A shortsighted view of the CNMI as an education hub

Office of Insular Affairs economist Wally Osman made comments recently about higher education at the Marianas Roundtable. In his speech to businessmen and government officials, he stated, “Developing the CNMI as an education hub in the region could translate to economic growth for the Commonwealth.” In addition, he stated that “as the demand for American language and business education in East Asia rises, there would be a greater demand for American-style education and training. The market for higher education and instruction in English is quite large, especially in Asia, where 60 percent of the world’s population lives.”

Mr. Osman’s analysis of higher education in the CNMI is shortsighted and does not take into account some important principles for publicly-supported American higher education. Problems are inevitable and will arise if these higher education principles are not adhered to.

Specifically, the higher education principle that needs to be underscored involves qualifications of students wishing to obtain knowledge and credentials from American institutions of higher education that possess bona fide accreditation with agencies accepted by the U.S. Department of Education, e.g., Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Any foreign student who wishes to obtain higher education from an American two-year college like NMC, a California community college, and/or publicly supported university like the University of California, should possess the following criteria in order to meet admission standards considered appropriate and acceptable: Legitimate visa and passport; high school diploma or equivalent in their country; evidence of English Language Proficiency demonstrated by written or computer test scores within an acceptable range on a Test for English as a Foreign Language, TOEFL, or the College English Assessment, EAT, for international students who reside in the U.S. and apply to American colleges and universities; as well as an affidavit of support verifying the financial wherewithal to adequately support themselves while pursuing a specific degree. If a student is lacking in any of these critical areas, then the likelihood for success in terms of admission to the college or university will not be favorable.

Since NMC is an accredited college with WASC certification, then it should adhere to these standards and criteria regarding the admission and attendance of foreign students in the CNMI. Any deviation from established standards would jeopardize the accreditation certification of the college.

The criteria and standards for the admission of foreign students to American colleges and universities are stringent to keep the attrition (dropout rate) from being high and counter-productive to the purpose of higher education. These standards must be adhered to in order for a college/university to maintain accreditation.

Notwithstanding the fact that Pacific Rim countries like China, Korea, Japan and others have large populations of students desiring to pursue and receive academic preparation and training from American institutions of higher education, the sobering fact is that majority of them do not meet all of the necessary academic and financial criteria for admission to successfully pursue and obtain an academic degree in an American university or college.

If majority of foreign students throughout the world were being accepted by American universities and colleges, then the percentage of international student populations would be significantly higher at the 3,500 universities and colleges in the United States. The current estimate regarding qualified foreign students attending American universities is less than 100,000. The reason why this figure is not one million or more is evident.

With a world population of over six billion people and more than three billion comprising the Pacific Rim countries of the Orient, then one would think that there would be substantially more students attending U.S. universities and colleges. The number of academically and financially qualified students in a country is not correlated with the total population. The assumption that the more people, the more students are qualified should never be made.

If the potential for foreign students from the Pacific Rim countries to pursue education in the Marianas was very strong, then the University of Guam and the two other accredited two-year colleges in the Marianas (Northern Marianas College and Guam Community College) would have increased their existing student populations of an annual average of 2,500 students by perhaps ten-fold long ago. Clearly, this has not been the case.

The primary purpose of higher education is not to generate monetary resources, but rather to provide educational preparation and training to individuals desiring to obtain a certificate and/or degree and apply it toward a specific vocation or career aspiration. Promoting entrepreneurial activity should never take precedence over the primary purpose of higher education. Any accredited college like NMC that places emphasis on generating income as opposed to providing educational programs for students is destined to lose credibility and ground with accrediting organizations, as well as students.

The NMC board and administrative leadership made a critical error in 2002 when they approved the Pacific Gateway project. To think that the college could entice foreign students from Pacific Rim countries with a mall as a campus and realize “millions” in the process was a flawed projection that took less than two years to falter.

