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COEUR d'Alene — As complaints and concerns increase, the accreditation agency of Northern Idaho College will come to Coeur d'Alene.

The Northwestern University Commission stated in a letter to the college on Wednesday that based on an analysis of the so-called facts, “NIC’s ability to maintain compliance with the U.S. Department of Education’s regulations and certification procedures is worrying.”

"These are serious allegations that NIC will not take lightly," interim principal Michael Sebaaly said in an email to the college and provided it to the community on Thursday. "Although our certification today is reliable, we cannot take it for granted. As you can see in the NWCCU letter, the tone of worry is real."

The second complaint about the conduct of the NIC Board of Directors triggered an on-site visit. This letter was sent by the Kootenay County Human Relations Working Group and Spokane, Bonner, and Border Counties Human Rights Working Group on November 1, after the first complaint was sent in March. Two follow-up letters were sent on August 26 and September 10.

The working group initially cited the actions of the chairman of the board of directors Todd Banducci and the trustees Greg MacKenzie and Michael Barnes, saying that their actions “violated the laws of the U.S. Constitution, federal laws, Idaho laws, and NIC policies. Protection of citizens and human rights and civil liberties" NIC employees and students. "

In July, NWCCU required NIC to submit an interim report no later than August 1, 2022 for evaluation and possible follow-up monitoring.

However, after the most recent complaint, NWCCU requested an on-site visit as soon as possible, preferably in the week of January 17.

The higher education regional representative team will review the NIC’s compliance with the NWCCU qualification requirements and certification standards, and “conduct face-to-face on-site investigations of facts and circumstances related to financial sustainability and student outcomes, which are the result of a recent decision At NIC, including its board of directors."

They asked students, faculty, administrative staff, and board members to be interviewed.

Sebaaly said that as they still have a lot of knowledge about this process, NWCCU Chairman Sonny Ramaswamy and Senior Vice President Ron Larsen will meet with Sebaaly and NIC’s certification liaison officer Steve Kurtz to discuss the details of the visit.

Kurtz said that "fact-finding" interviews are handled slightly differently from traditional seventh-grade interviews or mid-university interviews that are part of the retention certification.

He said that almost all details are determined by NWCCU, and he and Sebaaly will learn more about the process through the meeting.

Sebaaly met with members of the President's Cabinet and the Administrative Accreditation Committee on Wednesday and briefed the board of directors.

“As we gain more information, we will share it with the community and be as transparent as possible,” Sebaaly said. "We will continue to meet and prepare for that visit."

NWCCU stated in its December 1 letter that they will focus on “demonstrating high ethical standards in governance, management, and operations, including the NIC board’s responsibility to ensure the integrity and transparency of its deliberations and actions, and to treat stakeholders and operations ethically. Voters, abide by statutory requirements and institutional policies, and abide by conflict of interest policies."

Through NIC's communications officer, Banducci told the media on Thursday that he asked other trustees to put aside their differences and worked hard to support Sebali during his January visit.

"I believe that Dr. Sebaaly and his leadership team will accurately show the visiting team that we are listening to our community and provide them with the learning experience they want," Banducci said through Laura Rumple. "When the board of directors meets with committee representatives, I will trust their fact-finding mission very much."

Other issues listed by NWCCU include:

• Qualifications regarding the adequacy of faculty, staff and administrators to "ensure the integrity and continuity of academic programs"

• Qualified for the “financial health and sustainability of NIC based on potential risks caused by faculty and staff departures, decline in student enrollment, and donation withdrawals”

• Provide the qualification to "maintain the physical facilities of the NIC to ensure a healthy and safe learning and working environment"

Recent complaints have raised concerns about university leadership and management. The standard it refers to says:

"The agency has an effective leadership system, composed of qualified managers, with appropriate responsibilities and accountability, responsible for planning, organizing and managing the agency and evaluating its achievements and effectiveness."

The college now has seven open or about to open leadership positions, including the principal, all three vice-principal roles, and all three dean roles.

