Save NIC

03/05/2026

NIC employees celebrate accreditation win!

COEUR d’ALENE — North Idaho College endured.

That was the refrain Wednesday, when more than 150 NIC employees gathered in the Lake Coeur d’Alene Room of the Edminster Student Union Building on campus to celebrate the college returning to good standing with its accreditor.

“We made it,” said NIC President Nick Swayne, who dished up lunch for employees alongside members of his cabinet. “We survived.”

Last month’s decision came three years after NIC received a show-cause sanction from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities due to governance problems and decisions made by a former majority bloc on the board of trustees.

For employees, the gathering was a chance to decompress after years of turmoil and uncertainty about NIC’s future.

“I almost called it a minor miracle, but it’s closer to a major one,” said Joe Jacoby, division chair of communications and fine arts at NIC.

He recalled the moment in February when NWCCU Senior Vice President Ed Harri announced that NIC had resolved the governance issues and was once again in compliance with all accreditation standards and requirements.

“All of a sudden, I realized how much of a weight it had been,” he said. “It was moving to think of how we had been through all this. Many times, we thought we wouldn’t make it. Now we just get to work and do our jobs.”

Jamie Berube, a senior administrative assistant in Advising Services, said she was ecstatic to learn that the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities lifted the sanctions and is glad to celebrate with her colleagues this week.

“We’ve worked so hard,” she said. “It’s been an emotional rollercoaster.”

With the crisis over, Berube said NIC employees can focus on serving students without the threat of accreditation loss hanging over them.

“I think there are so many good things ahead,” she said. “It’s easy to follow a leader like Dr. Swayne and his team.”

For his part, Swayne praised NIC’s employees, who he said remained dedicated to the college and its mission throughout the accreditation saga. He said it was amazing to celebrate with so many employees Wednesday.

“This is by far the largest turnout we’ve had (for an employee event),” he said.

Looking back on the past three years, Jacoby said what stands out to him is the resiliency of NIC staff and leadership.

“I don’t know if people realize how close we were to going away,” Jacoby said. “I’m so grateful for the support of the community and to be part of a community that values education as much as Coeur d’Alene does.”

🔗 https://cdapress.com/news/2026/mar/05/nic-employees-celebrate-accreditation-win/

02/25/2026

Reminder!! Meeting tonight! This will be the first time all trustees can be together since the NWCCU’s “Good Standing” decision. Also — public comment is available tonight. See you there in person or on zoom. Woohoo! 🎉

North Idaho College is in good standing. After years of instability and uncertainty, accreditation has been restored. This is a defining moment for our college and our community. Now we shift from defending NIC to strengthening it. Join us Wednesday at the Board meeting (6 pm) to recognize this milestone — or read this month’s newsletter to understand what this moment means. We showed up in crisis. Let’s show up in strength to mark the moment. - https://mailchi.mp/savenic/feb2026

02/23/2026

North Idaho College is in good standing. After years of instability and uncertainty, accreditation has been restored. This is a defining moment for our college and our community. Now we shift from defending NIC to strengthening it. Join us Wednesday at the Board meeting (6 pm) to recognize this milestone — or read this month’s newsletter to understand what this moment means. We showed up in crisis. Let’s show up in strength to mark the moment. - https://mailchi.mp/savenic/feb2026

02/10/2026

👏👏👏👏

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho – North Idaho College (NIC) has successfully regained its accreditation status after a three-year effort to achieve good standing, NIC said in a release.

02/10/2026

🚨 CALL STANDS: NIC IS SAFE. 🚨

It’s official. Accreditors have confirmed that North Idaho College is in GOOD STANDING. Probation is over. Accreditation is secure.

👏 Take a bow, community. Trustees, faculty, staff, students, and citizens showed up and did the work to protect a cornerstone of our region. This is a big win — and more details are coming tomorrow.

But let’s be clear: NIC is a success story and a warning flag. When political chaos put the college at risk, good governance — backed by the community — turned things around.

Good governance wins. Chaos doesn’t.

02/08/2026

🚨 Important NIC Meeting — Monday at 6 PM!

North Idaho College has called a special board meeting to hear directly from its accreditor, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

The agenda includes one item only: ACCREDITATION!

