WASC: Lawmakers should spare NMC from ‘politics’

In a letter to the Board of Regents, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges implicitly tells local lawmakers to keep the Northern Marianas College out of politics.

House Health and Education Committee chair Rep. Ralph Torres disclosed yesterday that WASC chair Dr. Barbara Beno had written to board chair Charles Cepeda to emphasize that only the board has the duty to evaluate the college president.

“In this letter, it clearly states that the board of regents has the fiduciary duty to evaluate the chief administrator of the college and all concerns pertaining to this issue should be directed to the regents,” Torres told Saipan Tribune.

The lawmaker said this is the same reason why they have kept mum on the allegations raised against NMC president Dr. Carmen Fernandez, who has been criticized because of her management style and practices.

“We’re not intervening in their day-to-day operation…but rather just requesting an update on their progress,” Torres said, adding that before the final submission of the report on April 1, the House committee has required NMC officials to submit a weekly report on its accreditation updates.

“We want to know how they are taking care and addressing the issues on recommendations 1 and 2,” he said.

The lawmaker also disclosed that WASC doesn’t want to see any meddling in the college’s operations.

“WASC stated also in the letter that any influence or involvement in itself is a violation of the WASC accreditation. The commission emphasized that the regents have their own responsibility on the chief administrator…and not the lawmakers,” he said.

“Standard 4B1 states that the governing board had the highest and clearly defined policy for selecting and evaluating the chief administrator for the college who is the president…and once the board reaches a decision, it acts as a whole, it advocates for and in defense of the institution if undue influence and pressure [are present],” Torres quoted a portion of Beno’s letter yesterday.

The lawmaker said the letter’s contents will be shared with fellow lawmakers.

“Basically, it tells the Legislature that ‘this is not your responsibility…and leaves politics out of this…” Torres explained, adding that his committee is now directly contacting the board about NMC accreditation and other issues.

Last month, some faculty members expressed dissatisfaction with Fernandez’s performance as chief executive officer. They cited issues of “improper termination,” “illegal hiring,” and “retaliation” against employees—allegations that the president has repeatedly denied.

The list of former NMC employees who were tagged as “improperly terminated or forced to resign” was then disclosed to the media.

However, the education committee chairman admitted that they have limited authority to inquire on this issues.