Larry Lee, the NMC Faculty Senate president, said: “We need somebody who knows the college, who knows the community and knows the situation.”
He said he has served six presidents of NMC.
“Out of six presidents I would have to say that whenever the board hired a president from off-island it’s been a disaster. Those two presidents that we had hired off-island did much damage to this college,” he said.
Timothy Baker, NMC’s marketing manager, supported Lee’s observation.
“I have personal knowledge and expertise in this area. I saw a community college destroyed in two years because the individual they hired as president didn’t represent the community,” he said.
A forensic psychologist, Baker told the board that one of the reasons why they are all at NMC is to serve the students.
“I’m offering a professional opinion from years of experience and education. You’re allowed a wide variety of flexibility in the community college except in one area — and that’s the need to represent the community,” he said.
Baker told the board not to depend everything on the credential of the applicants.
Clarice D. Arriola, the current NMC Staff Senate president, emphasized the importance of hiring a qualified president.
“I like to clarify and emphasize that we need to hire a qualified president preferably someone who’s local, who understands the CNMI culture, someone who is familiar with the process on how the Legislature functions and most importantly someone who’s familiar with and knows the history, goals and the mission of NMC,” she said.
Geri Willis, an NMC program director, said the NMC president must have a local perspective.
“We got so much talent on island and we need to use it,” she said.
All of them expressed their opinions as private citizen.
NMC Chairman Juan T. Lizama said the board is expected to select a new president before March 15 when the college submits its show-cause status report to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges-Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
As of Friday, Lizama said the board had yet to get the reference background report on the three final candidates from the Association of Community College Trustees .
“Without this report the board can’t do much,” he said.
He said the interview of the three final candidates — all are from off-island — has already been accomplished.
The board is also required to review the criminal and financial investigation report regarding the final candidate, he said.
Regent Andrew Orsini, presidential search committee chairman, said the ACCT received 31 applicants and submitted to the board the list of seven candidates.
Of the seven, two backed out. The committee recommended three names to the board.
ACCT submitted the remaining names of the 24 candidates to the committee, he said.
Orsini said the committee has accomplished “98 percent” of its tasks.
“The board will do what it can and its best to determine where we are going to take it from here, but right now nothing is conclusive yet,” he said.
