Search continues for NIC’s next president
COEUR d’ALENE — The deadline to apply to be North Idaho College’s next president is Monday.
The college has been without a permanent president since September, when the board of trustees voted 3-2 to fire former President Rick MacLennan without cause. In another 3-2 vote in October, Michael Sebaaly, NIC's former head wrestling coach, was hired to serve as interim president.
NIC’s accrediting organization, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, issued a warning that while the college's accreditation remains intact, NIC is out of compliance with several eligibility requirements related to board governance. Appointment of a permanent president is among the recommendations the NWCCU made to bring the college back into compliance.
The presidential search committee comprises 27 people from the college community and the community at large:
• Todd Banducci, NIC board chair
• Ken Howard, NIC trustee
• Randy Oaks, Haddock Insurance co-president
• Ron Nilson, former NIC trustee/co-founder of KTEC
• John Young, Young Construction Group president
• Mike Mongan, Mongan Construction Services Owner
• Rick Rasmussen, Northwest Speciality Hospital CEO/Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce chair
• Dr. Larry Stauffer, University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene acting CEO
• Jerry Keane, retired Post Falls superintendent/founding member of KTEC
• Dr. Chris Meyer, Coeur d’Alene Tribe Department of Education director of education/NIC Foundation
• Jim Hammond, Coeur d’Alene mayor
• Ron Jacobson, Post Falls mayor
• Steve Carey, Silverwood Theme Park general manager/NIC Athletic Booster Club
• Lita Burns, NIC retired vp for instruction
• Kassie Silvas, NIC interim vp for instruction
• Doug Anderson, NIC division chair Trades & Industry
• Sarah Martin, NIC Staff Assembly chair
• Shawn Noel, NIC director — Athletics & Recreation
• Molly Michaud, NIC Faculty Assembly chair/division chair/English professor
• Ted Tedmon, NIC Business Administration professor
• Damian Maxwell, incoming ASNIC president/NIC student
• Hannah Griffin, NIC student
• Ken Wardinsky, NIC chief information officer
• Sarah Garcia, NIC vp for administration
• Steve Masterson, NIC Foundation board president
• Beti Becker, NIC Foundation board
• Jamie Hass, former owner of Silver Valley & Benewah veterinary clinics
The committee has met once so far and will meet again after the application period closes on April 18 to identify candidates for first-round interviews.
The college signed with the Pauly Group, a national consulting firm specializing in recruiting and placing higher education leaders, to facilitate the search.
About 30 people have applied so far. The committee will examine each application.
“I think it’s really important to be transparent in the process,” said Dr. Angela Provart, president of the Pauly Group. “The committee sees them all.”
Provart anticipates the committee will choose eight to 10 semifinalists, who will be interviewed in May.
Finalists will be invited to NIC in June to meet with college constituency groups, community members and other external stakeholders.
Dates have not yet been finalized.
Though it’s common to seek college presidential candidates at the beginning of a semester and complete the process by the end of the semester, Provart said she doesn’t think the timing of NIC’s search has negatively impacted recruitment.
“If you can communicate with candidates and let them know you’re going to be (searching) in what may be seen as the offseason, then you should be all right,” she said.
The NIC board of trustees will make the final selection.