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NMC tells Rotary it needs temporary, permanent instructors
The Northern Marianas College has eight positions for either temporary or permanent instructors for the Math and English departments.
This according to NMC dean of academic and services Barbara Merfalen, who served as guest speaker recently at the weekly Rotary Club of Saipan meeting at the Hyatt Regency Saipan.
Merfalen told Saipan Tribune after the meeting that they have hired some teachers already, but they are taking time to get to Saipan, so NMC faces the challenges on the lack of teachers for English and Math.
“We need some [teachers] for either temporary or permanent and we are looking at possibly eight right now for English and Math altogether,” Merfalen said.
According to Merfalen, so far the NMC instructors and staff are helping each other in covering the courses until the time off-island instructors arrive on Saipan. Merfalen didn’t disclose the information on when they would arrive.
Merfalen said that teachers will be paid in accordance to their degree. For a bachelor’s they will be paid $500 per credit, for a masters they will be paid $700 per credit, and a doctorates will be paid $900 per credit.
For example, if a course is being taught for four credits and the instructor holds a bachelor’s they will be getting paid $500 per credit which will equal $2,000.
In related news, Merfalen told reporters present that NMC will stay strong if their budget is not passed by Legislature.
“What they need to remember is that anytime that we offer a class or a new program, we also look at ways to do things internally to assist those programs that we offer,” Merfalen said.“Everyday we are ready because we must be prepared for the students,” she added.
Merfalen said that they are working on grants as they have been doing to provide funding for NMC.
