Previous Story
Search for NMC’s new president continues
The Northern Marianas College has ratcheted up its search for a new president and expects it will already have one by the first quarter of 2021.
Charles Cepeda, NMC’s board of regents chairperson and the one leading the search committee, said that many people have applied for the position and multiple applications have been submitted through the email address provided when NMC announced the job vacancy last November 2020.
In a separate interview with NMC’s interim president Frankie Eliptico, he said that the search was prompted soon after he declined the job. He confirmed that the college broadcasted the job offer both locally and internationally, which means they will be accepting applicants from on-island and off-island, whoever is qualified for the job.
The people who are in the presidential search committee are Cepeda, regent Elaine Hocog Orilla, regent Irene T. Torres, regent Jesse M. Tudela, Associated Students of NMC president Maia Pangelinan, Faculty Senate president Dr. Laura Taylor, Staff Senate president Geraldine Rodgers, and administrator representative Maria Aguon.
Cepeda said that these eight people are in charge of the questions that the committee will ask during the interview with applicants, the criteria for the qualifications, and what they think of each individual that applies.
Next, the committee would recommend to the Board of Regents their Top 3 choices. Then the BOR would go through their own second interview, and then the BOR would select the likely candidate.
The last day to submit applications is Dec. 21, which gives applicants, off-island and on-island, ample time to submit their applications, Cepeda said.
Because it will take another month for the initial interview, then the BOR will go through its own process with the second interview, Cepeda said that NMC can expect a new president by the first quarter of 2021.
Applicants who are interested can check NMC’s home page, marianas.edu, for more information.
The last NMC president was a previous president. Dr. Carmen Fernandez, who was rehired in October 2016 but resigned in August 2018. Before her, Dr. Sharon Hart was with the college for nearly five years. She resigned in June 2016.
