President's Message to the Community
February 20, 2017
COM-FSM Mission Statement:
The College of Micronesia-FSM is a learner-centered institution of higher education that is committed to the success of the Federated States of Micronesia by providing academic, career and technical education programs characterized by continuous improvement and best practices.
Dear Colleagues and Fellow Members of the COM-FSM Community,
Thank you for all of your work, effort, and dedication in service to the students we serve. Each of us plays an important role in the successful implementation of the mission of COM-FSM. Together, let us look forward to the challenges and opportunities we will continue to face. Given how well we have all come together, how well we communicate with each other, and our shared purpose to secure the future for COM-FSM and our students, we can only grow stronger.
Please be informed the cabinet, at its February 3, 2017, meeting approved a request to retitle the Institutional Research and Planning Office (IRPO) to Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) to reflect the evolution of accreditation standards, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) increased levels of institutional accountability for performance, expectations for the office, and to better align with the mission of the Institutional Effectiveness and Quality Assurance (IEQA) department. Additionally, the director position has been retitled the director of institutional effectiveness.
On February 22, 2017, there will be an All Campus Meeting held at MITC from 1-2PM. The Doctors and Dentists for Tomorrow (DDFT) faculty and students will present on problem based learning from the faculty viewpoint and the student viewpoint. VPIA will also present an opportunity for National Campus faculty to apply to participate in training on problem based learning with incentives up to $2,300 for training and implementation. National Campus faculty must attend the All Campus meeting on the DDFT program to be eligible for the opportunity to participate in the training.
Additionally, the VPIA will submit Technical Assistance Grant for $209,580.00 to the U.S. Department of Interior to expand use of the problem-based learning (PBL) strategy from the Doctors and Dentists for Tomorrow for use in other courses across the college. The grant proposes to provide workshops for faculty to change one course syllabus to utilize PBL pedagogy and open education resources. The same participants will implement that course the next semester. The following year a new group of faculty will change one course syllabus and the experienced faculty will become mentors for the new group.
Please regularly review the college’s website, read the newsfeeds, and attend All Campus meetings as important information is shared and topics discussed. All Campus meetings provide yet another opportunity to remain well informed.
Please join us on February 24, 2017, between 1-3 PM at the practice gym located in the FSM-China Friendship Sports Center. We will celebrate the reopening of the practice gym, completion of the new practice gym floor, and acknowledge the generosity of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China for providing the necessary funding. Following the ceremony the Embassy will also provide information about the Full Ride Scholarship to Study in China at 1-3 PM at the practice gym located in the FSM-China Friendship Sports Center.
Below is the schedule for the Forum Lectures through March. All will take place from 1-2 PM at MITC.
- Wednesday, March 1st: Helen Alderson, a PhD candidate at Cambridge University, who has been conducting research in Kitti, will speak about her research project focused on the cultural history of the Pacific Islands.
- Wednesday, March 8th: Boxing Coach Erick Divinagracia will speak about the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where he accompanied Yapese Boxer Jennifer Chieng.
- Friday, March 17th: Micronesia Poet Emelihter Kihleng will speak about her journey to becoming one of the first widely published poets from the FSM.
On March 8, 2017, the Board of Regents will meet in the New Zealand Room located at the LRC. The electronic board book will be posted on the college’s website in advance of the meeting.
It is a privilege for me to serve you as president.
Joe
Joseph M. Daisy, EdD
President and CEO
