NMTI claims NMC opposes accreditation

The Northern Marianas Trades Institute claims the Northern Marianas College opposes its accreditation and conversion into a public, accredited institution, but NMC claims that is not the case.

In an interview with NMTI CEO Agnes McPhetres at the weekly Rotary Club of Saipan meeting yesterday at the Hyatt Regency’s Giovanni restaurant, McPhetres claimed that NMC president Dr. Carmen Fernandez never supported the conversion of NMTI into a public institution due to funding issues.

“She thinks that we will take funding away from the college,” she said.

Fernandez’s testimony to the Legislature in regards to Senate Bill 20-21 late last year states otherwise.

“The college has supported NMTI since its inception, even providing capital equipment and materials, and we will continue to assist NMTI to support its growth in the area of trades education,” she stated.

McPhetres stated that if NMTI is not tapping into NMC’s funding now and is currently running smoothly, it makes no sense to think that NMTI would tap into NMC’s funding if it is accredited.

“We are co-existing right now and we are not tapping into any of the funds of the college. It will not be an issue,” she said.

According to Fernandez’s testimony, her concern with the bill was not that NMTI would dip into NMC’s funding source, but that there was no funding source specified in the bill and that a funding source and a duplication of responsibilities should be addressed in the bill before it is passed.

McPhetres is pushing the conversion of NMTI into a public institution to ensure that it remains open for years to come, and to give NMTI students the opportunity to transfer NMTI credits to other accredited colleges.

“It [accreditation] will provide stability… the community will know that it [NMTI] will be here for 20-25 years from now to continue training our students,” she said.

According to McPhetres, the NMTI board wants to keep the institution self-sustaining but it is a struggle to remain so if students cannot fully pay tuition on their own.

McPhetres said if accredited and converted into a public institution, NMTI students would be able to access federal financial assistance and that could lessen the burden of tuition for students and, as a result, NMTI can continue to sustain itself.

Although Gov. Ralph DLG Torres vetoed the Senate bill that converts NMTI into a public, accredited institution, McPhetres said she spoke with Torres on Monday and he promised that a compromise would be reached.

“After meeting with him [Torres] yesterday, we came to some sort of agreement…because he has a plan for what he will do with NMTI…it will just delay our plan to work toward accrediting NMTI,” she said.

McPhetres trusts Torres, that he is keeping NMTI’s best interest in mind.