Finalist pulls out of running for NIC presidency

As trustees begin interviewing finalists for the president’s job at North Idaho College, one candidate has dropped out of the running.

Steve Condon, Chancellor at Carolina University in Winston-Salem, NC, has withdrawn from the field, NIC announced Friday morning. He had been scheduled to visit the campus next week.

That leaves four finalists for the opening at NIC — a troubled two-year school that has been beset by infighting on its governing board, an exodus of top-level administrators, and questions about its accreditation.

  • Samuel “Todd” Brand, chief academic officer at Ashland Community & Technical College in Ashland, Ky., held meetings on the Coeur d’Alene campus and interviewed with trustees Thursday.
  • James Y. Taylor, senior associate vice president at Utah State University in Vernal, Utah, is meeting with campus groups today, and will interview with trustees later this afternoon.
  • Nick Swayne, executive director of 4-Virginia in Harrisonburg, Va., will be on campus Monday. Like the other finalists, he will take part in in-person and Zoom forums, at 10:30 am and 1:45 pm PDT.
  • Chad Crumbaker, provost and executive vice president for student affairs at West Virginia University-Parkersburg in Parkersburg, W.Va., will be on campus Thursday. His forums are also scheduled for 10:30 am and 1:45 pm PDT.

NIC’s five trustees — including three trustees appointed by the State Board of Education in May — will select the new president.

The president will succeed Michael Sebaaly, NIC’s wrestling coach, who was promoted to the interim president’s job in October on a 3-2 board vote. A month earlier, in an identical 3-2 vote, trustees ousted President Rick MacLennan without explanation.

About Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on KIVI 6 On Your Side; “Idaho Reports” on Idaho Public Television; and “Idaho Matters” on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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