By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

AFTER almost eight months as acting Northern Marianas College president, Danny Wyatt’s term has been extended to another couple of weeks by the board of regents.
Wyatt, who is also a dean of the college, has filed for a month-long vacation in April and will go ahead with it despite the extension of his term as the college’s acting chief executive.
“I have been either dean or acting president since January of last year. I have taken zero days of vacation, so I will take a vacation as planned,” Wyatt said in an interview yesterday. “That will be 15 months with no days off when I finally take a vacation. I feel I deserve a vacation and the board does too.”
He said the board will appoint another acting president when he goes on leave.
Asked to comment on the presidential search, Wyatt said: “The board’s main job is to choose a president. If they feel that the original two applicants are not appropriate for the institution that is their decision. I feel confident that they will be able to find the appropriate person to fill the president’s position. There are several very qualified individuals so I am confident that they will find the person who is best suited to lead the institution.”
Yesterday, the board of regents informed the faculty and employees of its discussions at Monday’s special meeting.
In a letter to the NMC community, the board said it has “concluded the interviews with two of the finalists and is not ready to make a decision and wishes to review the applications of other finalists.”
The board is scheduled to hold another meeting on March 29.
Variety learned that at Monday’s board meeting, “very confidential and very delicate” matters were discussed.
The board eventually decided to review the applications of nine other applicants for the NMC presidency.
From the original 12 candidates, the search committee narrowed the number of finalists to three. One later declined the position.
Of the two finalists who were interviewed on Saipan at the expense of the NMC Foundation, one had been voted out by her former institution in the U.S. over her management and leadership style.