After more than three years of review and reform, Monday’s presentation will clarify where North Idaho College stands now — and it may be the update the community has been waiting for!
- https://mailchi.mp/savenic/january2026-8338237

02/07/2026

🚨👉🏼A special meeting has been scheduled for Monday, 2/9 at 6 PM.

Is this the news the community has been waiting for? Has North Idaho College successfully resolved its accreditation issues?

We are praying for good news! Join us!

Agenda Link: https://bit.ly/4rH228F
Zoom: https://nic.zoom.us/j/87556088119

01/29/2026

Hey North Idaho! Recognize anyone?

Great post by North Idaho College! 👏

01/27/2026

North Idaho Business Journal: NIC X-Labs helps area employers innovate

Tucked away in the Hedlund Building on the North Idaho College campus is a lab where students, faculty, community members and industry partners come together to explore solutions to real-world problems.

The space, filled with robots, equipment and even an area where the Coeur d’Alene High School robotics team can scrimmage, is the setting for NIC X-Labs. The program’s mission is to build human capacity through active learning and shared experiences.

“Why did we shift into STEM once upon a time?” said Marita Diffenbaugh, director of innovation for NIC X-Labs. “What was missing? Hands-on learning.”

The “X” in the program’s name represents the intersection where community members come together to exchange ideas and grow through shared learning. Area employers bring real-world problems to NIC X-Labs, then instructors collaborate across disciplines to facilitate learning for the students working to solve these problems.

“It really starts with one problem at a time,” Diffenbaugh said.

Through X-Labs, NIC and University of Idaho students recently tackled a hot topic with community members: artificial intelligence.

Students hosted a free workshop at the Coeur d’Alene Library for community members who wanted to learn more about AI technology, how it works and how it’s impacting the world. About 50 people attended the workshop, many of them seniors who came with concerns about AI and left with answers.

Diffenbaugh said the in-person connection between students and community members was important to the workshop’s success.

“That’s just one example of all of us learning,” she said. “The big picture here is taking care of the human.”

In March, NIC X-Labs will bring together high school and college students, educators, industry professionals and other community members for a hands-on AI “hackathon” focused on local business needs.

Participants will work in teams to design and prototype AI-driven solutions, then present their ideas to industry judges. No experience is required. The event is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 7 at the Hedlund Building on the NIC campus.

The shared lab space in the Hedlund Building is also a home base for fellows like Lacey Bowden, who is studying for a master’s degree in computer science at University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene.

“This is where STEM can come to life,” Diffenbaugh said.

A partnership between NIC and U of I allows doctoral students like Bowden to give supervised instruction to NIC students in associate-level computer science courses.

“It’s a full-circle moment,” Bowden said. “Now I’m working with some of the professors I had at NIC and still learning from them.”

This semester, Bowden is teaching an intro to robotics class. There are no prerequisites; Bowden said the goal is for the class to be accessible to a broad range of people, from local high school students interested in robotics to nontraditional students.

“We’re trying to open students’ eyes to what they can do in this field,” she said.

While students earn credits toward certificates and degrees, they’re also putting theory into practice and getting experience solving real-world problems for local employers.

“We’re working with local manufacturing and agriculture partners on how we can use AI and automation,” Bowden said.

Diffenbaugh said NIC X-Labs is expected to grow, with a renovated space in the Hedlund Building and more fellows working out of the shared lab.

“It’s so fun to see in action and we’re just getting started,” she said.

A partnership between North Idaho College and the University of Idaho allows U of I graduate students like Lacey Bowden to teach associate-level computer science courses at NIC.

NIC X-Labs brings together students, instructors, community members and industry partners to explore innovative solutions to real-world problems.

🔗 https://cdapress.com/news/2026/jan/27/feb-nibj-nic-x-labs-helps-area-employers-innovate/

01/20/2026

January 2023: emergency meetings, fired presidents, chaos.
January 2026: accreditation updates, enrollment gains, board goals.

From Crisis to Control at NIC: This week’s newsletter breaks down what changed — and why good governance is the difference between institutional collapse and a college that works. 👉 Reminder: NIC Trustees meet this Wednesday in Post Falls. Zoom Here: https://nic.zoom.us/j/86737513603- https://mailchi.mp/savenic/january2026

01/01/2026

Cheers to North Idaho College! Save NIC believes 2026 will be a year to celebrate! 🎊