Faced with scant local government support, the Northern Marianas College is diligently pursuing additional funds and resources, with several applications for federal grants filed this month and last.<\/p>\n
At a Board of Regents meeting last week, NMC president Dr. Sharon Y. Hart commended faculty and staff for the hours they put in applying for grants amidst deadlines between the end of June and the first of July.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had three significant grants that had to go in. We had different individuals leading the different grants and faculty coming in. It was a major, major endeavor,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n
According to Amanda Allen, NMC\u2019S distance learning coordinator and accreditation liaison officer, the grant that looks \u201cmost promising\u201d is from the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s GEAR UP program.<\/p>\n
The GEAR UP program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter college by providing states six-year grants to assist financially challenged high schools in preparing students for college, including grants for colleges to provide low-income students with scholarships, according to the USDOE website.<\/p>\n
If the grant is approved, NMC would receive $1.8 million, Allen said.<\/p>\n
Another grant that NMC applied for is the First in the World Program. According to the USDOE, grants are competitive and are awarded to innovative higher education institutions dedicated to increasing college access, affordability, and completion for underrepresented and low-income students.<\/p>\n
Allen noted the college would get about $4 million if the grant is awarded them.<\/p>\n
Hart said the college continues to work hard for additional funds and resources despite its many challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are trying to be very proactive out there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
One challenge is that some programs made eligible for other U.S. territories and districts like Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. are not made eligible for the Commonwealth, she said.<\/p>\n
Hart said she has been \u201cextremely vocal\u201d about this exclusion in meetings with USDOE officials.<\/p>\n
One program that NMC is ineligible for is the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe in the Pacific are not eligible for the TAACCT grant,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n
She noted that Hawaii institutions received a total of $28 million from the program, making them the No. 1 recipient of the grant in the last three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd here we sit and we can\u2019t even apply,\u201d Hart said, adding that the college continues to raise this issue with UDOE officials.<\/p>\n
Hart thanked her staff for their hard work in applying for the grants.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had conference calls at 4:00 in the morning so we could be involved in these conversations and get these grants out right,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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