NMC named Marylou S. Ada, a retiree, as interim financial officer, and she was later replaced by Martin Mendiola, who is performing the job in an acting capacity.
NMC officials said they are having a hard time recruiting a new financial officer because they can only offer a “low” annual salary of $60,000.
Fernandez said there’s a need to raise the ceiling for the position in order to hire someone who can perform “very essential tasks,” especially now that the college is addressing accreditation matters.
“The objective is to be able to get a bigger pool of candidates here and abroad,” she told the regents.
Fernandez at the same time noted that among the concerns of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges is the presence of “too many actingships” at NMC.
“We need to be extremely careful with that…because it was among the key areas of concern by the accrediting team,” she said during a recent board meeting.
The chief financial and administrative officer, she added, helps NMC “explore potential federal grants for various programs.”
