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Customs’ Mafnas lets go of SHEFA board post
Outgoing SHEFA board member Joe Mafnas, who was nominated in 2010 to the Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance Program board of directors, received a plaque of appreciation from Saipan Mayor David Apatang yesterday during a brief meeting at the mayor’s conference room.
“It was a tough decision to leave the board of SHEFA because of [other work responsibilities] but I am confident that the board will continue to serve students,” said Mafnas, who is the Division of Customs director.
SHEFA board chair Oscar M. Babauta said they will adopt Mafnas’ recommendation from the last meetings to increase the scholarship awards but the agenda has been tabled for discussion on Monday.
Mafnas is also a former SHEFA chairman.
Presently, eligible applicants can receive a $3,700 scholarship award made up of a $1,000 bonus for a priority field of study and a $1,200 grant-in-aid.
Off-island students who study off-island receive $1,500.
Board members also said that transitioning scholarship recipients after college graduation into the CNMI workforce is among the issues they will tackle.
