NMC Weekly Update - November 28th

NEWS FROM THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE





Hafa adai, tirowami and greetings NMC!

Please read the following highlighted articles about our college:

NMC’S Honor Society Holds Induction Ceremony
Northern Marianas College’s Beta Lambda Psi Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society held its Fall 2006 Induction ceremony at the Fiesta Resort and Spa on Saturday, November 18th at 4:00 p.m. Chapter President Lee Castro welcomed 14 inductees and three 3 provisional members this semester, the second most members since the first ceremony starting the chapter six years ago.

The Keynote Speaker for the induction was NMC President Emeritus Agnes McPhetres who spoke about community service and leadership. Approximately 75 NMC faculty, administrators, staff members, Honor Society family members and inductees enjoyed dinner following the induction. The college acting president, Mr. Danny Wyatt, would like to congratulate the inductees and provisional members for their academic achievements.


NMC ROTA CELEBRATES 3rd Annual International Education Day Festival
NMC Rota celebrated their International Education Day Festival at the Chamorro Village on Thursday, November 16, 2006. The Acting President, Mr. Danny Wyatt, was on Rota to join the students, faculty and staff in their celebration. The event started with a colorful parade from the entrance of Songsong Village and ended at the roundhouse near the San Francisco Church.

Activities included cultural performances, fashion shows and a variety of cultural foods for all to enjoy. The event showcased international cultural performances in collaboration with public and private schools, government agencies, organizations and the business community. NMC Rota extends their sincere appreciation to all those who made it possible to hold these activities in honor of international education and diversity.


INTERNATIONAL CUISINE DAY - A YUMMY SUCCESS STORY
Students, faculty and staff members celebrated International Education Week participating in various fun-filled activities. On the 17th, the whole campus was invited to room D-1 to sample an array of international dishes beautifully prepared by our local chefs in the hotel industry.

The Acting President issued certificates of appreciation to Saipan Grand Hotel, Fiesta Resort and Spa, Hyatt Regency, Pacific Islands Club, Aqua Resort Club and World Resort, for making this event possible. The Acting President said that he sincerely appreciated the hotel’s participation on short notice and for their generous contributions in times of fiscal austerity. Special thanks also to Counseling Programs and Services for doing a wonderful job coordinating the event!

To view the pictures, please visit http://www.cgbier.zenfolio.com, then click on "school", then "food", and the password is susan. Enjoy!


LAST DAY TO PRE-REGISTER FOR 2006 CNMI WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT
Today (Tuesday, November 28th) is the last day to pre-register for the 2006 CNMI Workforce Development Summit that will be taking place this Thursday, November 30th at the Fiesta Resort and Spa (Hibiscus Ballroom) from 7:30 am - 4:00 pm.

To qualify for pre-registration, forms must be faxed to 235-5383 before the end of business today. By pre-registering, you can take advantage of the discounted pre-registration rate of $15.00 in lieu of paying the regular rate of $20.00 at the door. Cash or check will be accepted and checks should be made payable to "Northern Marianas College".

For registration forms or for more information, please contact Mr. Eric Plinske, NMC SBDC, Workforce Development Summit - Planning Committee Chair, at 234-5498- ext. 1830.


SHUTOKU HIGH SCHOOL TOURS NMC CAMPUS
NMC’s Community Development Institute organized another successful high school visit from Japan. Students from Shutoku High School toured the campus on Nov. 27th from 9:00 am to 12:00 p.m. They visited various departments on campus and were given brief descriptions of the office’s functions.

Special thanks to CDI and ASNMC for coordinating this visit. Keep up the great work!


DEBIAN SARGE-ANT RUMPTZ!
David Rumptz, Faculty Senate President, held 3 Linux mini-classes that were very well oversubscribed. He spent the best part of the summer reading up on Linux and converted a bunch of old computers, donated by the college, to the Linux operating system, Debian Sarge! It is the hope to use these computers to start a Saipan Linux Users Group (SLUG) to keep community support alive for the college. Thanks Dave and keep up the great work!


NMC TINIAN KEEPS ISLAND CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL
As part of their recycling project for Service Learning, NMC Tinian students spent their Citizenship Day holiday collecting trash and cans from the Airport road to Kammer Beach. Great job Tinian!


TINIAN HIGH SCHOOL HOLDS COLLEGE FAIR
NMC Tinian was invited to participate in Tinian High School's College Fair on November 20th. There were four groups, in which each had three presentations. Aside from the NMC Tinian Staff, one group's member was Ms. Tee Abraham. Ms. Tee Abraham and one of her students in RH 101, Mr. Michael Aguon, facilitated the Rehabilitation and Human Services programs to Tinian High School students. Special thanks to everyone for participating in this fair!


NMC TINIAN CELEBRATES THANKSGIVING WITH STUDENTS
Last week Wednesday, NMC Staff held a light breakfast for student volunteers. They were appreciated for all their hard work and dedication. Thanks NMC Tinian for recognizing their outstanding services!


“CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS ASIAN STYLE”
The 2006 NMC Christmas Party Planning Committee would like to present “Celebrating Christmas Asian Style” on December 9, 2006 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Fiesta Resort & Spa ~ Hibiscus Hall.

Tickets cost only $18 per person, which includes raffle prizes, games, and delicious Asian cuisine!

Installments are welcomed and tickets can be purchased from any of the following squad members:

Lynnette Castro (Career Center)
Clarice Deleon Guerrero (Student Support Services)
Lorraine Cabrera (ABE/GED)
Joan Dubrall (CDI)
Greg Sablan (Library)
Paul Guerrero (Financial Aid)
James Santos (IT)
Timberly Ngewakl (Finance)

Have a safe and wonderful week NMC!

