Regents vote for 1-year renewal of Hart’s contract

The Northern Marianas College Board of Regents voted in open session last month for a one-year contract renewal for college president Dr. Sharon Hart, multiple board members confirmed with Saipan Tribune.

The board’s decision on Hart’s contract has remained unclear for almost a month as the college and the board chair has provided no concrete details on the contract when asked. On Monday, NMC board chair Juan T. Lizama said, “there was no vote to finalize the contract” during meeting in June.

Board regent Frank Rabauliman told Saipan Tribune in that meeting the Board of Regents adopted in open session a one-year contract for Hart.

He said details were discussed in executive session and referenced and adopted upon return to open sessions.

He said contract remains pending for execution but its “content” was already decided by the board.

Board regent Elizabeth Rechebei separately confirmed this.

“Yes, the board voted in open session (votes not allowed in executive session) on the one year contract extension with a vote of 4 to 1,” she said in an email.

“I was there,” she added.

Sought for comment at her NMC office, Hart disclosed she had not seen the contract yet and had not signed it. She said details were being tweaked and “close” to being finalized.

The average tenure for a college president at a college is four years. Hart has had her contract renewed twice already, each for two-year terms.

Hart said even if she was at the college for one or two years more “there has already been stable leadership.”

She said one thing that she wanted in place before she would ever choose to transition from the college’s stability. She said she feels she has really worked hard to ensure this.

“I went on record back about a month ago to say that my goal would be to not be here more than—truthfully one or two more years—so the board knows that, the board knows what I have wanted to accomplish for the Northern Marianas College.”

“The first thing I wanted to do which is what I feel is what I have done is to position this institution to be in this top form and to prepared to be continuing on with our accreditation under WASC Senior” commission.

“If anything, I believe this institution is at the top it has been in many, many years,” she said. The college in recent years was under “show-cause” status for their accreditation.

Hart said she was open to working with the board and college to ensure a “perfect transition.”

“I hope the community will respect all of that,” she said.