NMC Rota moves to new location

The school year 1999/2000 has been a fast moving time for Northern Marianas College (NMC) on Rota. The academic offices and classes are now in a new location in Dolores Plaza with the luxury of air-conditioning and carpeted floors in the classrooms. It is a major step forward toward realizing the importance of good facilities for a better learning experience.

Also on the move has been the CNMI Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Service (CREES) on Rota, or what used to be called Land Grant of NMC.

The 4H program under the leadership of Mike Ogo remains strong with 25 students concentrating on after school programs in computer use, introduction to agriculture, leadership training and related activities.

4H is also heavily involved in the youth baseball program on Rota. The 4H program is temporarily located in the Dolores Plaza until renovations are completed at the CREES 4H/EFNEP Building.

Family and Consumer Sciences, led by Evelyn Mendiola and Eleanor Taitano, are active in the areas of family health and nutrition. Programs have been conducted in food preservation, food safety, nutrition education and parenting skills throughout the community.
The EFNEP Office is now situated in the main CREES building near the old NMC-Rota site.

The area of biggest development has been in the Agriculture Research and Extension Program. In July of 1999, a new research and extension agent, Jim Currie, was hired to fill the position vacated by Hardy Richard.

Since that time, one more agent, Alejardo Badilles, and four student trainees have been hired. The focus of the program is to bring science-based agricultural knowledge to the farmers of Rota. Through close collaboration with the Department of Lands and Natural Resources (DLNR) in Rota, the following programs have been started:

Integrated Pest Management Project – under which staff members of DLNR and NMC are trained to monitor and control the insect pest affecting the farm crops on Rota.

Pineapple Project – through which over 5000 pineapple crowns from Hawaii were distributed to Rota farmers.

Vegetable Variety Trials – working with local farmers to identify the best varieties of popular vegetables for planting and marketing on Rota.

Livestock Improvement Program (Artificial Insemination Project) – has trained DLNR and NMC staff members to artificially breed local sows using frozen semen imported from top quality boars on the mainland.

Aquaculture Project- possibly the showcase of what cooperation between DLNR and NMC can accomplish is the new fish hatchery near the proposed future NMC – Rota site. This will become the center for Tilapia breeding and distribution to Rota fish farmers and possibly Micronesia. Plans are being developed to create a demonstration ‘aquaponics’ system using the fish wastes and other practices to improve the profitability of aquaculture.

Farm Safety project – provides educational awareness to Rota farmers of the hazards and dangers to which they are exposed with farming.

Recently, the CNMI-CREES opened its new Rota facility during a ceremony attended by about 50 farmers, government officials and NMC staff members from Saipan. The official ribbon cutting ceremony was performed by Dr. Malin Van der Veen, director of CNMI-CREES; Tim Bruce, representing the Mayor Benjamin Manglona; Eusebio Hocog, RD-Rota DLNR;, Jim Currie, CREES coordinator-Rota; and Severina A. Ogo, NMC-Rota administrator.