NMC freezes hiring for 9 positions to sustain operations

The Northern Marianas College has frozen the hiring of nine positions this fiscal year due to the budget shortfall.

This is in addition to the work hour cuts enforced last month to sustain the college’s operation through end of the fiscal year next month. This involves the reduction of eight hours per pay period and will be applied every other Friday.

In a statement yesterday, the college said these efforts are aimed at reducing its operating expenses. NMC said it is also streamlining energy use and had shortened the summer session and other activities for the same purpose.

“The move was made to help ensure that the college’s financial resources are sufficient to support student learning programs and services and to improve institutional effectiveness. The number of positions affected by the hiring freeze is nine,” said the college in a statement to Saipan Tribune yesterday.

NMC’s budget allotment from April through Sept. 30, 2011, had been reduced by $340,000—a drop of 7.58 percent. The original budget of $4.4 million for fiscal year 2011 was cut to $4.1 million. Based on the adjusted allocation, NMC only has $1.8 million left until end of the fiscal year in September.

The NMC website showed no announcements of vacancies yesterday, and earlier announcement for part-time instructors had also been removed.

There are still positions, however, that are funded through federal funds that are exempt from the freeze hiring. “In addition to exceptional and accomplished full-time faculty, the college also anticipates hiring adjunct instructors to teach courses for the upcoming fall 2011 semester,” the statement said.

Despite the hiring freeze, NMC president Sharon Y. Hart and rest of the NMC leadership expressed enthusiasm yesterday for the upcoming fall semester. Hart reassured students and the community that the quality of instruction remains consistently high and that instructional operations continue to run normally.

“The Northern Marianas College is committed to providing a high quality education to its students, and I want to assure everyone in the community that our faculty and staff are working hard to ensure that our classes, student services, and other planned college activities are moving ahead at full speed for the fall semester,” said Hart.

NMC employs about 200 personnel, including instructors, non-instructional faculty, staff, and administrators.