Alumni president criticizes NMC’s hiring decisions

The president of the Northern Marianas College Alumni Association, Jesse Torres, filed yesterday a complaint against the institution’s management over what he described as the “disappointing” hiring practices of the college.

In a one-page document sent to NMC HR, Torres disclosed that, despite passing eligibility requirements, he was rejected for a position he had applied for.

“I was told by [Teresa Sablan of] HR that I was a certified applicant for the Business Department chair position. I later received an e-mail stating that I was unqualified,” he said in his complaint letter. Saipan Tribune learned that Torres had also applied for a position at the Office of Institutional Advancement, which he also failed to get.

NMC president Dr. Carmen Fernandez said yesterday she has not heard of the complaint yet.

“Other than what we have heard from the media, we have not received any written complaint,” Fernandez said.

Nonetheless, she said it is not the college policy to publicly comment on specific complaints. “…And I want to emphasize there is a grievance process that has been put in place by the Board of Regents for this purpose,” she said.

NMC has been searching for a business department chairman since Eric Plinske left the position last year. Larry Lee, the newly elected Senate faculty president, is currently the acting chairman.

“There were three total applicants that met the requirements to begin the interview process. The position was closed and interviews were supposed to take place. The position was later re-opened by the president,” Torres said.

He said it is useless to form interview committees if their recommendations are not recognized by the college president.

“The president currently can ignore the recommendations of interview committees. What is the point of having interview committees if the president can simply ignore their recommendations and not hire the most qualified for the position? It is a waste of the applicant’s time and it is a waste of personnel time. The college is selling itself short by not hiring the best applicant for the job,” he added.

As president of the NMC Alumni Association, he said he is disappointed with what NMC currently practices. He plans to request an investigation into the hiring practices of the college.

“Currently, HR is not hiring the most qualified applicants for certain positions. The college would be more effective if the most qualified were hired. It is my duty to look after the best interests of the college,” he added.

Fernandez said there are personnel processes and procedures in place to ensure that the college conducts its employee recruitment process in an open and competitive manner and consistent with the Board of Regents policy.

“Our HR office staff members are more than willing to sit with him or anyone else to explain our HRO procedures,” Fernandez added.

Early this month, the Board of Regents approved a four-year contract for Fernandez.

As of April, four department chairpersons have filed grievances relating to the same “hiring practices” at the college. All these complaints are still at the lower level and have yet to reach Fernandez’s desk.