NIC, business group to ‘free the lines’

A new group hopes to smooth relations between North Idaho College and the local business community by doing something some say the two sides haven’t done enough of: talk it out.

A group of nearly 20 representatives of local businesses, along with the mayors of Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene, recently formed Partners in Education to provide input to college officials on professional-technical programs and work force training needs.

“We’re trying to develop a strategy on how to free the lines of communication,” said Ron Nilson, owner of Ground Force Manufacturing. “This is the first real effort the college has made to reach the business community in quite a while.”

Group members hope to overcome strained relations that culminated late last summer with a letter of no confidence in former NIC President Michael Burke from members of the business community, including Nilson.

Burke left in February for San Jose City College. Interim President Priscilla Bell, a finalist for the permanent position, moved quickly to reach out to business leaders upset about what they saw as the need for more professional-technical programs at the college and their lack of input in program development.

“This is not going to be a meeting for the sake of a meeting. We want to accomplish something,” said Kent Propst, NIC spokesman. “The goal is for them to help us meet their needs.”

The tight job market drives the frustrations of the business community. Positions go unfilled because the of low unemployment and the lack of qualified employees, said group member Eve Knudtsen, president of Knudtsen Chevrolet.

“Everyone’s got a ‘help wanted’ sign up,” she said. “This is an opportunity for us to say these are the kinds of trained personnel that we need right now.”

By talking about job trends and future needs, members agree, the college could get a head start developing programs before the demand reaches a crisis point.

“It takes a while for us to develop a program, write the curriculum, hire the faculty,” Propst said.

There have been other indications in recent months that NIC is listening to the business community, Nilson said, like the expansion of programs for diesel mechanics and welding.

NIC Vice President for Instruction Barbara Hanson will start a newly created, temporary position as executive director of program development when she leaves her vice president post at the end of the month. She’ll be attending the committee’s meetings.

“I’m going to be a real integral part of it,” she said.

Nilson and some of the others in the group took part in a similar committee effort a few years ago, but it fizzled after just one meeting.

“It was something I think the community was very interested in, and they were disappointed that the college didn’t continue down that path,” Propst said.

College officials made their commitment to the group clear from the beginning, said Dean Haagenson, president of Contractors Northwest Inc.

Haagenson said the first meeting, held earlier this month, went well.

“I was impressed with the fact that Dr. Bell and the faculty people seemed to be there just to listen,” Haagenson said. “There wasn’t any of the ‘yeah, but,’ and ‘you don’t understand.’ “

He didn’t sign the ‘no confidence’ letter last summer but said he shares the frustrations with professional technical programs at the college and the need to match them with the demands of local businesses.

But talking things out beats “just kind of throwing hand grenades from the outside,” he said. Nilson and a few other members will meet with college officials next week to set the agenda for the July 17 meeting.

“This is just a good, positive sign that it is important and they are listening,” he said.