Hart hopes to usher improved relationship with Legislature

By the look and sound of things, Northern Marianas College president Sharon Hart is confident that the college will have an improved working relationship with the Legislature.

Along with other officials from NMC, Hart on Tuesday took part in what she hopes would become a quarterly meeting with both members of the House and Senate in Capitol Hill.

Hart said she is happy to receive assurances from lawmakers that the Legislature will respect NMC’s autonomy.

“I’m hearing a strong sense of unity from the Legislature, understanding that, yes, the institution is autonomous. That, yes, if there are any bills or prior legislation that have been enacted, that maybe they now need to go back on and look at and they’re willing to do that. That’s the message I’m hearing today,” she said during a break in Tuesday’s meeting at the Senate chamber.

What’s also important, Hart said, is that NMC in the future will be more proactive in making its sentiments known to the Legislature if there are proposed bills affecting its operations.

“We’re looking at a much improved relationship. I know one of the things you’ll be hearing this afternoon is that our board will have a stronger role in being able to look at legislation and taking a stance in supporting or not supporting or maybe having no opinion on different bills so that way we can help to educate the Legislature and whether or not some of these, in fact, are those that would really benefit the institution or could harm us,” she said.

Hart also reiterated her desire to tap the local business sector to help NMC, adding that she hopes to extend the college’s hand in partnership with local companies when she serves as the speaker at next week’s Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting.

She said in her past postings she was able to bring in educational programs to help students financially, among them are programs sponsored by John Deere, Caterpillar, and Chrysler.

“These are all programs that are literally 100 percent funded by the business sector,” she said.

Hart added that it is symbiotically beneficial for both NMC and local businesses to forge a relationship because they “know in long run they will be the ones benefiting from our graduates.”

Senate Education Committee chair Sen. Pete Reyes (R-Saipan), meanwhile, praised NMC, especially Hart’s staff, for their impressive presentation Tuesday.

“Dr. Hart inherited a lot of very talented employees and they’re very resourceful. They’re very articulate in the areas of their expertise. I commend NMC for having the staff that are very articulate and very knowledgeable in the areas of concern and their field,” he said.

Aside from the usual nursing and teaching degrees at the college, Reyes said he also hope the institution will produce business management graduates because “we need to have some business majors so they eventually become employers of all these people that get training.”

He also wants NMC to recruit more foreign students. “This is an area that the college can actually play a role in bringing in revenues. Because bringing in foreign students is big business.”

Reyes also wished Hart and the college luck as they move out of probation and toward reclaiming their full accreditation.

“It’s going to take a little time because we see the potential in Dr. Hart to try and get us out of probation and eventually into full accreditation. These are steps that are in the right direction,” he said.