Graydon Stanley, vice president of student services, announced on November 5 that he will retire on January 3 due to reforms made by the college through the board of directors.

On November 16, Chris Martin, vice president of finance and commercial affairs, announced that he intends to look for other job opportunities due to the actions of the board of directors.

Christy Doyle is the dean of the School of Teaching and Workforce Education. She announced her retirement on January 4th because she said she determined that her values ​​and leadership philosophy were inconsistent with NIC's new direction.

The college now has two temporary deans and is looking for permanent personnel for each dean position. Sebaaly asked former NIC Dean Kassie Silvas to return to NIC to assume the new position of interim provost. She will succeed Stanley and Lita Burns, the soon-to-retire vice president of teaching.

Regarding the health and safety environment, on September 22, Banducci, Barnes, and MacKenzie voted against the measures and procedural policies required by Idaho Code 33-2145 to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

At that meeting, the lawyer's trustee Ken Howard stated that the board of directors violated state laws because they did not do a good job in preventing the spread of infectious diseases.

Regarding financial issues, Chief Communications and Government Relations Officer Rumple said that the college remains committed to paying close attention to resources and expenditures.

Rumpler said that during the NIC’s most recent reiteration in 2020, the college was commended for management and financial management, and enjoyed a reputation for excellent financial management and prudent long-term financial planning.

Rumpler said that the board of directors accepted an external audit for FY21 on November 15, stating that “the college has been working hard to conduct all audits and has a strong balance sheet, which shows that the college is capable of maintaining stability.”

However, the support of the NIC Foundation, a private, independent charitable company that provides scholarship support and substantial plans for NIC students, is declining.

Steve Materson, chairman of the board of directors of the NIC Foundation, confirmed the complaint statement that long-term sponsors of the NIC Foundation stated that they will not continue to donate in the near future. Mattson said this will result in the loss of millions of dollars in projects and scholarships.

He said that the foundation has received multiple letters from donors and is concerned about the actions of the board of directors.

In addition to previous concerns, the Human Rights Working Group’s November 1 complaint questioned the trustee’s decision to hire wrestling coach Sebari as interim president after former President Rick McLennan was fired. Sebaaly has no executive leadership record.

The complaint cited a standard that "the agency has hired a qualified chief executive officer to be fully responsible for the agency."

Other candidates for the position of internal interim president include two vice presidents, a dean and interim dean, a department chair, a director, and a staff meeting chair. According to trustee Christie Wood, these candidates have not been interviewed or even discussed the role.

At the board meeting on October 12, the trustees Banducci, Mackenzie and Barnes voted to prioritize the requirement of at least five years of experience in higher education management/senior leadership, allowing Sebari to be eligible . The only requirement for this position is to obtain a master's degree from a regionally recognized institution.

Banducci stated at the October 12 meeting that he hopes to open the position to more people due to the strict requirements.

Priorities include senior management experience in community colleges, business and industrial and/or vocational/technical education work experience, and higher education teaching experience for job postings.

The working group complained that Sebaaly only satisfied the preference of higher education teaching experience. He holds a PhD in Educational Leadership from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas.

The complaint stated that, in contrast, the 2016 presidential search requirements were much stricter.

In 2016, requirements include work experience in finance and budgeting, fundraising and grants, emergency preparedness policies and procedures, American Indian communities and community building. Candidates must also demonstrate a commitment to diversity and a thorough understanding of the certification process.

The complaint stated that they believed that the 2016 qualifications would better meet the requirements listed in the NWCCU standards, and that “the board of directors deliberately downplayed the requirements to allow the selection of people who are not suitable for the position.”

Trustees Wood and Howard opposed the vote to appoint Sebari. Wood said there was no integrity or honesty in the selection process.

Wood said in an email to the press: “The trustee Howard and myself are very outspoken about the disrespect of most members of the board of directors towards our community and employees because they have adopted a false Procedures to choose an interim president."

Wood said that the illegal procedure was not a reflection of Sabaaly.

Sebaaly stated that he was employed by the board of directors and believed that the board chose him as a temporary officer because of his unique qualifications at the time. He said that his educational essay concerns the governance of the board of directors of community colleges, and he understands these relationships.

