[Vision2020] UI in Sandpoint could open in 2009

[Carl Westberg]

UI in Sandpoint could open in 2009....from the Spokesman-Review

Shawn Vestal
Staff writer
August 9, 2007

Sandpoint could be a college town by this time in 2009.

Coldwater Creek founder Dennis Pence, through his foundation, has expanded 
the amount he’s willing to spend to see that happen – from $26 million to at 
least $36 million, according to the agreement before the Idaho State Board 
of Education.

The board, meeting in Twin Falls, is expected to approve a deal today or 
Friday to sell 77 acres owned by the University of Idaho in downtown 
Sandpoint to Pence’s Wild Rose Foundation for $6.25 million. Most of that 
money would go into a trust for educational programs at the site, and the 
foundation will spend at least $30 million to build the first four 
buildings, which would then be turned over to the UI, according to the 
agreement.
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“This is unique in that we’re really able to create a whole campus from the 
very beginning,” said Larry Branen, the UI’s associate vice president for 
North Idaho.

If all goes as planned, classes would start at the Sandpoint Center in fall 
2009. A variety of offerings would be available, with an emphasis on 
interdisciplinary programs focusing on the liberal arts, natural resources 
and food science, Branen said. Other programs would include the UI’s 
executive MBA program, already available in Sandpoint, as well as offerings 
from North Idaho College.

The scope of the commitment from Wild Rose, as well as the targeted 
approach, make it a unique situation for the UI, and one that’s rare in 
higher education, Branen said. It often takes years for universities to 
establish branch campuses, and their growth can be slow. In this case, the 
UI will have four new buildings and a campus environment already in place 
when classes begin.

And it’s expected to come at relatively little cost to the UI. Proceeds from 
the land sale will create a foundation to provide $500,000 a year for 
faculty and programs; the UI expects to spend another $150,000 in the first 
couple of years of operation. But the amount of the UI’s commitment could 
vary, depending on state funding and enrollments at the campus.

“Essentially, it’s a turnkey operation,” Branen said. “But we have to turn 
on the lights and bring people into it.”

Attempts to reach Pence today were unsuccessful. He is chairman and CEO of 
Coldwater Creek, the Sandpoint-based clothing operation that has seen 
booming growth in recent years. Business Week listed it last year as one of 
100 “Hot Growth Companies.”

The nonprofit Wild Rose Foundation was formed in 2005, with Pence, Karen 
Pence and Rosalind Holland listed as foundation directors with the Idaho 
secretary of state’s office.

The foundation approached the UI with the proposal, and initially proposed 
spending at least $20 million, in addition to buying the land. Branen said 
that discussions between Wild Rose and the UI led to a doubling of space for 
classes and research, driving up the amount committed by the foundation.

Many in Idaho are wary of big plans for branch campuses, given the difficult 
times that arose from the UI’s grand plans for a new operation in Boise 
several years ago. When those plans began to unravel, in 2002, the UI was 
left with a big budget hole and its former financial vice president wound up 
convicted of misusing public funds.

A large part of the problem in that case was that UI officials had big 
plans, but no solid long-term financing as it began spending millions on 
design. In this case, the money’s identified and the UI doesn’t have any 
liability should Wild Rose fall short on its commitment, Branen said.

“I think we all learned a lot from Boise,” he said. “This is something where 
the funding is up front. We know where it’s coming from.”

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