Swayne faces state budget writers

North Idaho College President Nick Swayne touted growing enrollment and appealed to budget writers to support increasing employee compensation when he addressed the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee in Boise.

Wednesday marked the first time in three years that a permanent president represented NIC at the Statehouse. Also present in Boise were trustees Mike Waggoner and Todd Banducci, NIC’s Vice President for Finance and Business Sarah Garcia, Interim Provost Lloyd Duman and Interim Chief Communications and Government Relations Officer Tom Greene.

Spring enrollment at NIC is up 12.9% over last year. Swayne said this is a dramatic shift, as enrollment numbers have typically declined between 3% and 6% annually for the past decade.

“That’s not a function of Idaho Launch because Idaho Launch doesn’t kick in until fall,” Swayne said, referring to a state program that will allow high school graduates to receive up to $8,000 to attend community college, complete workforce training or pursue career-technical education. “That’s a product of dedicated staff and faculty and administrators who have been working diligently on recruiting, retention and marketing.”

The college’s requests include $201,100 for changes in employee compensation, as well as $100,000 to support the open education initiative program. Gov. Brad Little has recommended NIC receive $322,300 for changes in employee compensation.

Swayne said increasing employee compensation is tied to NIC’s ability to grow and serve the region’s needs. He pointed to the nursing program, which develops staff that local health care providers rely on.

“We produce about 40 nurses every semester and (Kootenai Health is) still short 200 nurses,” Swayne told lawmakers. “They’re leaving the profession faster than we can produce them. The ability to recruit and retain faculty in the nursing program is a huge factor in our ability to grow.”

NIC has the space to increase nursing cohorts to 60 students per semester, Swayne said. But the college needs at least one nursing instructor for every 10 students, and attracting instructors is a challenge when the position pays between $65,000 and $70,000 annually.

“It’s not hard for nurses to get much higher-paying jobs in the private sector,” Swayne said.

Rep. Britt Raybould, R-Rexburg, inquired about NIC’s past request for funding to expand the college’s basic patrol academy.

“Is there still interest in expanding that program?” Raybould asked.

“There’s always interest by students but the real interest is in our law enforcement community,” Swayne said. “(Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris) has said if he gets access to a training facility, it will be the first and only one he has. It’s too cost-prohibitive to send people to Meridian.”

Swayne said it would cost about $12 million to build a 20-acre facility with a driving course and pistol range. In addition to law enforcement, Swayne said such a facility would provide training opportunities for first responders, students seeking commercial driver's licenses, city and county snow plow operators and others.

Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, asked for an update on NIC’s accreditation status.

NIC remains on show cause, the last step before loss of accreditation. Swayne and other NIC representatives met with accreditors in Seattle on Feb. 2 and are waiting for the results of that hearing.

“That will guide us in our next steps,” Swayne said.

A site visit from accreditors planned for April has been canceled. Accreditors will next visit NIC in October and representatives from NIC will return to Seattle in January 2025 for another hearing.

NIC must return to good standing, with all sanctions removed, by April 1, 2025.