Northern Marianas College president Dr. Carmen Fernandez, along with her staff, faculty and students, shared with neighboring islands the college's challenges and success in its accreditation efforts during a two-day workshop in Guam.
A total of 20 NMC delegates joined representatives from the University of Guam, the College of Micronesia, the Palau Community College, the College of the Marshall Islands and Guam Community College for the training held on Nov. 12 and 13.
The training was organized by the Pacific Post Secondary Education Council and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
The delegates' participation in the event was funded through a grant by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs.
Fernandez led a presentation on NMC's program review experience and discussed the college's efforts to meet accreditation standards in the past two years. She also talked about the accomplishments that NMC had achieved as a result of having to undergo rigorous and intense cycles of program review.
NMC was placed on show-cause status by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in 2008 after failing to address WASC recommendations in previous years. NMC reaffirmed its accreditation only in June this year.
“One of the key benefits of the program review process was that dialogue and communication across the campus community was raised to a new level,” said Fernandez, adding that the workshop provided the college insight and advice on how to further improve and implement the program review process it already has in place.
Fernandez said they were also able to network with other college representatives and learn from their experiences.
Besides presentations from participating colleges, ACCJC president Dr. Barbara Beno and vice president Jack Pond provided delegates pointers about the accreditation process and assessment.
Other speakers included Guam Community College Dr. Mary Okada; Dr. Ray Somera, GCC academic vice president; and Dr. Wilson Hess, president of College of the Marshall Islands.
Other discussions focused on participating institutions' progress in their institutional fact books, lessons and insights from past accreditation visits, and experiences in linking program assessment to planning and budgeting.
According to Fernandez, NMC participants will be meeting with the rest of the campus community in coming weeks to discuss their findings at the workshop as NMC enters its third cycle of program review.
The PPEC, chaired by Fernandez, is composed of chief executive officers and presidents of the region's colleges and universities: American Samoa Community College, the College of Micronesia-FSM, the College of the Marshall Islands, Guam Community College, Palau Community College, the University of Guam, the University of Hawaii Community College System office, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hawaii Community College, Honolulu Community College, and Kapiolani Community College.
Fernandez said the purpose of the council is to encourage and develop regional planning of postsecondary education throughout the Pacific.
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