COEUR d’ALENE — North Idaho College trustees Tarie Zimmerman and Brad Corkill have announced their intention to run for reelection. 

Their seats in Zone 1 and Zone 2 will be up for grabs in the Nov. 3 general election.

The trustees were first elected in 2022. For the first half of their term, during the height of NIC’s accreditation crisis, they were a minority bloc on the board, pushing back against administrative and financial decisions that landed the college in hot water with its accreditor. 

NIC returned to good standing in February. But Zimmerman and Corkill told The Press that milestone isn’t the end. 

“Nothing is ever finished,” Corkill said. “Everything is a work in progress.” 

Zimmerman said she’s proud of what she and her fellow trustees have achieved over the past two years, including supporting the launch of the Cardinal Classical Pathway, a subset of general education offerings for students who want to follow a classical curriculum. 

“That is an example of the trustees and the college meeting the needs of families,” she said. “It’s been received really well.” 

Trustees have also reviewed and updated the board’s policies in their entirety, a massive undertaking. Zimmerman now sits on the Association of Community College Trustees Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. 

“Other colleges are looking at our policies as an example,” she said. 

NIC has seen increasing enrollment year over year, outpacing the national trend, as well as improved staff recruitment and retention. Zimmerman said the college’s finances, too, are solid, despite 3% budget holdbacks for state agencies and a strong likelihood of more holdbacks on the horizon.

“NIC is in as good a place as it could possibly be right now,” Corkill said. “It’s improving constantly. NIC is in a strong position.” 

The college is close to meeting its goal of reducing athletics to a sustainable point. In 2024, NIC leaders outlined the plan to bring the athletics budget, which had ballooned from $2.2 million to $6.2 million during the previous two school years, under control. 

Cutting athletics spending by about $1.8 million over a two-year period necessitated eliminating the men’s and women’s golf teams. Zimmerman called the decision disappointing but necessary. 

She and Corkill said golf could return to NIC. 

“We want to see that program come back,” Zimmerman said. 

The two trustees said they’re running for another term because they believe NIC can become even stronger. 

“Doing the work of NIC is very rewarding,” said Corkill, who has about four decades of experience serving on public boards. “This will probably be my last venture in public service.” 

Zimmerman said she feels energized by the college’s recent successes. 

“We have a truly wonderful community,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to do new things and make the college even better.” 

    Corkill