The newly elected trustees for the North Idaho College board were met with a standing ovation Wednesday evening as they took their oaths of office. 

The group’s installation was described as the end of a difficult era by college President Nick Swayne, community members, and the trustees themselves. 

“Today, November 20, 2024 one door closes and another one opens,” Swayne said. “Despite very challenging circumstances and costly distractions, my administration and I, including the faculty and staff who chose to stay with us over the last few years, were able to keep the college on track, improve enrollment, and nurture nationally ranked programs and some of the best academics for our students.”

New trustees Rick Durbin, Eve Knudtsen and Mary Havercroft affirmed their focus on resolving bad governance issues that led to the college’s accreditation being in limbo with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. 

Retaining accreditation was the group’s central campaign promise in opposition to a group of trustee candidates endorsed by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) — aligned with the prior board majority — which the new trustees argued caused the accreditation issues. 

Nearly 100 community members attended the meeting, repeatedly clapping and cheering throughout the meeting as the trustees were sworn in and began to address the issues laid out in the NWCCU’s recent campus visit report. 

The new trustees had a lengthy agenda for their first meeting, several trustees noted, however they covered the topics in an hour and a half, compared to the typical two-hour long meetings in recent years. 

The rundown:

The two incumbent trustees, Brad Corkill and Tarie Zimmerman, were unanimously elected chair and vice chair respectively. Havercroft was elected as secretary/ treasurer. Corkill was absent from Wednesday’s meeting with a cold. 

Public comment was returned to the top of the meeting. A handful of community members spoke, most welcoming the new board. 

Pat Lippert, former philosophy professor at NIC, thanked the board for addressing votes of no confidence in prior iterations of the board on their agenda. 

“I am confident this signals a resolve to respond to this issue at last,” Lippert said. 

The new board is supportive of education and understands its importance, Lippert said. 

Charlie Ward, a freshman on NIC’s golf team, asked the board to address what will happen to student athlete’s scholarships if changes are made to athletic programs. He is an international student and wanted clarification if current scholarship commitments will be honored. 

The board addressed the issue later in the meeting by unanimously authorizing Swayne to conduct a comprehensive review of athletic program sustainability, while ensuring commitments made to current students are fulfilled. 

A couple people expressed concerns over the board’s new direction, including Howard Kuhns. 

Kuhns brought up that after the previous board majority was elected the trustee meeting had to be shut down and noted that wasn’t happening Wednesday. 

“This meeting will go smoothly not because you are better trustees but because the supporters of the candidates who have lost have respect for the electoral process,” Kuhns said. “They are not here being disruptive.” 

He went on to pray for the trustees that the Holy Spirit would “move them to reject racism disguised as diversity, to reject socialism disguised as equity, and to reject the sexual perversion of the LGBTQ movement.” 

Kathleen Miller-Green, faculty assembly chair, said faculty were hopeful with the installation of the new board. 

“In many ways today marks a turning point, a new chapter for North Idaho College,” Miller-Green said. “We come together at a time of transition after years have tested our resilience, unity, and  a commitment to the values that define us.” 

She went on to acknowledge the work ahead to heal rifts left by the strife of recent years.

“I stand before you as a representative of our incredible faculty with confidence knowing that the arrival of this new board brings with it the opportunity for healing, collaboration and renewal,” Miller-Green said. 

The board addressed a handful of issues brought up in the recent campus visit evaluation report by the NWCCU: 

• Discussed their trustee training they completed Tuesday
• Addressed the prior votes of no confidence and promised to work to earn the NIC community’s trust
• Terminated controversial attorney Colton Boyles and voted to put out a request for proposals for a new attorney
• Decided to review Swayne’s contract 
• Authorized Swayne to do a comprehensive review of athletic program sustainability
• Approved discussion to extend the Association of Community College Trustees contract for quarterly training
• Emphasized a focus on employee retention, starting with the onboarding of a new Human Resources director in December

The next step for NIC in the accreditation process is for Swayne, Corkill, and a team of administrators to present to the NWCCU at their January meeting in Seattle. The college must return to good standing by April, a deadline set by the United States Department of Education.