McPhetres offers to step aside

Amid mounting calls for her resignation because of allegations of mismanagement of the Northern Marianas College, Agnes McPhetres has informed faculty members that she is retiring as president of the island’s only higher learning institution in December.

The news of her retirement came as a surprise to the college even if she had expressed her intentions to retire to members of the Board of Regents late last year.

Sources from NMC who spoke on condition of anonymity said McPhetres informed the faculty Tuesday that she wrote to the Board explaining her plans to step down as president, a position she has held since the inception of the college in 1981.

“She called the meeting to discuss the reorganization and it was a surprise for us to hear that from the president,” one program director said.

Another faculty member said, “It’s sad because she has done a lot for the college.”

“That will get her off the hook. It’s no longer her problem now,” said one NMC official, referring to an oversight hearing called by the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare which is looking into the alleged mismanagement of the college.

However, both McPhetres and Board chairman Manuel Sablan are mum about the pending retirement.

“It’s better that chairman Sablan will be the one who will talk about it,” she told Saipan Tribune.

Sablan did not deny nor confirm that he received her letter, saying “she has expressed interest to retire.”

According to Sablan, a special board meeting has been scheduled for Monday to discuss the new organizational structure of the college as well as issues concerning McPhetres.

“I want to be objective on this and the final decision should come from the board,” he said.

According to sources, McPhetres elected to disclose her intention to retire several months before it takes effect to give the board ample time to look for a replacement.

In her letter, she reportedly listed the many things she would do for NMC in preparation for the accreditation visit.

However, McPhetres told the faculty members present in the meeting that she has accumulated leave credits good for three months. If the Board will act on her retirement, she will be gone by August.

Since the Committee on Health, Education and Welfare took interest over NMC’s financial affairs, the attention and pressure were so much on its president.

Last December, the talks were ripe about her retirement. She later told reporters that there was an original intention but she withdrew it.

“We mutually agreed that it is for the best of the college at this time that we continue to move on,” she said previously.

Since the oversight hearing started early this year, McPhetres took the blame for the NMC mess.

In a letter, Board vice-chairman Ramon Villagomez described the on-going oversight hearing as Rep. Heinz Hofschneider’s personal vendetta against McPhetres.

However, Sablan was also inquiring about the legal implications if the Board decides to give ungraded positions with 90-day notices. The president’s office falls under the ungraded positions at the college.

But still, NMC employees believed that McPhetres can survive this battle. “She’s a very strong lady,” a faculty said.