THE Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations conducted a public hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at the Tinian courthouse for the governor’s Tinian nominee to the Northern Marianas College board of regents, William Mendiola Cing.
Present for the hearing were committee chairman Sen. Francisco Q. Cruz, Senate Floor Leader Vinnie F. Sablan, and Sen. Karl King-Nabors. Senate Vice President Justo S. Quitugua and Sen. Victor B. Hocog were excused.
Representing the Office of the Governor was rancher Jose M. Dela Cruz who formally introduced the nominee.
The nominee expressed his gratitude to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres for the nomination, as well as Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aidan and members of the Tinian Legislative Delegation for their recommendation.
“Northern Marianas College is not foreign to me, as you can probably tell from my résumé, which I submitted to this committee,” Cing said.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1973 to 1981 before being honorably discharged and was an NMC student in the 1980s.
Cing earned his associate of arts degree in business administration and bachelor of arts in business administration with an emphasis in human resources management from Hawaii Pacific University.
He also took graduate courses in school leadership at San Jose State University.
He has held management positions in the public sector and worked for the CNMI Public School System as a guidance counselor, high school teacher, and school principal.
He has had a few local small businesses of his own and, in 1994, became the NMC-Tinian administrator under former NMC President Agnes M. McPhetres.
During his four-year tenure at NMC-Tinian, he helped expand the number of course offerings on Tinian and, with the assistance of the island’s elected officials, opened a permanent site for the Tinian NMC campus.
He told the Senate committee that if confirmed as an NMC regent, he would “find ways to bring back more courses or bring home more training sessions or certification programs that will benefit those students who cannot attend the main campus, or benefit those employees that might need to hone in on their skills.”
He added, “I know that cost is probably a factor in the reduction of course offerings or it may be low enrollment, but we must continue to strive to ensure that our people are given every opportunity to improve themselves without having to leave home.”
Tinian Mayor Aldan provided oral testimony in support of Cing’s nomination.
The mayor said he believes Cing “will provide valuable guidance and will assist NMC and its students — he will be a great addition to the [NMC] team.”
Tinian Municipal Council Chairman Joseph E. Santos, for his part, said Cing is well-acquainted with the pursuit of education, and has demonstrated a string of talents and skills by holding various titles.
Representing NMC and its board of regents was the college president, Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero, who urged the senators to confirm Cing’s nomination.
He said Cing “knows the college very well. A former campus administrator who spearheaded important initiatives that expanded access and services for the people of Tinian…Mr. Cing is a man of action who gets things done.”
Private citizen Henry H. San Nicolas, rancher Jose M. Dela Cruz, Marie Hofschneider Aguon of NMC and Jesusa Atalig, also of NMC, likewise expressed their support for Cing’s confirmation.
In addition, the Senate committee received written testimony in support of the nominee from Tinian resident Jose P. Kiyoshi.
The committee did not receive oral or written testimonies opposed to the nomination.
William Mendiola Cing, left, the governor’s nominee to the Northern Marianas College board of regents, appears before the Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations during a public hearing on Tinian, July 12, 2022.
