NMC on continued probation

The accreditation status of the Northern Marianas College remains on probation, according to college officials in a news briefing held yesterday at the campus.

NMC president Sharon Y. Hart told the media that she learned of this decision only yesterday in a letter from Dr. Barbara A. Beno, president of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, dated Feb. 1, 2011. In that letter, Beno directed the college to resolve three remaining concerns from the original 11 that were identified last year plus two new ones.

Beno emphasized that NMC’s accredited status will continue during this probation period.

Probation is imposed when the commission finds that an institution deviates significantly from the commission’s eligibility requirements, accreditation standards, or policies or fails to respond to conditions imposed upon it by the commission.

Beno explained in the letter that the probation status imposed on NMC is being continued because of deficiencies identified in the team report of 2010. At that time, NMC was on show cause status.

In June 2011, the college was placed on probation, with 11 concerns that NMC was ordered to resolve. Of these 11 concerns, eight have already been addressed while three remain unresolved and two new ones were added.

NMC has until October 2012 to fully address all these concerns. It will be required to submit a comprehensive evaluation report that same month. Beno said the comprehensive evaluation report must provide substantial evidence that the college has fully addressed all deficiencies or the commission may terminate NMC’s accreditation.

First among the commission’s concerns is for the college to integrate financial planning with institutional planning and ensure that it has enough funds to run effectively.

Hart said yesterday that NMC has been working on this and she vowed that the college will continue to work hard and communicate this matter to the Legislature, which allocates the budget for the college. NMC has two sources of funds: budget from local government and tuition and fees.

Another commission recommendation is for the college to assure the responsible use of its funds and ensure that the financial management team has control mechanisms and shares information for sound financial decision-making.

To address this, Hart vowed to focus on the audit findings for NMC in previous fiscal years. “This is something that we have been doing continuously, but the commission wants to see that we move along appropriately,” she said.

The third recommendation is for the Board of Regents to undergo training on the proper role and conduct of regents and adhere to its role in establishing policy and strategic-level decision-making.

According to board chair Juan T. Lizama, prior to the commission’s decision, the board has been committed to obtaining the necessary on- and off-island trainings for its members. In fact, he cited the numerous workshops that the members have attended with the use of ARRA funds. He said the board will continue in this direction.

Two new concerns

Besides the three recommendations from the original deficiency list, NMC was also ordered to resolve two new concerns that the commission noted during the team’s visit in the latter part of last year.

The first supplemental recommendation cites the need for NMC to hire a permanent chief financial and administrative officer. ACCJC cited the discovery of unknown funds at NMC that point to a weakness in the college’s financial management system.

Hart said this is one error in the NMC report to the commission that was later corrected after closing the financial books for fiscal year 2011.

NMC recently eliminated the CFAO position and created a dean of Administration who will handle several offices, including the finance and budget offices. Hart said the new dean of Administration, David Attao, will look into the matter and assess if there’s a need to “bring back” the CFAO post.

Hart said the creation of a new management team will help NMC fully address this recommendation-an important group that has not been formed prior to her leadership.

The second supplemental recommendation relates to the need to implement or create a process for the review of all college policies to ensure the participation of all constituents.

To address this, Hart said that NMC has already developed a comprehensive five-year calendar for policy review that will be introduced at the next board meeting for approval.

Disappointed

Hart, Lizama, and other college officials immediately shared yesterday the commission’s decision, first with NMC students and staff through an assembly and later with the media in a news briefing at 5pm.

At the briefing, Hart admitted to being disappointed with the commission’s decision but underscored the many successes that the college has already achieved.

“Although we had hoped for an upgraded accreditation status, we are pleased to see that the accreditation commission has recognized the college’s efforts to resolve many of the issues and recommendations that had been raised in prior action letters and team reports,” she said.