A campus planning committee decided to select a local research firm, Robinson Research, to conduct surveys of several different groups.
The groups targeted in the survey will include students, faculty and local business leaders, and the research firm will also conduct focus groups and collect various forms of data.
Students that have been randomly selected to participate will receive an email from the research firm titled, “North Idaho College Focus Group,” followed by a follow-up phone call.
The information gained from the planned surveys will help the committee decide what the college’s strengths and weaknesses are, and what actions the school should take take to address them.
At the meeting the committee further detailed the various reasons for selecting Robinson Research’s proposal over its competitor’s proposal, and committee members discussed ways to reach the students selected to be polled in the most successful manner.
The committee plans to meet again on Sept. 15 to discuss the data gathered.
After meeting in 2008, The Long Range Visioning and Planning Committee (LRV&P) was originally set to reconvene in 2013 to go over new five-year objectives and strategies for North Idaho College, but they have decided to meet early due to the amount of growth and demand the college has faced in the past three years.
While LRV&P’s intention is to come up with a new strategic plan to deal with enrollment that has seen a 51 percent increase in the past four years, a decrease in state funding and changes in accreditation standards, the committee’s current objective is to update NIC’s mission statement and overall vision of the college’s future.
“We are committed to keeping the college relevant, so this is an opportune time to review our plans for the future,” said board of trustees chair Mic Armon in a recent press release.
The committee, which has over 27 members and is compiled of college representatives and community members, first met on July 14 to get the members acquainted, before meeting again on August 25.
