Frankie Eliptico, Northern Marianas College’s vice president for administration and advancement, speaks to the graduates of the Division of Customs and Biosecurity’s 9th Cycle Academy at Saipan World Resort on July 25, 2022.
FRANKIE Eliptico, the salutatorian of Marianas High School’s Class of 1992, will be the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony today, Wednesday, May 29.
MHS is set to graduate one of its largest classes with about 380 seniors.
As Northern Marianas College’s vice president for administration and advancement, Eliptico oversees NMC’s administrative, personnel, marketing, capital improvement, workforce development, entrepreneurial and other initiatives.
In 2018, the NMC Board of Regents appointed him as interim president, and he remained in this role for three years. As interim president, he led the college’s response and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yutu, during the Covid-19 pandemic, and other challenges.
He is now helping to lead the college’s efforts to construct new buildings.
Before taking on senior leadership positions at the college, he worked for its Office of Institutional Advancement, where his marketing and branding efforts were recognized nationally. He was named “Communicator of the Year” in the District VI region of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations. The district includes California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and other states.
Eliptico was also awarded the Milåyan Presidenten or The President’s Medal in 2022, the highest award given by the University of Guam president to individuals outside the university who demonstrated distinguished services in accomplishing UOG’s mission, which is to enlighten, to discover and to serve. The award was presented by Dr. Thomas Krise, former president of UOG.
In 2021, Eliptico was honored by the NMC Board of Regents for his work as interim president by conferring an honorary degree on him.
Among the other projects he has led are NMC’s “Believe” campaign, the “Start Smart, Start at NMC” marketing initiative, and the “Cash for College” event, which has helped connect thousands of students to financial aid opportunities.
He has been actively involved for many years in numerous community organizations, including the Northern Marianas Humanities Council where he served as the board chair. Eliptico is also the chair of the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance, and has launched “PRIDE Marianas,” a nonprofit organization whose aim is to promote understanding of LGBT issues in the community.
