NIC: Continued concerns about board, interim president performance

Given the seriousness of the situation for the future of NIC and its long-standing value to the community and region, I was hoping the NIC Board and President’s Office would finally take the matter seriously and make meaningful progress toward meeting the Feb. 9 “show cause” concerns in this week’s board meeting. Unfortunately, beyond making a few positive statements at the beginning of the Feb. 22 meeting, nothing of substance was decided by or directed by the board to address accreditation concerns.

After watching the meeting and reading reactions to the meeting on local and regional news sites, it is clear that the board is not taking the “show cause” notice seriously and will fall far short of retaining accreditation for the institution. I believe this because:

A motion to reinstate the well-respected, highly-experienced president currently on administrative leave with pay failed on a 3-2 vote, and no discussion was held or allowed on the motion.

There appears to be no concern with, or attention to, multiple no-confidence votes from NIC faculty, staff and students?

Where is the board’s or interim president’s plan to specifically address each of the concerns raised in the “show cause” letter? Existing NIC plans such as Strategic and Educational plans do not address these items.

Why isn’t the board or interim president demonstrating proactive leadership by keeping the community informed of what is specifically being done to address the “show cause” letter elements?

Although I am not an expert on Idaho’s Open Public Meeting Act, it appears that several actions of the Board at the Feb. 22 meeting are in conflict with the requirements of posting board decision items and voting on them.

ROBERT MARSHALL

Coeur d’Alene