By Emmanuel T. Erediano
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Variety News Staff
PACIFIC Islands Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Commissioner Frankie Eliptico asked Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee Chair Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider and House Floor Leader Marissa Flores to help secure funding to maintain the CNMI’s membership in the interstate compact.
In his letter, Eliptico, who also serves as senior vice president of Northern Marianas College, emphasized that WICHE membership is an investment that ensures CNMI residents continue to have affordable access to high-quality degree programs and professional training essential for building the local workforce.
He touted that partnership with WICHE “has unlocked transformative educational opportunities for CNMI students.”
Eliptico noted that for the last three years, CNMI’s membership was funded through a technical assistance program grant from the Office of Insular Affairs. However, the grant application was not selected for funding in the 2025 grant cycle.
Fortunately, he said, the Guam government took the initiative to pay the full amount for fiscal year 2026 membership dues so that Guam residents and other Pacific Islands territories and Freely Associated States can continue participating in WICHE programs across the Pacific.
WICHE dues for the period July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, are $174,500, shared equally among six Pacific jurisdictions — Guam, the CNMI, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and American Samoa.
Eliptico also informed the lawmakers that WICHE leadership is now working with other U.S. Pacific territories and the FAS to determine and fulfill their respective shares of the membership costs.
Stressing the measurable and profound impact of CNMI’s membership in WICHE, Eliptico told lawmakers that CNMI students saved a total of $1.5 million in tuition costs during the 2024–2025 academic year alone. By providing funding to maintain CNMI’s seat in WICHE, the Legislature is directly reducing the financial burden on NMI families and ensuring that future nurses, engineers, and IT professionals can gain the expertise they need to return and serve the islands.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