"I worked hard in difficult times, I was leading, I was helping and serving our people," Sebari told the press. "I am proud of everything I have done."

Sebaaly said he has extensive experience in relationship building, recruitment, retention, transfer, fundraising, and other leadership experience, just like what he often does as a coach, and is using the same skills as an interim president.

He said that his leadership skills are reflected in the work he has done at the college and other colleges.

"All these experiences made me, not just a job," Sebaaly said. "According to my different experiences, the board of directors chose me, and I am proud to serve and work for them."

Although the trustee signed a letter of commitment to resolve and resolve NWCCU issues in May, the complaint on November 1 stated that the Human Rights and Relations Working Group did not see any evidence that the new board majority is taking steps to correct the problem, and The complaint was completely ignored.

The complaint stated: “Under the leadership of the new majority of the board of directors, sufficient time and actions have taken place in the past 11 months to remove any doubt about whether they are willing to explicitly violate individual constitutional rights and established certification requirements and standards. "

The complaint stated that if the NIC is allowed to continue to ignore and ignore the standards listed by NWCCU, it will "set a dangerous precedent and challenge for NWCCU to cooperate with the agencies it oversees in the future for certification."

Based on the continuing actions of the Board of Directors, the Human Rights Working Group predicts the future of NIC:

• Threatening the health and safety of students and employees, such as banning the wearing of masks;

• A severe morale crisis will have a negative impact on classroom teaching;

• There are signs that diversity, cultural sensitivity, and global awareness will be attacked because the extreme philosophy held by the majority of the new board of directors is inspired by the supporters of the new NIC regime, who publicly label the social justice and diversity programs as communism theory.

The complaint states: "The trustee Todd Banducci allegedly verbally and physically assaulted a female employee. Dr. Rick McLennan refused to ignore (put forward) who will prevent this serious behavior now. The problem."

They include their belief that, according to the current board majority ideology, without board micromanagement, no president or executive branch will be free to implement board policies.

The complaint stated: “Based on the deep-rooted extreme ideological position of the three-member board majority and their commitment to a specialized political foundation, we believe that there is no way to adapt their deep-rooted ideas to the requirements of the NWCCU.”

Sebaaly said that in terms of diversity, NIC's environment is healthy and safe for all students and provides opportunities and opportunities for the community. Rumpler said that one of NIC's long-standing core values ​​is diversity, and the nature of community colleges is to support learners of all abilities and backgrounds.

NIC's certification is in good standing. However, Burns said at the October 27 board meeting that if the behavior of the board does not change, this state may change.

If NWCCU decides to sanction the college after the visit in January, the NIC's survey FAQ page states that there are three options.

• Warning: When the committee finds that the NIC’s practices may lead to more severe sanctions if it continues, it may issue a warning to the agency to correct its deficiencies, avoid certain activities, or within a prescribed time period. The warning is a public sanction and will not affect the approval status of the NIC.

• Probation: A negative sanction that indicates that the NIC has failed to respond to issues (including warnings) communicated by the committee, or when the college has significantly deviated from the committee’s standards, policies, or eligibility requirements, but does not meet the guarantee level, it issues a show reason order or cancels the candidate Qualification or certification, NIC may be placed in a trial period for a specific period.

• Show reason: This is the last step before canceling the approval. An order showing the reasons will be issued, requiring the agency to respond to the concerns raised by the committee within a specified time. The burden of proof lies with the NIC to prove why its certification should continue.

In an email on October 31, Burns told a caring student that if they do not correct the area of ​​concern, it may take 2-3 years for the college to lose certification.

If a student graduates or transfers from the NIC with good certification, the student credits will be transferred to the four-year institution.

“Recent attention to the accreditation status of the college does bring challenges related to admissions and retention of students and qualified faculty, which may affect the college’s short-term economic prospects,” Rumpler said. "As we prepare for the site visit, it is important for us to be transparent in our work with key stakeholders and NWCCU."

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