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NMC planning accelerated cohort program
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Posted on Mar 20 2006
Despite the slashed funding for the only community college in the CNMI, the Northern Marianas College remains upbeat over its chances of enlisting more students to its Natural Resources Management degree program.
According to NMC president Tony V. Deleon Guerrero, a plan is being developed to offer an accelerated degree format through the Community Development Institute, targeting the staff of various environmental agencies such as the Division of Environmental Quality, Coastal Resources Management, Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Department of Public Works, and Division of Fish and Wildlife, among others.
“Courses would be taught on site at the agencies that have proper classroom or lab facilities,” said Guerrero.
He said the program will run for two years; funding to support the program will come from the NMC-CREES program through a Caripac grant that would fund “resident instructor” costs.
The Agricultural Development in the American Pacific grant will also be tapped to assist with the tuition and fees of students that enter and declare their major as NRM.
Deleon Guerrero said the proposed program format will also allow qualified local students to receive additional financial assistance from Pell, EAP, and SHEFA and other scholarship programs.
He said the proposed course schedule and other logistics are currently being finalized so that the proposal could be presented to the directors of the various environmental agencies to garner their support and promote the opportunity to the management and staff.
“If sufficient demand exists and if the logistics can be completed before May 2006, the plan is to implement the cohort program by the Summer 2006 semester so that the students would be graduating from the program in May 2008,” Deleon Guerrero said.
