Burke touts community colleges
BOISE – Outgoing North Idaho College President Michael Burke made a strong pitch Tuesday for community college education when he appeared before lawmakers looking to expand community college options in Idaho.
Burke, who will leave his nine-year post for a California college in March, proudly described an expanding system, but one that hinges on the economy and availability of financial aid for students.
Burke said the “skills gap” for American workers compared to foreigners and the “equity gap” for underrepresented Americans receiving access to education provide challenges at national and local levels.
Community colleges are vital, preventing people from taking “muck jobs” that do not pay benefits, he said. “I think above all else that community colleges do, we manage to change lives every day,” he said.
Founded in 1933 by members of the Coeur d’Alene community who raised money door-to-door, the college serves the five Panhandle counties, Burke told members of the House Education Committee.
Only 50 percent of voters were needed to approve building NIC, compared with the more than 66 percent needed today, he said.
At least one bill this year will aim to lower that voting requirement, easing the process of approving new colleges.
Gov. Butch Otter has also proposed $5 million in state money next year as an incentive.
About 4,600 students enrolled at NIC for credit last year, Burke said. More than 13,000 enrolled for noncredit training, a 42 percent increase from two years ago.
Roughly 73 percent of students receive financial aid, Burke said. The debt load for students after they graduate has increased over five years from about $4,300 to $6,500.
Asked by Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, about how need-based scholarships proposed by Otter would affect NIC, Burke said most students there would likely qualify, adding that educators must alert students and parents to scholarship opportunities.
“I think there is kind of a self-selection among the working poor,” he said. “Folks just say, ‘I can’t afford to do this,’ when in fact they might be able to do it. That would be our challenge, but I would welcome the opportunity.”
Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, asked Burke about dual enrollment opportunities for high school students, saying he was excited about potentially curbing “senior slump.”
Dual enrollment became a high priority for NIC about two years ago, Burke said. NIC lowered its tuition rate to $60 a class to encourage dual enrollment.
Queried about Idaho’s nursing shortage, Burke said though NIC students perform well on the national nursing exam, the program lacks qualified faculty who are willing to work for NIC salaries.
The program also needs more clinical sites and space for training.
“It’s an enormous challenge,” he said. “It is a system, and you have to grow the entire system.”
Burke also said there is a “significant difference” in salary between educators at NIC and in nearby Washington, which concerns him.
Burke, who has worked in community colleges for 30 years, started his teaching career at a Texas community college. He quickly realized the effect of community education on first-generation students.
“This is my career; this is my mission in life; this is who I am,” he said. “I am dedicated to what we do in community colleges.”
He announced his decision early this month to resign and become president at San Jose City College in San Jose, Calif., starting March 1.
His decision to leave is unrelated to a letter of no confidence business leaders sent him over the summer expressing concern about NIC’s professional-technical programs, Burke has said.
North Idaho legislators praised Burke on Tuesday.
Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, said Burke will “always have friends in North Idaho.”
“You’ve been great for Coeur d’Alene, great for the community, great for the state of Idaho,” he said. “You set a mark, in my opinion, that other university administrators and presidents can achieve to.”