North Idaho College to Eliminate Men’s and Women’s Golf Programs to Cut Costs | Spokane News

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – North Idaho College (NIC) announced it will eliminate its men’s and women’s golf programs as part of a broader restructuring of its athletics program to address the college’s unsustainable financial performance. The programs will expire after the spring semester of 2025.

In a press release, NIC said the restructuring was necessary due to rising costs, including a $4 million budget deficit in the current fiscal year. This follows the college’s decision to switch its athletics from the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) to the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC), a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). This move, as well as the decision to offer full tuition to international and foreign students – including tuition, fees, room and board, books and travel expenses – resulted in the athletics budget increasing from $2.2 million in 2023-2024 to 6, $2 million in 2024-2025.

“The decision to eliminate golf was difficult but necessary for the sustainability of the program,” said NIC Interim Provost Lloyd Duman. “Golf is a sport that has a relatively high cost per student. Additionally, due to Title IX, eliminating a sport must ensure gender equity, and golf has both men’s and women’s teams.”

Eliminating the golf program will impact approximately 11 student-athletes, some of whom may have competed again next year. However, NIC will continue to cover tuition, fees, and room and board for golf student-athletes who elect to remain enrolled in college through the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters.

“Golf was the most recent addition to NIC Athletics,” Duman added. “This decision does not reflect the quality of the program or the people involved. It was designed to impact as few student-athletes and staff as possible.”

NIC said they are trying to stabilize their athletics budget. The college has stated that it does not plan to eliminate other athletic programs but will consider additional cost-cutting measures in the future to ensure financial sustainability.

“Coach Russell Grove deserves praise for the job he has done,” said NIC President Nick Swayne. “His golf teams have performed exceptionally well and they should be proud of their achievements. It is extremely unfortunate, but we are out of options.”