NMC Weekly Update - March 17

NEWS FROM THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE




Hafa Adai, Tirow, and Greetings from Northern Marianas College!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day Everyone!

Here are the highlighted articles for this week:

PRESIDENT’S OKINAWA TRIP SUMMARY

The Pacific Islands Academic Summit on “Sustainable Development for Islands: Education, Tourism, Environment and Economic Development,” was held in Okinawa, Japan on March 10th and 11th. The summit participants included the Presidents from the University of Guam, University of New Caledonia, Northern Marianas College, Palau Community College, College of Micronesia- FSM, College of the Marshall Islands, the Deputy Vice Chancellor from the University of the South Pacific, the Associate Vice President of the University of Hawaii Community College System, and Professors from the Australian National University and the University of Otago in New Zealand. This regional gathering of chief executive officers from higher education institutions in the Pacific was hosted by the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the University of the Ryukyus with support from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

The primary objective of the summit was to discuss common issues and concerns among the small island nations of the Pacific. The first part of the event included opening remarks by Mr. Shigeie Toshinori, Ambassador In-Charge of Okinawan Affairs and President Moshin Morita from the University of Ryukyus. A keynote speech on “The Future of the Pacific Region” was given by the honorable Kuniwo Nakamura, former President for the Republic of Palau and one of the founding leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum. The highlight of the summit was a panel discussion by the regional presidents on “Sustainable Development for Islands: Education, Tourism, Environment and Economic Development.”

The presentation of NMC President Tony Deleon Guerrero focused on “Promoting Higher Education Institutions as Community Resource Centers.” His paper stressed the importance and interrelationship between education and sustainable economic development. Deleon Guerrero noted that the “latest research tells us that the wave of the future in sustainable economic development lies in creating and maintaining a workforce that is highly educated, constantly upgraded, and continually focused on increasing quality and productivity.” He also added that “we can further advance the contributions of our respective higher education institutions as community resource centers by exploring innovative educational partnerships such as:

• diversifying the learning experiences of our students by enrolling citizens in
  our campuses from other countries;
• promoting global education in our curriculum and establishing appropriate international exchange programs;
• offering foreign language studies and intercultural learning experiences in various programmatic areas;
• integrating international education with appropriate international trade and commercial opportunities; and
• developing effective faculty exchange programs and providing valuable technical assistance services to hosting countries.”

The invited participants expressed their gratitude and appreciation to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the University of the Ryukyus for hosting the summit and covering all the travel expenses of the regional presidents. Deleon Guerrero said, “I am very grateful and appreciative to our friends from Japan for making this investment and commitment to foster greater collaboration and partnership between the country of Japan and the regional higher education institutions in the Pacific.”

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Silver Anniversary of Northern Marianas College

25 Years of Post Secondary Academic Excellence

You are cordially invited to attend a special event commemorating the
25th Anniversary
of

NORTHERN MARIANAS COLLEGE

Thursday the Twenty-third of March Two Thousand & Six
The Hibiscus Hall. Fiesta Resort & Spa, Garapan, Saipan
U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Nine o’clock in the morning
Refreshments will be served

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OIE EXAMINES NEW STUDENT PLACEMENT
TEST RESULTS FOR FALL 2005

In preparation for the March 17th Academic Advising Workshop, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness looked at the results of the English and Math Placement Tests for the Fall 2005 new, degree-seeking students. Of the 267 new, degree-seeking students enrolled Fall 2005, 69% took the Math Placement Test, and 93% took the English Placement Test.

The analysis yielded the following results: Eight percent (8%) of the new students were ready for college-level math courses, and 12 % were prepared to take college-level English composition courses. Of those students that took both placement tests, 3% placed at college-level English and Math, while 80% placed below college-level for both.

The Languages & Humanities Department, along with the Sciences, Mathematics, & Technology Department, offer a series of developmental English and Math courses designed to strengthen students’ skills in both areas. Students that place below college-level in English and Math take longer to complete their programs as they must complete developmental courses before taking college-level courses. They also have a greater financial burden, as the number of courses they take is higher than those that enter ready to take college courses.


UOG Criminal Justice & Public Administration Programs

Last week, NMC officials Danny Wyatt, Eric Plinske, Lynda Rowe and David Attao had the chance to meet with Jamie Mason, UOG Director of International Program Development based on Saipan, and Dr. Ron McNinich-Su, UOG Associate Professor of Public Administration. Dr. McNinich also oversees the UOG Criminal Justice Program. At the meeting, ambitious goals were set to offer the UOG bachelors degree in Criminal Justice on Saipan with a target start date of the Fall 2006 semester. All 100 and 200 level courses in the program would be taught by NMC resulting in an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. The NMC Associates Degree will then place graduates at junior level standing in the UOG Criminal Justice program with all credits and courses transferring to UOG through articulation. UOG will then use its own faculty, as well as certify local faculty in the CNMI, to serve as instructors for the bachelor’s level courses to be taught on Saipan at the 300 and 400 level. Discussions were also held on the topic of linking NMC’s general education and Liberal Arts degree to the UOG Public Administration degree program so students at NMC could complete an AA in Liberal Arts and be placed at junior level standing in the UOG Public Administration degree program. UOG also plans to offer this degree on Saipan, rather than requiring students to move to Guam. Graduates of the Criminal Justice and Public Administration bachelor’s programs will then have the opportunity to pursue their Master of Public Administration degree through UOG on Saipan. Other UOG bachelors and masters degree programs are also being reviewed for possible implementation on Saipan.


Natural Resources Management Proposed Cohort Program

In an effort to enroll more students in the NMC Natural Resources Management degree program, a plan is being developed to offer an accelerated degree format through the Community Development Institute, targeting the staff of the various environmental agencies such as DEQ, CRM, DLNR, DPW and Fish and Wildlife to name a few. Courses would be taught on site at the agencies that have proper classroom or lab facilities. The program would run two years and funding to support the program would also be available through the NMC CREES program through a Caripac grant that would fund “resident instructor” costs and the Agricultural Development in the American Pacific (ADAP) grant that would assist with funding the tuition and fees of the students that entered and declared their major as NRM. The proposed program format would also allow qualified local students to receive additional financial assistance from PELL, EAP and SHEFA grant and scholarship programs. The proposed course schedule and other logistics are currently being finalized so that the proposal can be presented to the directors of the various environmental agencies to garner their support and promote the opportunity to the management and staff. If sufficient demand exists and if the logistics can be completed before May 2006, the plan is to implement the cohort program by the Summer 2006 semester so that the students would be graduating from the program in May 2008.

Have A Safe and Wonderful Weekend!