COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – North Idaho College (NIC), which is at risk of losing its official accreditation, will only host accreditation officials in October rather than multiple times throughout 2024 in the hopes of coming into compliance with commission recommendations by the end of the year.
NIC was placed on sanction by the accreditation commission in Feb. 2023 after a series of public controversies including the hiring of the school’s wrestling coach as interim president in 2021 and internal conflicts amidst the Board of Trustees.
According to NIC, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) compliance personnel had originally planned to visit the campus in April and October. Now, there will only be one visit.
The NWCCU articulated its concerns with NIC’s Board of Trustees ahead of the October meeting, and stated that the new timeframe should allow the institution of higher learning to act upon accreditation recommendations.
“By reframing the non-compliant Recommendations, we provide greater clarity and specific guidance to focus the institution’s work, making it clear that the Board of Trustees MUST take explicit action to resolve these non-compliant Recommendations,” NWCCU said.
Recommendations include ensuring that NIC credits can be transferred to other educational institutions and new training for the Board of Trustees.
“By rescheduling, we give the institution and its Board of Trustees, in particular, sufficient time to make progress on these Recommendations,” NWCCU said.
NIC has until April 2025 to return to good standing status with NWCCU as mandated by the US Department of Education.
