NMC Weekly Update - March 23

NEWS FROM THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE





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

Here are the highlights for the week:

President Antonio V. DeLeon Guerrero’s Remarks at Today’s Event Commemorating NMC’s 25th Anniversary at the Fiesta Resort & Spa, Saipan

Hafa Adai, Tirowami, Yan Buenas Dias to You All!

At the outset, I will like to express our gratitude and appreciation to all of you present today for taking the time from your busy schedule to join our NMC community to commemorate the founding of Northern Marianas College. We are sincerely grateful for your presence this morning and thank you for joining us in this event.

I would like to use NMC’s 25th birthday to communicate to all our institutional stakeholders some historical data and key information that compares NMC at its beginning stages in the early 1980’s with its status today – a “Then versus Now” comparison. Following a brief review of our college growth in major institutional areas, I will provide an overview of NMC’s current programs and services, and share how we are meeting our constitutionally-mandated mission.

In the early decades of the 20th century, Junior Colleges were created from equal parts of the university moving down and the high school moving up. Around the turn of the century, several prominent university presidents proposed that the first two years of undergraduate study, the 100 and 200 level general education courses should be offered by “Junior Colleges.” Through this new educational concept, the “Transfer Education” mission of a Junior College was established. Today, here at Northern Marianas College, we are meeting this community college mission of “Transfer Education” since many of our resident students (about 43%) choose the Liberal Arts Associate Degree as their major field of study.

As we recognize 25 years of educational services to our community, we should remember that the history of Northern Marianas College has not been one of smooth sailing. It took President Emerita Agnes McPhetres many years to “persuade” our elected officials then to provide the facilities and budget to build our college from what was literally a shoestring operation. She and the NMC Board of Regents faced many challenges then, but they were generally met successfully and were usually addressed without controversy.

Since her retirement in 1999, her successors and I have continued to be advocates for our NMC students and the role of higher education in our local community. As educators and “human-change agents,” we all are part of a never-ending quest to provide the best higher education institution for our Commonwealth. Northern Marianas College will always have institutional challenges that must be faced and dealt with in order to better serve our students. We have done so successfully in the past and, with the continued support of our CNMI community leaders, and hard work on our own part, we can continue to make significant progress.

Twenty-five years ago, the college began with a few people coordinating other institutions’ programs out of some classrooms at Marianas High School. Two years later in 1983, NMC had less than 200 students and even in 1985 you could fit the entire institution in a one and a half building of the old Trust Territory School of Nursing, today’s Buildings N, O & P. Only with the opening of the Commonwealth Health Center and associated closure of Dr. Torres Hospital in 1986, and some persuasive and effective lobbying from former NMC Boards of Regents members and President McPhetres did the real growth and development of the college occur.

Let us begin our comparison of NMC in its early days with today:

Northern Marianas College
Then vs. Now
172 students enrolled in the Fall of 1983. In the Fall of 2004, 1,285 students enrolled (647% increase). In 1986, 9 certificates and 27 Associate Degrees were awarded. In 2005, 67 certificates (644% increase) and 119 Associate Degrees (341% increase) were awarded. A total of 186 awards were given (417% increase). In 1984, there were 9 faculty members and 41 total employees. This year, we have 47 faculty members (422% increase) and a total of 176 employees (329% increase).

NMC’s Financial Challenges
As noted earlier, our NMC programs and services have grown significantly as well as our student enrollment. We will continuously strive to meet the growing demands of our students and the increasing needs of our CNMI community. NMC’s need for additional funding will also need to increase accordingly. The most recent budget passed by the CNMI government in FY2003 provided the college with funding of approximately $8 million dollars. Under continuing resolution levels, this was the same amount of funding the college received in FY2004 and FY2005 in spite of continued growth in the programs and services provided by the college. Recognizing the need for additional funding to support these programs, the 13th and 14th CNMI Legislature provided supplemental funding of $438,000 and $518,000 in FY2004 and FY2005, respectively, to the college.

As we are all aware, the CNMI government and our Commonwealth’s economy are going through difficult times with the shutting down of numerous garment factories and the dwindling numbers of visitor arrivals since the pullout of Japan Airlines. As a result of the downturn in the economy, the CNMI government and its agencies are faced with reduced levels of funding. The college was recently advised that its funding would be reduced by approximately 19% or $1.5 million from the funding level it would have received under Continuing Resolution. Considering the supplemental appropriations which were necessary in FY2004 and FY2005, this reduction is actually a $2M cut in the College’s budget. This, needless to say, will have far reaching negative repercussions on the institution, our student programs and services. In spite of these financial challenges, the college’s Board of Regents, Foundation members, faculty and staff are committed to our NMC students and our CNMI community and we will continue to strive to meet their postsecondary educational needs.

