SANDPOINT — City officials and community leaders hope a new task force on higher education will be the first step toward bringing a full-time university to the area.

The proposed group is a byproduct of the Sandpoint Growth Task Force, which is a non-governmental body focused on finding solutions to a myriad of area problems.

Growth Task Force co-chair Kimberly Manning said finding a way to bring some form of higher education to Sandpoint was a common goal among most members of the group.

“The end goal, and everyone is very clear about this, is we want to have a full-fledged college in Sandpoint,” she said. “So the idea of the task force is to identify the path towards that.”

The task force will likely work with state and local governmental agencies, as well as enlisting local business and non-profit organizations — such as the Wild Rose Foundation — to brainstorm ideas for a university, according to Manning.

While the task force will not be directly affiliated with the city, Mayor Gretchen Hellar has been enlisted to facilitate the project and recruit the initial five or six members. Hellar, a longtime advocate of higher education, said she supports any group working to better the community through education.

“I think it’s a good idea any time we’re taking a look at providing post-secondary education of some sort, and there are a lot of ideas floating around,” she said. “There was, of course, the Wild Rose Foundation, where you build the bricks and mortar and then fill them up. There have also been ideas thrown around about using some of the empty space in downtown buildings, because a lot of courses don’t require chemistry labs.”

There are no requirements for joining the task force, but Manning hopes those with a background in higher education and business will volunteer their time.

“In general, we need people with leadership skills for this. But, what’s more important, is for people who have a passion for the idea and who have relevant experience with it to come forward,” she said.

Hellar hopes to have the task force up and running by late May. To get involved, call Hellar at 263-3317.