Sandpoint could get UI branch

A foundation run by the founder of Coldwater Creek has quietly proposed spending $20 million to establish a University of Idaho campus in Sandpoint – something civic leaders have long sought.

Though the proposal is in preliminary stages, the nonprofit Wild Rose Foundation and the UI have drafted a memorandum of understanding that will go before the Idaho State Board of Education on Feb. 22. The proposal envisions the creation of “a unique model for education and research on a local, state and national level,” with classes and research programs beginning in 2010.

“It would certainly be a tremendous benefit to the community,” said Sandpoint Mayor Ray Miller on Tuesday. “It’s going to have a major impact.”

Both the university and the foundation had little to say about the agreement, beyond emphasizing that it’s still in the conceptual stage and must receive support from the Board of Education before moving forward.

The campus proposed in the draft document would include programs ranging from general education to environmental science.

The proposal also foresees the inclusion of North Idaho College programs. Having a college in Sandpoint could help with work force training, teacher recertification, research industries and other initiatives, supporters say.

The foundation would buy the land and build the facilities for the UI programs, with an eventual transfer of ownership to the university, according to the preliminary agreement.

It would also offer land to the Lake Pend Oreille School District for the construction of a high school, if the district could come up with funding.

The Wild Rose Foundation, a nonprofit foundation started in 2005, approached the UI with the proposal, according to documents released by the university this week in response to a public records request.

News of the deal was first reported Saturday in the Bonner County Daily Bee.

The directors of the foundation are Dennis Pence, Karen Pence and Rosalind Holland, according to the Idaho secretary of state’s office.

Dennis Pence is chairman and CEO of Coldwater Creek, the clothing operation he founded in 1984 as a catalog business. The company has seen booming growth in sales and profits in recent years, and Business Week listed it last year as one of the 100 “Hot Growth Companies” in the country.

Dennis Pence was out of the country on Tuesday, a representative of Coldwater Creek said.

But in a written statement, the foundation said that it had been formed to benefit the “quality of life for citizens of Bonner County,” with education as a key focus.

“To determine how it might facilitate increased access to educational opportunities for area residents, the foundation has conducted ongoing communication with various educational institutions for some time and has found the University of Idaho to be a helpful partner in discussing ways to improve higher education in the region,” the statement said.

“While the foundation is very encouraged by these early phases of discussion, many details remain to be addressed and further information will be made available to the public as the process moves forward.”