NMC’s Accreditation
Northern Marianas College received its initial accreditation in 1985 from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, or WASC. That accreditation was reaffirmed in 1990, 1996, and 2001. Also in 2001, NMC received initial accreditation from WASC’s Senior Commission to offer a baccalaureate degree program in elementary education. To date, NMC’s dual accreditation status by both the Junior and Senior Commissions is unique in the western accreditation region, with the College being one of only a few two-year colleges in the nation to have been awarded this status.

Since its beginning, NMC has focused on meeting the higher education and human resource development needs of the CNMI. From the time of its first program in teacher education, NMC has strived to develop a comprehensive set of educational programs and services to meet the social, cultural, occupational, and economic development needs of our island communities on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.


NMC’s Mission
NMC’s mission is “to provide the best quality and meaningful postsecondary and adult educational opportunities for the purpose of improving the quality of life for the individual and the Commonwealth as a whole.” Its constitutional mandate is to provide education in the areas of adult and continuing education, postsecondary and adult vocational education and professional development for the people of the Commonwealth.

Purpose and Role of Northern Marianas College
As we develop into a more comprehensive community college, NMC’s role as a community resource center for the CNMI is expanding considerably to meet the increasingly diversified HRD needs of the Commonwealth, and the continuing changes in our island economy. Today, NMC’s offers 17 associate degree programs, 18 certificate of achievement programs, 18 certificate of completion programs, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. As the only public postsecondary institution in the CNMI, NMC strives to ensure that our educational programs reflect the complexity and diversity of the CNMI’s growth and development.

NMC as the CNMI’s Adult Basic Education Center
For more than 20 years, Adult Basic Education has offered federally funded programs focused on meeting the educational needs of adult learners in the CNMI. The mission of the ABE program at NMC is to provide educationally disadvantaged adults the opportunity to acquire basic skills necessary to function more effectively and productively, to gain upward mobility, and to enable them to pursue further education. In accordance with the varying needs of adult learners, the goals of the ABE program are to develop the competency levels in reading, writing, and mathematics so as to empower adult learners to participate more fully in community life, enable them to assist their children and serve as their first teachers and equip them with skills needed to pass the General Education Development (GED) tests and earn a high school equivalency diploma. Our developmental education goals are met through the implementation of a variety of programs including Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language, Adult Secondary Education, Family Literacy and Life Skills workshops.

Community Programs and Services
The College further serves the CNMI community through a variety of outreach, community service and continuing education programs. Workforce and community development programs offer training to upgrade public and private employee skills, and to provide enrichment courses for the general public in a wide variety of programs. Our Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Service (CREES) Program provides research and technical assistance services to farmers and homemakers, and introduces new varieties of crops and continuously improves the quality of livestock for the CNMI’s agricultural industry. The Community Development Institute provides opportunities for academic degrees beyond the associate level, including career education and training in collaboration with off-island postsecondary educational institutions, professional organizations, and targeted federal programs. The NMC Small Business Development Center provides training and technical assistance services to our local business sector, thus aiding in the economic development of the Commonwealth. In addition, KRNM, the only public radio station in the Northern Marianas, provides educational, informative, and entertaining programming that enlightens, broadens, and enriches our local community.

In addition, our NMC students, faculty, and staff members are actively involved with many different community projects, activities, and non-profit organizations on the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota. For example, our PHI THETA KAPPA (PTK) Chapter has included roughly 200 students and continues to promote scholarship, leadership, and service to NMC and the CNMI community. These high-achieving NMC students augment their classroom learning experiences with valuable community volunteer projects to enhance their leadership development and promote the value of having a post secondary institution in the Commonwealth. Moreover, promoting community service also emphasizes the importance of civic engagement in the communities where our students, faculty, staff and alumni live, learn, work, relax and thrive.

Today, Northern Marianas College is a rich and expansive community resource for adult, continuing, and higher education, and it is playing an ever-increasing role in improving the quality of life in the Commonwealth. Moreover, NMC is positively impacting economic development by addressing the training and educational needs of our most vital, our most enduring, and our most treasured resource - our people - I Taotao Tano!

Certainly, as a community of educators and learners, we readily recognize that an essential requirement for long-term sustainable economic development is having a well-educated and highly-trained population. It has become increasingly clear in today’s complex society that the most crucial variable in economic development is the knowledge embedded in the minds of the people of a nation. It is not the natural resources of a country that will determine the quality of life, but rather, the knowledge supply and professional workforce that exists in a country. As a learning organization, NMC in the future will continue to create value as a community resource center and expand opportunities by focusing on learning for the long-term sustainable development of the CNMI.

Now that times are uncertain and the demands for accountability are increasing, I call upon all our NMC faculty, staff, and students - - - and our friends in the administration, legislature, and community - - - to work collaboratively in transforming Northern Marianas College into a quality higher education institution for the people of the CNMI. Our NMC Board of Regents and the entire college community need your support and assistance to continuously improve NMC’s educational programs and services. Only by working together and taking ownership can we enable NMC to be a more “student-focused” and “community- centered” learning institution.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation yan un sen dangkulu na si Yu’us ma’ase to all the planning committee members who coordinated today’s 25th Anniversary Commemoration Event. And to all our dignitaries, special guests, relatives, NMC family members, we thank you all for being here today. Please visit our various program exhibits and displays in the hallway. Thank you yan buenas para todus hamyo!

