Unions respond after two NIC professors lose jobs

North Idaho College’s decision to eliminate the positions of two tenured faculty members violates the college’s own tenure policy, according to two teachers unions that have offered legal aid to the instructors.

Susan Andrews and Janet Anderson-Kluss were given notice March 22 that the college didn’t plan to renew their contracts in the fall. Both teach in the Computer Information Technology (CITE) program, which is suffering from declining enrollment, according to NIC administrators.

Two degree options for the CITE program were also eliminated, and funds are being reallocated to new professional technical programs.

Andrews said Thursday that she hopes the issue can be resolved before it has to be decided in court. “I sincerely hope there will be a positive resolution before legal action continues,” she said.

The Idaho Federation of Teachers and the NIC chapter of the American Association of University Professors have set up a legal fund for the two instructors.

Chad Klinger, president of NIC’s AAUP chapter, said in letter to NIC faculty that the college’s actions are “at odds with the basic tenets of tenure and due process.”

The groups opposing the college’s decision argue that the college should have reassigned Andrews and Anderson-Kluss to other positions they were qualified for.

Andrews said she and Anderson-Kluss, who declined an interview, were not allowed to appeal the college’s decision before the tenure committee. “There’s been no due process for us,” said Andrews, who has worked at NIC since 1993 and was recently nominated for the Faculty Achievement Award.

“I hope to remain at NIC,” said Andrews, an NIC graduate turned instructor. “I worked very hard to become tenured here.”

In a March 22 press release, NIC said the decisions were in line with the “State Board of Professional-Technical Education’s rules regarding program reduction or termination.” The college reported enrollment in two CITE programs dropped from a combined 118 students in 2001 to 60 this fall.

The college said the state board’s guidelines suggest programs shouldn’t fall below 75 percent capacity. Enrollment in the CITE program this fall was at 41 percent, according to NIC’s figures.

“I question the administration’s charge that there have been declining enrollments,” said Nick Gier, president of the Idaho Federation of Teachers. He said NIC administrators set an unusually high student-teacher ratio for the CITE program.

College spokesman Kent Propst declined to comment on the issue this week and deferred to the March press release the college had issued concerning the cuts.

“Nothing is harder for a college than to let people go,” NIC President Michael Burke said in the release. “It’s hardest on them, of course, but it impacts their students and their colleagues significantly, too.”

Andrews said had no idea she was about to lose her job when she was asked to report to her supervisor’s office on March 22 and handed a letter by NIC Vice President of Instruction Jerry Gee.

“I was opening the letter as he was saying to me, ‘This is really hard to do,’ ” Andrews said.

Gee wouldn’t comment Thursday except to say he was working with the college’s tenure committee.

Andrews has a mantra written in black marker on her office message board that reads, “For every minute you are angry with someone, you lose 60 seconds of happiness that you can never get back.”

She said those words help her keep a positive outlook. Though her job has been terminated, Andrews said she is hopeful that she will be able to remain a part of the campus community.

“I’m going to bloom wherever I’m planted,” she said, “whether campus keeps me or doesn’t keep me.”