OPINION: NIC accreditation facts

You can never really understand a situation until you understand the people involved and their financial interests.  

The issue of NIC accreditation isn’t about academic standards, curricula, financial management or any of the things that you would associate with accreditation. 

It is about whether or not NIC will be a center of DEI, critical race theory, “social justice,” wokeness, equity (socialism), and support for BLM. 

Part of NWCCU's mission, and listed as a core value, is to promote "diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and social justice within the organization and among member institutions." 

Talk of NIC accreditation began in the runup to the 2020 election when two liberal Democrats were running against two conservative Republicans, Greg McKenzie and Michael Barnes, in the “non-partisan” race. The liberals warned that if the conservatives were elected, giving them a majority, then accreditation would be put at risk. McKenzie and Barnes won and along with Todd Banducci were in the majority. Liberal trustees who had been in control of the board, Christie Wood and Ken Howard, were now in the minority.    

NIC Accreditation is at risk because of two complaints by the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations (KCTFHR) and their affiliate organizations in Spokane, Bonner and Boundary counties. 

The first complaint by KCTFHR sent on 3/12/21 to Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy at the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) cites the following reasons why accreditation is at risk:  

• Trustee Banducci said mean things to Trustee Wood. 

• At a town hall, local legislators criticized the college for supporting BLM. 

• Trustee Banducci (an officer in the military) insisted that the Pledge of Allegiance not be bastardized by removing the words “under God.” 

• The local Republican Party (KCRCC) passed a resolution in support of equality of opportunity in education. 

• The NIC board objected to a COVID-19 mask mandate. 

• The NIC board supported Pro Life academic freedom. 

Trustee Wood ALSO served on the board of the KCTFHR and after the election began a propaganda campaign to resist the board majority.  

The president of NIC, Rick MacLennan, repeatedly refused to cooperate with the board and was fired on 9/23/21. On 9/27/21 the board then hired an interim president Dr. Michael Sebaly who holds doctorate in education. Sebaly was already on staff at NIC and was familiar with the administration. This was done quickly because NWCCU required continuity in leadership. 

The second KCTFHR complaint was sent 11/1/21 and details why the KCTFHR does not believe that the interim president (Swane) is qualified or was selected properly. The complaint ignores the fact that the position was for INTERIM president while a thorough search for a permanent president could be conducted. 

The second KCTFHR complaint ends with a threat:  

“if NIC is allowed to continue to defy and ignore the NWCCU essential criteria (DEI) that welcomes, encourages, protects and promotes an inclusive academic institution for the students, employees and the community, this will establish a dangerous precedent and challenge to the NWCCU for its future work with institutions it oversees as to accreditation.” 

Why is DEI so important to NWCCU? 

Since 2019 the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has granted the NWCCU $5,732,450 for "institutional transformation" while promoting DEI. There have been eight separate grants ranging from $20K to over $2M. No DEI could mean the loss of $1M / year. 

The Wood propaganda campaign included a threat of litigation (blackmail) against Barnes if he did not resign. Barnes resigned on 1/12/22, leaving the board split 2 to 2.    

FOIA Emails show former Senator John Goedde convinced Wood and Howard to resign, leaving only Banducci and McKenzie, insufficient for a quorum. The State Board of Education (SBOE) then appointed three trustees on 5/6/22. Goedde was one of the appointees.  

These three appointed, not elected trustees then hired a new president (Nick Swayne) with a contract provision requiring a 4 trustee vote for any disciplinary action. The appointed trustees then approved the purchase of a bar, with liquor license, from the former mayor of Coeur d’Alene and then leased it back to him for 25% of the market value. They also purchased a private residence next to the college for more than market value. Total outlay was ~$2M. 

The November 2022 election resulted in the election of Mike Waggoner and the board majority once again became conservative. Mark Lyons, legal counsel for the college, promptly resigned. 

In December, on the advice of new legal counsel, the board put Swayne on paid administrative leave so that the circumstances of his contract and evidence of open meeting law violations could be investigated. The board hired Greg South as interim president specifically to address the accreditation issue. Swayne sues NIC claiming they do not have the authority.   

On 2/10/23 the NWCCU sends a “Show Cause” letter.   

On 3/3/23 judge Meyer grants Swayne an injunction and Swayne is reinstated as president.  

That original complaint has evolved into a "board governance" issue. If you have a 5-person board and two of the trustees refuse to cooperate with the majority, is the problem the fault of the majority or the two rogue trustees? 

Understand that it is an NIC Board Policy that once a vote is taken the majority decision becomes the position of ALL members. 

Under the chairmanship of Mike Waggoner the accreditation issues have been addressed, the college is financially sound and for the first time in more than a decade, enrollment has increased.  

You can never really understand a situation until you understand the people involved and their financial interests.  

It’s just common sense.

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Brent Regan is chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.