More NMI students flocking to UoG

The number of students from the CNMI attending the University of Guam continues to increase.

For the 2008-2009 school year, 107 students identifying themselves as Chamorros from the CNMI have enrolled at UoG. In fall 2007, 103 students were enrolled and in fall 2006, 73 students were enrolled. The school’s overall enrollment this year, 3,387, is the highest the university has had in eight years.

Cathleen Moore-Linn, director of Integrated Marketing Communication for the university, said one of UoG’s recruitment objectives for the school year is to recruit more Pacific Island students, including CNMI residents.

“Our team is meeting next week to determine the scope of this project and develop a schedule,” she said.

However, she said the step up in recruitment to the CNMI has nothing to do with the current status of the Northern Marianas College. NMC is currently on “show cause” status and could lose its accreditation in January.

Officials from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges’ Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges will be on island this week to review the college’s implementation of the accrediting agency’s recommendations. Under the show cause status, NMC was required to develop a closure plan, which would help ease student transfers. NMC has partial credit articulation with the University of Guam.

Moore-Linn said UoG’s enrollment growth of students from the CNMI has more to do with the university’s efforts and less to do with NMC’s accreditation status.

“Our enrollment growth has more to do with our strong brand rather than NMC accreditation issues,” she said. “[The] numbers of students from the CNMI have increased over the last few years, but we have seen growth in the number of Guam private school graduates who attend UOG, and many other areas.”

Over the past few years, Julie Ulloa-Heath, dean of Enrollment Management and Student Services, has made numerous recruitment trips to the CNMI, Moore-Linn said.

“She visited Rota, where she is originally from, several times as well as Saipan and Tinian,” she said. “A small recruitment team from UOG including Ulloa-Heath, our registrar and members of our financial aid office make recruitment trips to the CNMI at least once a year.”

The recruitment team discusses information on financial aid, steps to registration, majors and other information, Moore-Linn said. An Army ROTC officer from the University of Guam traveled to Grace Christian Academy in October to discuss the program and the University with students.