Laurie Stenberg Nichols is the first female finalist applying for presidency at the University of Idaho in at least 10 years. She has ties to the Palouse area, is a former faculty member of UI and made a enthusiastic point to show she has done her research about our school and state.
But it may not be enough to compete with the other candidates, some of whom have been incredibly strong.
Nichols was very knowledgeable about the latest trends and innovations in higher education. It was obvious she has a passion for making sure the universities she works at are ahead of the curve, rather than trailing behind. She pinpointed the strongest aspects of UI, such as our research funding and national college rankings. She also addressed UI’s weak points like our low six-year graduation rate and plateaued enrollment.
She did her research and presented it well.
Notably, she has also served in a presidency position — specifically as interim president at another public college in South Dakota, Northern State. In some ways, the job of an interim president is even more difficult, and experience such as this could prove crucial to the next president at UI.
Nichols is also familiar with the area. She was a faculty member at UI for six years and should be more familiar with the local community and university dynamics than other candidates.
Nichols’ weak point, however, was that she didn’t show an understanding of the mission and purpose of a land-grant institution. While she said the word “land-grant,” she did very little in the way of pointing out how she as president would fulfill the mission that inherently accompanies the phrase. A vast majority of her academic and administrative career has taken place at South Dakota State, a land-grant university. It’s safe to assume she is familiar with that aspect of an institution. But if she is, she did a poor job of conveying it.
She’s a strong candidate, who is familiar with the Palouse and knows higher education. It’s just unfortunate she didn’t make a point of showcasing any knowledge she has about land-grant institutions, and how that mission intersects with the presidency.
–KM