COEUR d’ALENE — North Idaho College remains accredited and has returned to good standing with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. 

The decision, announced Monday night, comes three years after NIC received a sanction of show cause from the NWCCU and four years after the commission issued its first warning. 

“Regaining good standing is a testament to the strength and perseverance of NIC students, employees and community,” NIC President Nick Swayne said. “The strength of this college lies in its people, those who refused to give up and stood firm against the chaos. With the distractions behind us, we can now focus entirely on delivering the quality education and opportunities our students expect and deserve.” 

Close to 100 people gathered in the Lake Coeur d’Alene Room in the Edminster Student Union Building on campus to hear the decision Monday night. 

The crowd gave a standing ovation when NWCCU Senior Vice President Ed Harri announced that NIC has resolved the issues related to governance and is once again in compliance with all accreditation standards and requirements. 

“The sanction of probation was removed and accreditation was reaffirmed for NIC,” Harri said. 

The 15-minute special meeting that marked the end of the saga was a far cry from the marathon meetings that occurred at the height of the accreditation crisis, when hundreds of community members sometimes turned out to voice dismay over the decisions of the former board majority. 

“The college and our community have endured extraordinarily challenging times,” said Trustee Tarie Zimmerman. “It is important to say clearly and without hesitation that what happened at North Idaho College should never have happened.” 

Show cause sanctions are almost never levied against public institutions, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. When they are, it’s typically because of problems with a college’s finances or academics. 

That wasn’t the case at NIC. Instead, NIC’s accreditation was in jeopardy because of decisions made by the board of trustees. 

In 2021, four area human rights groups submitted complaints of civil rights and civil liberties violations at NIC to its accreditor. A peer evaluation panel from the NWCCU investigated the complaints. 

A report issued in February 2022 described the board as “dysfunctional” and said the then-board chair’s “role in questioning curricular content has had a chilling effect on faculty independence and diverse thought.” 

The NWCCU sanctioned the college with a warning in April 2022. 

During a series of chaotic meetings in December 2022, the board majority placed Swayne on indefinite administrative leave for no disciplinary reason and hired an interim president. Swayne sued the college and ultimately won his job back, after the court ordered the board to reinstate him. 

In February 2023, the NWCCU issued the show cause sanction to North Idaho College. 

Christa Hazel helped found Save NIC Now, a political action committee that backed Rick Durbin, Mary Havercroft and Eve Knudtsen in their successful bids for election to the board of trustees in 2024. Their election seismically shifted the balance on the board of trustees.  

Hazel said NIC is both a success story and a warning flag.  

“When endorsed political chaos put this college at risk, trustees, faculty, staff, students and the community stepped up to restore good governance,” she said. “That hard work paid off. NIC is now a model college we can be proud of.”  

But there’s a lesson to be learned, she said.  

“Local institutions like NIC remain strong only if we stay vigilant against chaos and protect steady leadership,” Hazel said.  

Zimmerman expressed a similar sentiment.   

“Before we turn the page, we must remember that the board of trustees is an elected body, chosen by the voters of Kootenai County and entrusted with the responsibility of governing in the best interest of the institution,” she said. “Since the most recent election, the board has worked deliberately and collaboratively to restore trust and uphold best practices in governance.” 

Interim Provost Lloyd Duman said he wouldn’t wish the turmoil at NIC on anyone. But he said it was incredible to see how the campus community and the wider community came together in support of the college. 

“We stood up and said, ‘We refuse to let this happen to our gem,’” he said. “And it didn’t.” 

    NIC Executive Director of Workforce and Economic Development Colby Mattila celebrates with others during a special board meeting Monday at the Lake Coeur d’Alene Room of the Edminster Student Union Building on NIC’s Coeur d’Alene campus.