Sablan is new NMC president

The Northern Marianas College Board of Regents yesterday named Jack M. Sablan as the new president for the Commonwealth’s only higher-learning institution, after holding the position in acting capacity during the last several months.
Mr. Sablan was picked by the BOR-created presidential selection committee after months of close review and stringent scrutiny of 20 other individuals who were competing for the post vacated by former NMC president Agnes McPhetres.
Ms. McPhetres stepped down after holding the post since the early 1980s, when the College was established. Her resignation became controversial because it happened in the midst of mounting clamor from several members of the Legislature for a change in leadership in the College.
NMC has been on a shaky financial condition over the past years due to what college officials claimed failure of legislators to pump in millions of dollars into the school coffers as provided in the law.
Mr. Sablan, who briefly spoke with reporters after he was named to the NMC presidency, said he would diligently work to boost the morale of the educational institution’s staff and faculty in light of the ongoing government-wide cost-cutting measures.
He vowed to continue with the implementation of existing programs as well as identify other ways to improve the delivery of quality education in the Northern Marianas.
“I will have my eyes on helping make NMC a school of better learning opportunities the as high as the quality of education offered by other off-island colleges. NMC is the only institution for higher learning in the Commonwealth,” Mr. Sablan said.
According to the presidential selection committee, the new NMC president satisfied the set of criteria listed by the body before applications were reviewed and scrutinized.
The committee trimmed down the 21 applicants for the NMC presidential seat to six, then eventually three who were subjected to intensive interview from where Mr. Sablan emerged number one.
Some of the criteria used in the committee in the selection of the new NMC president were the applicant’s degree of commitment, clarity of direction, educational background, and compatibility to indigenous cultures.
The selection committee also took into consideration the financial condition of the college, which is getting a modest $6.8 million in total appropriation for the Fiscal Year 2000.
Mr. Sablan has expressed confidence that the College could operate well within the boundaries of its budget allocation although some programs may be streamlined primarily because of the reduction.
The House of Representatives has appropriated $6.867 million in total FY-2000 budget for the NMC. More than $6.6 million of this amount has been allocated for personnel costs while only $250,000 was set aside for operations.
Under the FY-2000 budget of the College, the institution has a total of 134 full-time employees ceiling.
Previously, the Office of Management and Budget slashed NMC’s budget request for FY-2001 by $1.5 million. The OMB has given the college a $6.8 million budget ceiling for general operations.
Since last year, NMC has been confronted with problems of paying its more than 100 employees whose combined salaries cost the cash-strapped government some $300,000 every pay period.