The failure of the Pacific Gateway project stemmed from the lack of empirical research to substantiate the projection that “thousands” of students from Pacific Rim countries are academically qualified and have the finances to pay for a full load of courses for two years to obtain an associate of arts or sciences degree. Not having the $7.5-million campus ready for occupation with the appropriate number of faculty to handle the influx of students added to that failure.

Educational institutions that are not accredited and are established for the sole purpose of making a profit are considered “for profit” organizations, e.g., Saipan University. These organizations may not require students to have TOEFL scores, a high school diploma or the equivalent, or possess an affidavit demonstrating verifiable evidence of having the financial means to successfully fund their educational pursuits. Since the students go in with a signature to be enrolled, they are at the mercy of these organizations.

Because “for profit” organizations are different from “not for profit” and publicly supported institutions, they should never be placed under the same umbrella with accredited colleges or universities. They have different purposes and standards altogether.

Osman’s projection about the CNMI being an education hub at the Marianas Roundtable is akin to the “pie in the sky” proclamations made by the former NMC president Kenneth Wright and Gov. Juan Babauta in 2002 when the Pacific Gateway project was announced to the island community. Because these projections were based solely on intuition and not verifiable research, then the idea and the proclamation that the project would take off like gangbusters should have never been entertained in the first place.

The island community does not need any more projections about higher education that are not supported by verifiable research to support the likelihood of its success. Basing a projection on the intuition of a strong demand for education from large populations coming from the Pacific Rim countries is not good enough.

Instead, what the island community needs is to begin the careful planning that will provide for a bona fide and accredited four-year college or university located in the CNMI within the next decade or so that will prepare and educate students who wish to obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher and become gainfully employed in the community after the completion of their academic program.

In addition, careful planning should be initiated while the population of the island community grows over the next decade to allow for two-year colleges on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota to be “feeder colleges” for the four-year institution in the CNMI.

Giving students in the CNMI an opportunity to successfully transfer to their “own” four-year college or university and not to another institution of higher education like the University of Guam or University of Hawaii will create a strong sense of identity with where the students received their higher education. There is no reason why there should not be a “University of the Northern Marianas Islands” offering baccalaureate and graduate programs to students wishing to matriculate for academic degrees.

The educational market is comprised of publicly-supported accredited institutions like NMC; privately-owned accredited institutions like the University of Southern California and the University of Phoenix offering distance education programs; and proprietary schools that are not accredited by organizations approved by the U.S. Department of Education like WASC and offer courses like English as a Second Language.

A media columnist described the education industry as “clean.” The only way that the education industry can be clean will be if the organizations comprising the educational marketplace do not cross over into each other’s realm. As soon as crossing over takes place, then it becomes problematic.

If there were several public, private, and proprietary colleges offering programs in the CNMI, then the competition for the students would be ferocious. And since the qualified students wishing academic degrees and/or unqualified students wishing to learn English and other courses at proprietary schools from Pacific Rim countries like China, Japan, and Korea are not flocking to the CNMI in droves, then the chance of “economic enhancement” in the NMI now and in the future is highly unlikely.

All of the aforementioned are vying for students in the educational market. The public and private colleges and universities that are accredited must adhere to specific standards in order to maintain accreditation. As mentioned earlier, the proprietary schools that operate “for profit” purposes do not have to meet the same standards as the accredited schools.

In the CNMI, there is one publicly-supported college (NMC) offering education to the 75,000 residents of the island community. The last proprietary school that tried to offer programs but failed and is now defunct was Saipan University. And since the owner of this organization was convicted by the courts, it raises questions about what the criteria should be for businesses that are offering educational programs to students in the CNMI.

The private sector and the educational sector are different in terms of purpose and function. Thus, the educational sector should not be involved with the same approach organizations wanting to offer educational services and programs for profit. Likewise, the for-profit organizations should never make an attempt to offer or guarantee to students that what they are offering is the same as what is being offered at a bona fide accredited college or university. If problems like the Saipan University and La Fiesta debacles are to be avoided in the future, then it is imperative that these differences be taken seriously.

Dr. Jesus D. Camacho
Delano, California