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Babauta steps down as NMC Foundation president
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Posted on Jan 25 2012
By Moneth Deposa
Reporter
Reporter
The longtime president of the Northern Marianas College Foundation, Ben Babauta, has stepped down effective Dec. 31 last year.
He told Saipan Tribune yesterday that his departure was due to personal reasons, citing the need to concentrate on his other work and to spend more time with his family.
Babauta’s successor has yet to be named as of yesterday.
Besides being the foundation’s top official, Babauta is also the assistant general manager of DFS Galleria and owner and operator of Instant Massive Bingo, which operates every weekend on island.
Babauta became the foundation’s president in 2005. He credited his successful years of service at the foundation to the commitment and dedication of members and volunteers.
The NMC Board of Regents created the NMC Foundation in 1999 for the purpose of acquiring, managing, and disbursing funds from alternative sources to support the advancement of the institution’s educational programs and services. The foundation is a non-profit organization composed of community volunteers, primarily from the business sector.
According to Babauta, since he left last month the foundation has a little over $4 million, of which some portions are invested in the international market to generate earnings.
Babauta cited the significant growth in the foundation’s educational tax credit donations, or ETC, among his accomplishments. ETCs are funds received from businesses as a form of assistance to the college.
Babauta also cited the construction of NMC’s Building M and the donations they obtained to build the English laboratory among the foundation’s major achievements.
As he leaves the post, Babauta has only one wish-for the foundation to keep growing so it could better assist the college with its many needs. He also hopes that it will maintain its scholarship programs for deserving students.
