“As I mentioned before, students, staff, faculty and members of the board of regents have contributed significantly to our accreditation efforts in the past few months,” she said.
Cabrera, in an email interview, said they will continue to work with CNMI legislative and executive leaders, and the members of the community.
As with the college’s Oct. 15, 2010 show cause report, she said, NMC’s management team will serve as the central steering committee and treat the March 15, 2011 show cause report as a mini-accreditation self-study.
She said members of the management team will chair standard teams that will focus on specific commission standards: I.A Mission, I.B Improving Institutional Effectiveness, II.A Instructional Programs, II.B Student Support Services, III.A Human Resources, III.D Financial Resources, and IV.B Board and Administrative Organization.
The management team will also focus on complying with specific commission eligibility requirements: 3. Governing Board, 4. Chief Executive Officer, 5. Administrative Capacity, 17. Financial Resources, 18. Financial Accountability, and 21. Relations with the Accrediting Commission.
NMC presidential search committee chairman Andrew Orsini said there was an “offer” made by Association of Community College Trustees vice president Narcisa Polonio to help the college in seeking an extension in the submission of the new show-cause report required by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
ACCT has also been helping NMC’s search committee in recruiting a new president.
Orsini said he only talked with Polonio over the phone.
It was Polonio who offered to help the college ask for an extension of the deadline, he added.
The college is required to submit a show-cause report by March 15, 2011.
Orsini said the presidential search committee has no authority to request WASC to extend the deadline of the show-cause report submission.
But Orsini said he is in favor of giving NMC enough time to submit its show-cause report.
He said the lack of a permanent college president was one of the deficiencies cited by the accrediting commission when it imposed the continued show-cause status last week.
