He said the people behind WASC have treated the people of the CNMI and NMC’s accreditation differently.
Torres was referring to WASC official Dr. Barbara Beno whom he described as “out of control.”
“I have previously spoken on this floor about my serious concerns on the way Barbara Beno of WASC treats us like children and threatens NMC’s accreditation and scolds us every time the Legislature or concerned NMC board members or even NMC staff members challenge certain NMC presidents like Ken Wright or Carmen Fernandez who…mismanaged our only public college on Saipan,” he said in a privileged speech during Wednesday’s House session.
“So, again I ask this legislative body, especially the Committee on Education, to have the United States Department of Education, which oversees WASC and Dr. Ralph Wolff of the WASC Accreditation Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, to investigate our concerns and provide us with solutions that will protect our college from the unilateral and vindictive oversight of Barbara Beno,” he added.
Citing his research on Beno, Torres said the education official has been in trouble before with California’s Vista College before moving to WASC and has been accused of vindictiveness by those who go against her.
NMC’s full accreditation was downgraded to a warning status several times under Beno’s leadership, he noted.
The college, however, managed to regain its good standing after improvements were made in certain academic and other program areas.
WASC’s Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges will visit NMC this month.
“The commission took this action because it learned of a series of events which may place the college out of compliance with the eligibility requirements, standards of accreditation, and the commission policies,” Beno told NMC.
Beno is the president of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
