The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities issued a show cause sanction to North Idaho College in February 2023, the last step before loss of accreditation. The NWCCU concluded that the NIC Board of Trustees had ‘not shown sufficient responsiveness to previous Commission action.’

The sanction letter listed eight major concerns, including uncertainty about NIC’s leadership with two presidents on payroll, active lawsuits against the school, declining enrollment, a ‘continued exodus’ of faculty and staff, and multiple no-confidence resolutions from college employees and student government.

Federal regulations give NIC until April 2025 to return to good standing. Show cause sanctions are almost never levied against public institutions, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. When they are, it is typically due to financial or academic problems. NIC’s crisis was entirely about board governance.

NIC Interim President Greg South called on the board and community to take ownership of the problems. ‘The most important step is occurring right now,’ South wrote to employees. ‘The recognition that there are no additional chances.’