A man who led North Idaho College for nearly 20 years and is credited with expanding it into a home of top-quality higher education recently died.

Barry Schuler passed away Feb. 3 on Bainbridge Island, Wash. He was 89.

“Former President Schuler led the college at a time of great growth for NIC, when the nursing program was established and career and technical programs were expanded,” said Michael Sebaaly, NIC interim president. “His legacy lives on not only in the educational offerings for our students, but in the positive impacts to our entire community, including NIC’s stunning main campus and the preservation of the NIC Beach.”

Schuler moved his family to Coeur d’Alene when he was selected to serve as NIC’s president in 1968.

With Schuler at the helm, NIC added the nursing and law enforcement programs, Hedlund Vocational Center, a science building and the humanities building now known as Boswell Hall and the Schuler Center for the Performing Arts, which was named in his honor.

“The auditorium was one of my proudest achievements because of the wonderful impetus it’s given to music, speakers, lecturers and cultural events of all kinds in the beautiful setting of North Idaho,” Schuler said in an Dec. 1, 1995 article in The Spokesman-Review.

NIC also established a wrestling program that won multiple national championships, and the college was instrumental in establishing Art on the Green, the Museum of North Idaho and in acquiring and preserving the beach that surrounds the college.

Schuler remained NIC’s president until 1986.

He went on to serve as president of the Williamson Free School for the Mechanical Arts and Trades in Media, Pa., from 1987 until 1996. He retired and settled in Bainbridge Island with his wife, Ruth.

Photographer Tim Christie taught at NIC and was its first public information officer. He worked directly with Schuler for the four years.

“Without a doubt, Barry was responsible for the greatest growth to the physical plant at NIC and was instrumental in protecting the beach,” Christie wrote. “He worked tirelessly with legislators and community members to make the college the topflight community college it is.”

Christe said one of his fondest memories of Schuler was the Christmas parties that he threw for children of faculty and staff.

“He was a model train buff and had an elaborate setup at his home that delivered ice cream treats to the kids seated around his dining table. It was the hit of the holiday season for my young son, Jeff,” Christie wrote.