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Senate OKs 3 NMTI board members
The Senate confirmed last Friday morning three of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ nominations to the newly created Northern Marians Technical Institution board of trustees.
The confirmed nominations were that of previous Northern Marianas Trades Institute board member Mario Valentino, first-time NMTI board member and Tinian representative Ray Pangelinan, and first time NMTI board member and Carolinian, women, and Saipan representative Carmelita Faisao. They were all confirmed on a vote of 7-0.
Sen. Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian) and Sen. Paul Manglona (Ind-Saipan) were absent from the session.
“I am looking forward to working with the two new [board members] because I have not worked with them before,” NMTI chief executive officer Agnes McPhetres told Saipan Tribune in an interview.
“Based on their backgrounds, I am sure they will become very good trustees,” she added. “As for [Valentino], we have worked together for the last two to three years and he has been a very good and dynamic board member.”
McPhetres noted that she wishes to work with the new board on institutional accreditation.
“We have to pull ourselves and establish ourselves so we can have a good facility. [We would] also be pushing for good accreditation,” she said.
McPhetres clarified that NMTI classes are accredited by various trade accreditation organizations. NMTI itself as an institution has yet to be accredited.
“…Our courses are accredited, but the institution is not—that is what we wish to work toward with our new board members. …We have the facility, and now we have the board members, along with the stability of funding. We got good, clean audits in the last four years, and those are some of the requirements for [accreditation],” McPhetres said. “I believe we are moving in a good and right direction.”