NMC Weekly Update - November 9th

NEWS FROM THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE






Hafa adai, tirowami and greetings everyone!

Please read the following highlighted articles about our college:



Acting President Appoints Dr Debra Cabrera as Acting Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO)
Dr Debra Cabrera now joins the ranks of the Accreditation Liaison Officers of the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, in her new role as the Acting ALO. In her new responsibility, she is the accreditation spokesperson at our institution and the focal point for most accreditation-related discussions with WASC.

As the accreditation spokesperson, she will:

• Serve as the chief interpreter of WASC Standards of Accreditation and contact point for
  most communications to our institution from WASC.
• Comment on WASC drafts about significant higher education policy issues.
  

As the accreditation coordinator, she will help manage and monitor the development of:

• Proposals to the Substantive Change Committee.
• Responses to any complaints that have been made to WASC about our institution.
• Responses to visiting team and Commission recommendations.
• All aspects of the WASC 2001 Handbook process.

Congratulations Dr Cabrera, in your appointment as the Acting Accreditation Liaison Officer of Northern Marianas College! For more information on the responsibilities of an ALO, please visit the WASC website at http://www.wascsenior.org.



NMC Student Wins Trip to Attend Conference in Manila
Ms. Yanhua (Lucy) Wang, a student at NMC, submitted an essay and won a trip to attend an upcoming investment conference on November 9 and 10 at the Shangri-la Makati. She will discuss her winning paper with the board of the Asia Pacific Association for Fiduciary Studies.

Congratulations and a job well-done to Lucy Yang! We wish you the best at your conference!



Student Services to Host Activities in Honor of International Education Week
The celebration of International Education Week will begin on campus on November 13-16. The following activities will take place for all to enjoy

Monday (November 13) - International Film Day (Student Center)
Tuesday (November 14) – International Music Day (Student Center)
Wednesday (November 15) – International Costume Day (Student Center)
Best Costume Contest – Judging starts at 9:00 a.m. and will end at 2:00 p.m. in the
Counseling Center.
Thursday (November 16) – International Cuisine Day (Room D-1) -An array of dishes created and inspired by cultures from all over the world, will be prepared by our talented local chefs from the hotel industry in Saipan.

International Education Week was first established in the year 2000 under the Clinton administration. From the 13th to the 16th of November, campuses, embassies, and communities are encouraged to hold activities celebrating international education and diversity.

For more information about these events, please contact Sue Satur or Kathy Pohl at ext. 1341.



NMC Administrators Participate in 500 for Freedom Fundraiser
It was indeed an exciting time for the NMC community when staff rambled all over campus to collect donations to bail out the Acting President, Dean of Student Services, Mr. Sam Mcphetres and Ms. Sallie Sablan.

Sam said, “Thanks for helping to make this a very successful fundraiser for a very worthy cause.” The Acting President was released after being confined for almost thirty minutes and also thanked everyone who contributed to his rapid release from imprisonment. He had the joy of meeting others who had been there for much longer than he was confined.

The latest news, however, was that Sallie Sablan became a fugitive of justice when the special police were unsuccessful in apprehending her. Sallie also thanked those who assisted in her bail, as she was able to donate the monies collected to the council’s worthy cause.

Thank you to everyone for coming to their rescue and for supporting the NMI Council for the Humanities!




Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) Conducts Information Session
HPU Representative Joe Salas conducted an information reception for parents and students at the Student Center on October 25, 2006. Mr. Salas provided information about specific programs and scholarships and answered questions about HPU. He also encouraged participants at the session to complete their Associates Degree at NMC and further their educational endeavors with HPU.

For more information about HPU, please contact their Admissions Office toll free at 1-866-225-5478.



Seattle University Visits NMC
Ms. Meri Escadon of Seattle University conducted an information session on October 26, 2006 for parents and students interested in attending the university.

For more information about attending Seattle University, please contact their Admissions Office toll free at 1-800-426-7123 or visit their website at www.seattleu.edu.




NMC Visits High Schools
In an effort to encourage high school students to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to attend NMC, Student Services coordinated visits to Marianas High School, Kagman High School and Southern High School.

Over 400 Juniors and Seniors received useful information from the “Recruitment Team” of NMC. The team consisted of representatives from Counseling, ASNMC, Criminal Justice, Talent Search, Education, Admissions and Records, Financial Aid and English and Humanities. Great job to everyone involved!

A great way to learn more about NMC is to visit our campus. We can arrange a tour of the campus to see wonderful sights like our library, academic facilities/classrooms and get a chance to speak to the other students about their experience of life on campus.

For more information, please contact Susan Satur at ext. 1341.



CREES Makes Presentation at SHRM Conference
Ms. Patricia Coleman, the Acting EFNEP & FSNEP Coordinator for NMC-CREES, shared the importance of keeping our employees healthy in order to have a more effective workforce at the CNMI Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Annual Diversity Conference today.

The Annual Diversity Conference looks at the value of a diverse workforce and what managers can do to maximize the positive affect of these differences in our workers. Being from a multi-national environment, the conference covered topics of many diverse issues within the work workplace as well as the community.



NMC Rota Conducts Workshop for the Construction Industry
The NMC Rota campus is pleased to inform the college community that they had successfully completed a 10 Hours Community Development Institute course entitled “Construction Safety and Health Outreach Training” for the construction industry on Rota. The course was held on October 27-28, 2006.

Participants will be receiving a Certificate of Completion and a course completion card from the U.S Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Topics covered in the course included: Introduction to OSHA; Electrical; Material; Handling; Use and Disposal; Fall Protection; Cranes; Scaffolds; Record Keeping; General Safety and Health Provisions; Tools; Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment; Stairways and Ladders; and Focused Inspection Procedures.



Have a safe and wonderful weekend NMC!