Q & A NMC’s Iron Lady

After 16 years of serving as president of Northern Marianas College, Agnes Manglona McPhetres will step down next month, leaving the institution she helped established in 1981.

Unfortunately, her last two years in the College was marred with so much controversies, from alleged mismanagement of funds to failure to implement policies –– accusations leveled by the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare which became the focus of an intense oversight hearing.

While saying she never expected any recognition for what she has done for NMC, McPhetres said she also did not expect to be treated like a criminal during the investigation she described more as a trial.

Deeply hurt by all the accusations, she said she is taking a much deserved vacation to revive her spirit.

Saipan Tribune Reporter Lindablue F. Romero talked to the outgoing NMC president about her future plans, her thoughts and her dreams.

Question: How do you feel now that you are leaving NMC after all the years that you’ve been with this institution?

Answer: I feel very good and at the same time I feel very sad. I feel good because I know I am leaving the institution in good hands. We have good board members and trained personnel here in the College who can continue what we have started.

I have no plans of staying in the College forever but I feel that I should only go out when the institution is ready. I was about to go out last year but I was afraid that the College might lose its accreditation because there was just too much turmoil that’s why I stayed for another year even if I knew that there were people who were against me.

It was a very difficult decision for me to do because I had given my life for this College. A year ago, I had to convince myself — my heart and my mind — that it was time for me to go. I had given my marriage for this College. I had deprived my time to my kids

Q: You’ve become the center of controversy the past months especially during the investigation conducted by the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare, what can you say about the oversight hearing?

A: They were very unfair accusations. I was portrayed an evil person, a person who misused power and public funds. I cannot understand how they have done that to me, accusing me of wrongdoing. I have been accused of mismanagement, of spending more than what was given to us.

Some people do not know that I always consult the governor in my decisions. I felt like a woman being raped during the investigation. It was not an investigation. I was put on trial. I’ve been through at lot of things but I felt it was one of the most difficult times in my life.

It hurt to the guts. I am a fighter and I will fight to the end. If I believe that this is what the people in the CNMI need, I will do anything to get it for them. And by trying to get more money for the College, they viewed it as mismanagement of funds. I just happened to have a different management style.

Q: What are the things that you believe you have accomplished for the College?

A: The fact that we started from scratch is an achievement in itself. This idea of higher education, having a community college came from the first governor who formed a task force, which eventually suggested that there is a need to establish one. But that’s not enough. There was a need to make that dream come true. We had to look for a facility to house this institution and work with the legislature to draft a law establishing the College.

We negotiated with the Trust Territory to turnover this building to us so we can have classrooms. We had to look for funding, which proved to be the most difficult thing to do. I worked very closely with the federal government to get the money that we needed.

Many of the elected leaders feel that this College is a luxury — something which the CNMI cannot afford. Inspite of that, I worked with the Legislature, governors, to get assistance in acquiring the basic needs such as desk and chairs.

We did everything to raise money such as organizing a walkathon to be able to buy paints as faculty members even volunteered to paint the building. I must have signed the most number of Memorandum of Agreement in the CNMI more than anybody else just to get the needed chairs and desk because we did not have any money. That’s why I feel very strongly about the College. This was not built on flimsy ground but on solid and dedicated foundation.

Q: Do you think your detractors failed to understand the real Agnes McPhetres?

A: Probably. I think it was a problem of personality because I don’t easily give up. Many men still believe that women should stay home and not be assertive. I am not this traditional type of person. I also believe I was caught in differences in opinion. There are people who do not like my personality because I do not give up easily. I will bend things to get some work done here at the College. Since there’s a change in leadership in the CNMI government every four years, some people believe that the College should be part of this political change — that the president of the College should be changed too. Apparently, they do not know how to make a distinction.

Q: What are your plans after your retirement as College President? Is there life after NMC?

A: I have been hurt tremendously and I need to cure that hurt so that my spirit will continue to live. And then after a vacation, I will make a decision on whether I want to finish my Ph.D., stay in the CNMI or run for politics.

I personally feel that there is so much to be done here in the Commonwealth, that there’s a lot of opportunities for people that have not been provided. With the training and education that I have, I am committed to share this to the people.