherman Officers Quarters

References

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  1. ^ "Institution Roles and Mission".
  2. ^ "Board of Trustees".
  3. ^ "President's Office".
  4. ^ "North Idaho College".
  5. ^ "IPEDS-North Idaho College".
  6. ^ "North Idaho College". Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  7. ^ "History & Tradition". North Idaho College. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  8. ^ Davis, Jan (April 19, 1971). "Name change pleases all at college". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 5.
  9. ^ Whitford, Emma (September 24, 2021). "Board Fires College President Without Cause". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Moody, Josh (December 12, 2022). "A Leadership Vacuum at North Idaho College". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  11. ^ Hanlon, James (March 5, 2023). "Judge orders North Idaho College to reinstate president; board meeting planned Monday". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  12. ^ Thornbrugh, Kaye (January 4, 2023). "Another type of warning for NIC". Coeur d'Alene Press. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  13. ^ Thornbrugh, Kaye (February 10, 2023). "NIC receives show cause letter from accrediting agency". Coeur d'Alene Press. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  14. ^ Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (March 1, 2024), Institution Notification Letter, retrieved April 24, 2024
  15. ^ "Community Colleges" (PDF). Legislative Budget Book. Idaho Legislature. 2016. p. 1-81 (PDF p. 3/9). - See area 1 in: "TITLE 33 EDUCATION CHAPTER 21 JUNIOR COLLEGES". Idaho Legislature. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  16. ^ "Degrees Offered". Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  17. ^ "North Idaho College Athletics - Go Cardinals!". Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  18. ^ "Bryan Caraway UFC Bio". Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  19. ^ "Kelvin Gastelum UFC Bio". Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  20. ^ "Montana State Representative Rick Jore Profile". Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  21. ^ "Sarah Palin's college daze". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  22. ^ "STEVE PARKER". profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  23. ^ "Trevor Prangley MMA Bio". Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  24. ^ MiddleEasy @MiddleEasy. "Rawesome Fight and MMA News - MiddleEasy.com". Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  25. ^ Colon, Nick. "Josh Thomson: The True Lightweight Champion of Strikeforce". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  26. ^ Sherdog.com. "Josh Thomson MMA Record". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  27. ^ "Mike Whitehead UFC Bio". Retrieved 2014-01-01.
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