NIC seeks public input on potential athletic programs

North Idaho College wants to hear from you.

NIC is asking community members to participate in a survey designed to gauge interest in the college expanding its current athletic programs. Under consideration are what specific sports the community would support, as well as how many sports. Respondents may choose to indicate that they do not support any expansion of current programs. All community members in the five counties in North Idaho — Kootenai, Bonner, Shoshone, Boundary, and Benewah — are invited to participate.

To give input on the NIC potential athletic program survey, visit www.nic.edu/board. The survey will be open until Dec. 14.

On Sept. 26, the NIC Board of Trustees requested that NIC administration consider adding athletic programs to increase opportunities for students, increase student enrollment, and meet student/community interests. NIC President Rick MacLennan established a committee consisting of faculty, student and staff representatives to explore potential outcomes of an expansion. NIC Vice President for Student Services Graydon Stanley has been charged with leading the committee.

“The committee is looking at every angle of a potential expansion. It would need to support the college’s mission as well as take into consideration Title IX requirements, student enrollment, community support and financial viability,” Stanley said, in a news release. “I want to stress that this is an exploratory committee and no decisions of any kind have been made. This survey is the college asking our community what it wants.”

The committee will deliver its recommendations to the NIC administration and NIC Board of Trustees before March 1, 2019. The recommendations will include:

· The anticipated enrollment and financial outcomes of increasing the number of intercollegiate sports

· The specific sports to be offered to female and male students (as required by Title IX)

· The proposed timeline for implementation of the recommendations

“We encourage input from the public because community support is critical to any decision. We want to be methodical and act in the best interests of North Idaho and the college,” Stanley said.

Direct all questions or comments to Graydon Stanley at 208-769-7863 or graydon.stanley@nic.edu.