A team from the Accrediting Commission for Schools of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges is scheduled to visit NMC today.
King said the termination of Fernandez will take effect 30 days upon receipt of the official termination notice “in writing.”
King said they will issue the termination notice in the next few days.
During a 30-day period, Fernandez will continue to receive her salary and other benefits as provided by her employment contract, King said.
She said Fernandez was terminated based on the findings of the Attorney General Office and NMC’s legal counsel.
“NMC must remain an institution of high quality and high integrity and that is the basis of our decision,” she added.
Lorraine Cabrera will remain interim president until the board appoints a new president, King said.
In an official statement, the regents said NMC, “after conducting a thorough investigation and following extensive due process procedures, has reached a decision…in regards to the suspended president.”
They added, “The decision made today is a difficult but necessary step in its efforts to move forward and strive to reach even higher levels of academic excellence.”
The regents said they “would like to thank the community — especially those impacted the most, the students of Northern Marianas College — for their patience during this process.”
King said “the decision of the board was and has always been driven with what is best for the students of NMC.”
Before coming up with its decision, the board had to convene in two executive sessions and take three break periods.
While the discussion was in progress, Cepeda went out of the conference room and told Variety the atmosphere was “decisive.”
The other regents declined to comment except for Orilla who said she “believed we could have handled it differently. I believe I voted the right way.”
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