Board of Regents Actions from their March 22, 2006 Meeting

In order to address the overwhelming budget $1.5m deficit that the college has for fiscal year 2006 and possibly reduced budget for fiscal year 2007, the Board of Regents passed the following:

• There will be a tuition increase effective Fall Semester, 2006, of $30 per credit. This raises resident tuition to $95 and to $190 for nonresident students per credit.
• The following Education courses, ED 320, ED 321, ED 435, ED 417, ED 492 and ED 495, as well as Nursing courses NU 107, NU 108, NU 109, NU 207, NU 212, and NU 203, because of the higher costs of supervision and instruction required in these courses, will all be assessed a $300 course fee effective Summer Semester, 2006.
• The Special Fees for Golf, SCUBA and Windsurfing are established at $100 for each course.
• There will be a $25 fee for those students taking the Math Placement Test.
• The International Student classification has been rescinded effective its publication. Board Policy 8001.1 has been revised to more clearly define the two categories of students at NMC; Resident and Nonresident. The Student Development policy 8001.1 is available from Mark Mendiola pending its posting on the N-Drive.

In order to assist students in meeting the higher tuition costs, the Student Services program will be establishing and operating workshops to assist students in applying for federal and local financial aid. In addition, several positions that were being advertised are to remain frozen pending funding availability.

These are the most notable of the Board’s actions and a more complete account will be forthcoming next week. None of these actions were taken lightly, without extensive deliberation and without recognizing their consequences; however, the college must take drastic action in order to maintain its academic course offerings both for the summer and fall.

NMC Welcomes New Director of Counseling Programs & Services

NMC wishes to welcome back Mrs. Susan Satur to the Counseling Programs and Services Department. Susan retired back in December 2003 as a counselor, and moved on to be a Special Education Contact Teacher for Oleai Elementary School. After she completed her two-year teaching contract with the Public School System, she felt the need to return to her home at NMC. For those of you who don’t know Susan, she is well known for her passion in helping students. She still continues this passion for serving students even more so now as the Director for Counseling Programs & Services. Oh did we mention that her other passion is baking? Congratulations and Welcome Back to NMC!

Counseling Programs and Services Holds Academic Advising Workshop

There were over 65 participants in the Academic Advising Workshop. It was a great time to work together and learn new information and refresh the old information on the topic of academic advising. The CNMI Scholarship Office and NMC Financial Aid shared information on scholarships and Institutional Effectiveness provided student demographic and student survey data. The Office of Admissions and Records provided information on international students and Counseling Programs and Services shared general information on academic advising.

ASNMC, Student Activities and Counseling Programs and Services
Host High School Students

This whole month, ASNMC, Student Activities and Counseling Programs and Services have been hosting students from all the high schools on island. On Friday, March 17, 2006, 53 Marianas High School students visited our campus. Different departments gave presentations, the students toured the campus, participated in a fun scavenger hunt and enjoyed other special activities at the NMC gym. Counseling Programs and Services, Student Activities and ASNMC cooperated successfully to invite and host the high school students. We look forward to seeing many of the students enroll at NMC.

Walk on Wednesday (W.O.W.)

CREES and other Nutrition Committee members (Department of Public Health, Ayuda Network, DCCA and PSS) coordinated the Walk on Wednesday in honor of March as Nutrition Month. The public was invited on March 22, 2006 to a 30 minute walk that started at 4:00 p.m. at the pavilion near Oleai Beach Bar and Grill. Participants were offered free blood pressure and blood sugar screenings.

Conversational Japanese II

Community Development Institute (CDI), in collaboration with the Languages Department, is pleased to announce Conversational Japanese II. This is a continuation course for those who took Conversational Japanese I. But anyone with beginning Conversational Japanese skills is welcome to enroll. Classes run from March 27, 2006 - May 5, 2006, Monday/Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (excluding holidays), and its $FREE! To sign up, please email to dawnk@nmcnet.edu or call CDI at tel. no. 234-5498, extensions 1005 or 1030.

Framingham State College Master’s Program - Registration Ends April 7, 2006 and Classes begin April 8, 2006

Registration is now open for on-going students in the Framingham State College Master of Education program. Students must register by April 7 to enroll in the course that begins on April 8. Total amount is $582 for Cohort 3 and $598 for Cohort 4, plus $40 facilitation fee for both cohorts. The textbooks and pre-course assignments are now available. To register, please visit the Community Development Institute (CDI) office in Building P at NMC between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Ms. Velma Mafnas at tel. no.234-5498, extensions 1005, 1030 or 1014.

Have A Safe and Wonderful Week!