Message from Mike Waggoner, Chairman of the North Idaho College Board of Trustees
First, please note that this is a personal message from me to our wonderful community, based on my knowledge and insights over the past three years, and not an official release from the Board of Trustees.
Currently, North Idaho College is on an excellent path forward, focusing on students and meeting the needs of our business community, with success on the horizon.
However, this roadmap for success has been a recent development, one that required improvements in several areas within the institution. A significant part of the improvements come from the Board of Trustees’ diligent work in training sessions and meetings to address the issues that needed immediate attention and ongoing attention.
But first, I need to tell you that my perspective is based on my experience in Fortune 100 company management, where for many years I was responsible for overhauling groups that needed extensive changes. For example, a colleague and I redesigned a company of 24,500 employees which was struggling in several areas. After the redesign, the company’s Annual Report stated the changes we identified and helped implement were responsible for significantly assisting the company’s survival.
For many years, I worked at the center of large corporations where I had to be aware of the big picture. I managed very large projects, some of which had multi-million dollar budgets. I was directed by executives who oversaw as many as 8,500 people. Additionally, my education in Business Management gave me a good understanding of the processes involved in the organization of large entities.
There is an old saying that, “If you are up to your armpits in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your original goal was to drain the swamp.” In the corporate world, I was a ‘swamp drainer’ for upper management.
One of the things I learned from those experiences was that much like a basketball game, if the rules of the game and the identification of the roles of the players are unclear, there is a lot of turmoil. This leads people to be testy. However, if you get everyone to agree to both the rules and the roles, the turmoil is vastly reduced.
What I noticed when I began attending NIC Board Meetings over three years ago was that the institution appeared to have many management and governance (high-level management) items out-of-date.
- The Strategic Plan was out-of-date and was theoretical instead of practical. As a result, no one knew for sure where the college was aiming for long-range (more than two or three years).
- The Governance Policies which the Board of Trustees use to conduct their business were as much as twenty years out of date, so Board processes were not clear and this created confusion.
- The Board of Trustees did not have goals for what it was trying to achieve which caused a lack of focus.
- Some Procedures within NIC itself (outside of the Board’s purview) were in significant need of updating, so there was some turmoil at the College unrelated to the Board’s business.
- The role of the President in relation to the Board was not clear and this resulted in some conflict.
Basically, a lot of work needed to be done both within the Board and within the administration of the college due to a lack of long-term vision and inaction on process updates.
Over the course of the last two years, with the assistance of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) consultants and the Strategic Plan consultants, the Board of Trustees and the President have worked hard to address many issues, including the following items.
- The Board authorized the President to engage a Strategic Planning Firm. This firm has been working with all of the groups at the College and the Board to develop a good, executable plan. The plan will be completed in April 2025. This includes large capital improvement projects, like what buildings need to be constructed, to smaller adjustments, like what degree programs should be created or dissolved to meet current trends and market demands.
- All of the Board Governance Policies were reviewed and updated, which includes the creation of some new policies to fill in areas that lacked clarity or direction. This process took about 250 hours for the Chair, another Trustee and the President to complete.
- The Board created a set of goals for itself and made those official.
- The President has been working with the faculty, staff, and students to update the College’s policies and procedures.
- The Board and the President mutually agreed upon presidential goals and negotiated metrics by which to review the performance of the President. As a result, the President no longer has to guess what is expected to be achieved.
- The President has been given a performance evaluation using those goals and objectives. The Board and the President can now determine where changes need to be made to meet expectations. This has greatly reduced unnecessary conflicts.
In summary, the Board, working in concert with the ACCT consultants and the President, along with support of the faculty, staff, and students, has greatly improved the situation at the North Idaho College. An immense effort has been expended and we are beginning to see results. The community should be very proud of the work achieved and the path to success is clear. The current Board, which includes Greg McKenzie, Brad Corkill, Tarie Zimmerman, Todd Banducci, and myself, worked together to make this happen. Please let them know you appreciate their contributions.
This November 5, you have the chance to vote for three exceptional conservative candidates. Their election will guarantee that the Board maintains its path of excellence and high performance.
First up is Michael Angiletta who brings decades of executive level leadership with global companies, managing strategy, and multi-million dollar budgets. He’s volunteered as a small business coach locally for hundreds of small business owners and understands the unique needs of our local economy. Additionally, Angiletta has a background in education, having founded an e-learning company that trained thousands of professionals.
Second is William Lyons, a seasoned engineering professional who built a successful career offering solutions to key sectors like petrochemicals, refining, agriculture, and pulp and paper. His professional journey includes significant leadership positions at Emerson Process Management and Invensys, where he applied his abilities in problem-solving to solve multi-million dollar problems.
Third is Greg McKenzie, who has served on the Board for four years. During his tenure, Greg has mastered the roles of both Trustee and Chairman. He has been instrumental in liaising with legal counsel, overseeing Board meetings, scrutinizing and approving budgets, contributing to the strategic plan, endorsing policy revisions, and supporting the expansion of the Meyer’s Health building. Additionally, Greg played a key role in lifting the mask mandate, focusing on cost reduction, and successfully advocated for maintaining accreditation during discussions with NWCCU.
Edited September 21, 2024 at 7:50 a.m. — additional information submitted by author with request to update published article.
