NMC tweaks rehabilitation, human services program

The Northern Marianas College Rehabilitation and Human Services Program, currently under development, held a second focus group meeting at Hyatt Regency Hotel on April 27, 2006.

The purpose of the meeting was to provide an overview of the new program to new members and to provide a progress report on status of approved program activities as scheduled in the approved Work Plan. The meeting was coordinated by administrative assistant Angel Hart and facilitated by RHS project director Tee Abraham.

The meeting agenda also included the program requirement to establish a Program Advisory Council as well as its roles and functions and relations to the program staff.

The Focus Group discussed the competency areas the program curricula should address to ensure that students are not just academically prepared but also have some training and experience to develop the “desirable skills” that employers look.

The Focus Group reviewed the proposed major components that the program curricula should cover and these are:

– Foundation in the arts and sciences;

– Behavioral sciences, emphasizing lifespan development and psychological functions;

– Rehabilitation courses;

– Electives designed to respond to a student’s interest in rehabilitation and human services; and

– Field Learning/Work Experiences that permit the students to apply classroom theories and develop their skills under supervision in professional practice settings.

The Focus Group also recommended that the AA graduates from the program should possess compentencies in interpersonal skills, working in a team setting, familiarity with various disability laws, informed about the medical aspects of disabilities and have good oral and writing skills in English.

In 2005, NMC applied for and received a five-year competitive grant, amounting to $225,000 per annum, from the U.S. Office of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.

The funds would be used to support the planning, development, and implementation of an associate degree program in Rehabilitation & Human Services program.

The program is being designed to prepare successful graduates for entry level positions and to continue their studies for a bachelor and higher degrees in Rehabilitation, Human Services, Social Work, etc., with four-year U.S. colleges and universities, if interested.

The program will award an annual stipend of $2,500 to each student accepted into a Cohort (10 students per year, stipend limited to two years).

Although admission into the program is open, financial assistance is restricted to qualifying students from minority and underserved populations. Minority and underserved populations are defined in the federal program regulations as: Asian and Pacific Islandes, Hispanic, Native Americans, and African Americans.

For more information about the RHS program under development, contact Abraham at 234-5498 Ext. 1028. (PR)