Earlier this month, I wrote about how far-right extremists have jeopardized the accreditation of North Idaho College (NIC). Recent developments suggest the college is on a path to recovery, though challenges remain.
The Crisis
The troubles began in 2020 when NIC’s diversity council issued a statement supporting social justice demonstrations following George Floyd’s death. This caught the attention of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, which began endorsing candidates for the college’s technically nonpartisan board elections.
- What followed was described by Christa Hazel, a former school board member and NIC student body president, as “an agenda of chaos.” A board majority led by chairman Todd Banducci claimed to be fighting against a liberal “deep state” at the college, creating a governance crisis that triggered multiple accreditation warnings.
By February 2023, the situation had deteriorated to the point where NIC received a “show-cause” status from its accreditor, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). This status is the last step before the loss of accreditation and requires the college to prove why it should maintain its accredited status.
The Financial Toll
The financial impact was devastating. NIC overspent its 2022-23 budget by over $1 million due to leadership turnover and insurance complications. After trustees fired President Rick MacLennan without cause, the college’s insurer dropped them, forcing NIC to find new coverage at more than double the cost—$1.2 million versus $515,000.
Beyond immediate financial costs, the crisis caused:
– Declining enrollment, with tuition collections falling $500,000 below projections
– Staff turnover exceeding 18% in 2021-22, nearly tripling over three years
– Plummeting donor support, affecting scholarship availability and program funding
Signs of Recovery
The Couer d’Alene Press reports that NIC is “positioned to remedy” its remaining accreditation issues. The NWCCU has reduced NIC’s sanction from “show cause” to “probation” and granted a one-year extension to address three remaining standards:
• Resolving issues underlying numerous votes of no confidence from faculty, staff, and students
• Adhering to institutional and board policies regarding roles, responsibilities, and ethics
• Demonstrating a commitment to an environment respectful of meaningful discourse
NIC President Nick Swayne expressed cautious optimism: “While we still have work to do, this is a step in the right direction.”
Lessons for the University of West Florida
NIC’s experience offers important lessons about the impact of political interference in higher education governance. While NIC appears to be pulling back from the brink, the damage to its finances, reputation, and community trust will take years to repair.
- Hazel said the crisis wasn’t about traditional conservative values but rather about external political agendas: “You want members of your community that really understand your community, that are looking out for your community when they’re in these leadership positions.”
WHY THIS MATTERS: Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed two far-right extremists to the UWF Board of Trustees (BOT). The new BOT chairman, Scott Yenor, hails from Idaho. He has proclaimed that he will remake Pensacola and UWF. The BOT Academics Committee chairman, Adam Kissel, lives in West Virginia and is poised to enact DeSantis’ far-right agenda. He is already talking about UWF’s accreditation.
- UWF alums, local leaders and the Florida Legislature have pushed back against DeSantis’ takeover of the high-performing university. So far, their protests are falling on deaf ears in the Governor’s Office.
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