Nursing program needs $1M additional funds

Northern Marianas College is asking nearly $1 million from the Babauta administration for the expansion of its nursing program, which could accommodate only 20 new students at the start of the Fall semester.

College president Antonio V. Deleon Guerrero said an additional funding of $984,845 would allow the nursing program to increase its enrollment and recruit international students into the program.

According to NMC’s proposal, $439,400 of the requested amount will go the hiring of five new instructors, which would allow the School of Nursing to accept 50 additional students.

The nursing school has a policy of limiting each class to 10 students per instructor.

NMC has set the maximum salary for each instructor at $45,000 yearly, projecting to spend $25,000 for the recruitment and relocation of the five new teachers and $66,375 for their combined benefits.

Further, the college wants to hire a new administrative manager for the nursing school for a maximum salary of $25,000 and total benefits of $7,375. The remaining $90,650 will be reserved for adjunct and overload costs.

A separate $326,000 will be spent on the construction and renovation of the School of Nursing facilities while $149,445 will be used to purchase new office equipment and supplies.

The remaining funds will be used for advertising and recruitment, administrative travel and per diem, and other expenses.

Currently, the nursing school has only five instructors—three handling the 26 students in the first year class and the other two teaching the 16 students in the second year class.

The graduation of the second year students in the summer will free up two instructors. These two will be assigned to teach the incoming students.

“The college has been working with [the California-based nursing facility] Pleasant Care led by Ms. Sedy Demesa to recruit international students into the program,” Deleon Guerrero said. “As we are planning toward having the first group of international students to enter the program in Fall 2005, the hiring of necessary faculty and commencement of the construction of the facilities deemed necessary needs to begin immediately.”

Deleon Guerrero cited the Compact Impact grants as a possible funding source for what he described as a “potentially lucrative” program.