COEUR d’ALENE — After two years of uncertainty, North Idaho College awaits the final decision as to whether it will retain accreditation.

NIC President Nick Swayne said he’s optimistic about the college’s future. He and other college leaders, including trustees Brad Corkill and Tarie Zimmerman, met with accreditors in Seattle this week for what they hoped will be the final time. 

“There were smiles and nods,” Swayne said Friday, referring to the 30-person commission with which NIC representatives met on Tuesday. “But we’re not out of the woods until we get that official report back. It’s hard to predict what that will be. I think they’re still a little bit cautious about taking away all sanctions, but I think we’ve earned our good standing with the commission."

Since 2023, NIC has operated under a show cause sanction, the last step before loss of accreditation. Federal regulations stipulate that NIC has until April 1 to resolve the remaining issues identified by the accrediting body. 

Show cause sanctions are almost never levied against public institutions. When they are, it’s typically because of problems with a college’s finances or academics, but that isn’t the case at NIC. Instead, according to reports from the NWCCU, poor governance exhibited by previous iterations of the board of trustees set NIC on this path. 

Swayne said he outlined for the commission what progress NIC has made over the last 10 months. May 2024 was the “turning point,” he said, when former trustee Mike Waggoner began to vote with Corkill and Zimmerman, paving the way for the board to demonstrate better governance and complete ordinary business, like unanimously approving a budget, as well as new strategic goals for the college. 

“It wasn’t perfect,” Swayne said. “There were still some issues. But really, there were seven months of relatively normal behavior. There were matters of substance that were addressed during those seven months.” 

In November, the balance over power on the board shifted when Rick Durbin, Mary Havercroft and Eve Knudtsen won the hotly contested races for three seats on the board. Backed by a political action committee called Save NIC Now, the trio quickly formed a solid majority with Corkill and Zimmerman.

In their first meeting, weeks after the election, the board took unanimous action to seek new legal counsel, review the scope of NIC’s athletics program and address the 13 votes of no confidence the board has received from staff, faculty and student groups. 

“In one night, they addressed more tough issues than most boards address in four years and they did it in an hour and a half,” Swayne said. “I think it’s clear that they’re conservative. They want to keep the budget in line. They’re going to make smart decisions and ask smart questions.” 

While NIC awaits the final decision from its accreditor, Swayne said college leaders are “focused on the mission on the college” and setting their sights on new goals, including building rapport between the board and the administration and improving employee retention. 

“That’s what a good board does,” Swayne said. “There’s always work to be done. I think we’re setting the example.” 

The NWCCU has 30 days from the Tuesday meeting to release its decision on NIC’s accreditation.