NMC opens school year with increased enrollment

Northern Marianas College students gather for lunch at the newly remodeled student cafeteria during the first day of class. The college enrolled about 1,200 students this fall 2017 semester. (VICTORIA DELEON GUERRERO/NMC)

Northern Marianas College started the fall 2017 semester by welcoming about 1,200 students to campus.

According to the college, the number of full-time equivalent students who have enrolled for the fall 2017 semester is 1,168 as of Aug. 21, 2017. This is an increase of more than 6 percent over the same period last year. This figure is expected to rise even more since many students are still registering this week.

“The college continues to post strong enrollment numbers as more and more students are looking to NMC for their educational and professional goals,” said Northern Marianas College president Dr. Carmen Fernandez.

Full-Time Equivalency, more commonly known as FTE, is calculated by taking the total number of credits students have registered for and dividing that figure by 12 (the minimum number needed to be a full-time student).

“Our team at NMC has been working hard these past few months to prepare the campus for the opening of the school year,” said Fernandez. “They have a lot to look forward to, including new renovations that include classroom enhancements and the newly remodeled student cafeteria.”

Fernandez also stated that many students who are enrolled this semester are government and private sector employees that are part of the Prior Learning Assessment Program, which awards college credit for demonstrable college-level learning obtained outside the traditional classroom setting.

“We are extremely thankful to Gov. [Ralph DLG] Torres and the CNMI Scholarship Office for their support of the PLA program,” Fernandez added. “Mayor [Efraim] Atalig from Rota and Mayor [Joseph Patrick] San Nicolas from Tinian have also been supportive of NMC’s programs on their islands.”

To help welcome students to the new school year, the Associated Students of NMC—the student government body—has planned a weeklong of activities that include a block party, a college fair, a coffee connection social, and other events.

“We want to engage the students as much as we can by hosting many activities throughout the school year,” said Kenneth Gabrido, ASNMC student president.

In addition to the students enrolled in credit programs, the college also has numerous noncredit and extension programs that serve thousands of individuals every year. These programs include NMC’s Cooperative Research Extension and Education Services, the Community Development Institute, the Adult Basic Education Program, and other certificate programs to better serve the community. (NMC)