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NIC PRESIDENT: Consider hiring local educator

| June 17, 2022 1:00 AM

In June, North Idaho College interviewed the top four candidates for president.

Each candidate was asked 24 questions involving three, one-hour meetings.

I took 22 pages of notes! Some interview questions: Why North Idaho? Approach to governance and diversity? Facilitating holistic approach? Raising morale? Challenges for next president? Academic freedom? Tenure? Facilitating credit and non-credit programs? Developing talent? Impasses with trustees? Navigating pandemic and other challenges? Faculty shortages? Resource development? Student Involvement? Keeping good teachers?

A good education is important, whether academic or technical/trades. I graduated from Napa College, California (1962), before going on to four-year and graduate universities. Two of our friends graduated from NIC and went on to get doctorate degrees (mathematics) from USC and Notre Dame.

My Godly Grandmother Eva (1891-1962) — a teacher — read to me “A Child’s History of the World” (1933). Her father (1864-1938) was a teacher. And their ancestors were teachers and wrote books — even in Latin (!) — such as “Prophetas Minores Commentarius” (1688).

“A prerequisite for NIC president is a master’s degree, preferably a doctorate degree.” No questions were asked about their master’s and Ph.D. theses and graduate work — their topics and if published? I asked three of the candidates after the interviews. The doctors’ answers were fascinating!

The president’s salary is $180,000-200,000 (+). Our two-year college could get a local experienced, talented, fundraising, gifted educator — but without a Ph.D. — for a lot less money!

Final Grades: Candidates (3) ranged from B+ to A. Interviewing process including “Pauly Group” Search Consulting a B-.

DR. JIM PEARL

Hayden Lake