Update from the President's Office - No. 158

Cabinet Actions.

The following actions were taken at the May 5, 2000, Cabinet meeting:

• The Technology Policy Manual was approved, with minor corrections, for immediate implementation. A copy of the manual can be found on the College's web site. Hard copies will be made available once corrections have been made.
• Proposal Submission Criteria, as proposed by the Sponsored Programs Committee, were approved for implementation.

  Proposal Submission Criteria

  1. Complies with and fulfills COM-FSM institutional goals and strategic plan - REQUIRED
  2. Availability of human, fiscal, and physical resources to fulfill the purposes of the grant (or that they be appropriately included in a program proposal) - REQUIRED
  3. There is an indirect cost capability or institutional support for fiscal/grant management - REQUIRED
  4. Avoids unnecessary duplication with other existing programs - REQUIRED
  5. Provides capacity-building, sustainability, and long-term, positive impact to FSM and/or the region - RECOMMENDED
  6. Provides for an appropriate level of institutional coordination as applicable - RECOMMENDED
  7. There is a positive impact on student learning or participant training - RECOMMENDED

• National Campus Posting Policy was approved for implementation upon installation of bulletin boards around campus. Copies of this policy will be posted around campus and made available to all faculty, staff, and students.
• National Campus Student Leadership Award (Guidelines) were approved for implementation beginning with this year's graduation. The policy reads as follows:

  NATIONAL CAMPUS STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARD (GUIDELINES)

  Many student leaders give generously of their knowledge, time, and energy to serve and improve the College and/or community at large. These committed students rarely receive formal acknowledgement or compensation for their efforts. This award is to publicly recognize and celebrate the initiative and outstanding work of the student who represents the very best attributes and accomplishments of the College of Micronesia-FSM National Campus students.

  Selection Criteria

  Student Leadership Award honors a student for the outstanding service and leadership through involvement in student government and recognized groups or activities. The ad hoc committee, which is appointed by the President, consists of three (3) members from the Student Services Committee and two (2) from the Instructional Affairs Department. This committee selects the winner for this award from a list of nominees submitted by the faculty, staff, and students. The criteria for selection of the winner is that a student must:

  • Be widely recognized as a leader by other students and staff
  • Have made a significant contribution through participation in campus or community service
  • Have evidence of socially responsible, ethical, and outstanding leadership either in specific positions of responsibility or while engaged in service activities
  • Be a full time student
  • Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Have attended COM-FSM for at least 1 academic year
  • Not have previously received this award while attending COM-FSM

Major agenda items for the May 12th Cabinet meeting include the allocation of the remaining Congress student assistance funds, the proposed Certificate of Achievement in Vocational Studies, and the Outside Employment and Activities policy. The Outside Employment and Activities policy has been reviewed by the Staff Senate as per guidelines for gathering input on policies summarized in Update 153. The proposed formula for allocation of CFSM student assistance funds and the Certificate of Achievement in Vocational Studies were received from the Financial Aid and the Curriculum committees respectively. Also, the draft agenda for the May 29-30 meeting of the Board of Regents will be reviewed.

Chuuk Campus Update. According to the April, 2000, monthly report from Chuuk Campus Director Graceful Enlet visitors to Chuuk Campus for the month included: Daren Chamberlain (UNICEF Communications Officer), Aren Baoe (Video Producer, SPC), Inoke (Video Editor), and Mr. YG (Radio Broadcast Station, Fiji), who presented a two-week-long media production workshop for Chuuk State; Varqua Larawin of Papua New Guinea who presented guest lectures about the history, culture, and customs of Papua New Guinea; Klemente Moufa, Assistant Mayor of Saowan Municipality to gather information on Chuuk Campus students in line with the School Incentive Program; Vice President for Support and Student Affairs Ringlen Ringlen and Math/Science Division Chairperson John Gann who visited to meet with prospective students; and Chuuk Lt. Governor Manual Sound, Senator Tesime Kofot, and Regent Gardenia Walter to help celebrate Founding Day activities. Also visiting Chuuk Campus were Dean Anthony, COM-FSM Outreach Librarian, and a representative of the Peace Corps Office in Pohnpei who visited the library to discuss plans to develop a skills profile for various library positions in the FSM, to train library personnel in the region, and to help establish electronic linkage among the libraries, archives, and museums in the FSM.

The Business Department at Chuuk Campus held an orientation session with prospective students focusing on policies as they relate to the pre-registration process. Eight (8) business courses are tentatively scheduled for the summer session.

The IESL program is planning to hold an open house from May 8-12, 2000, to inform new students and their parents about the program as well as give the current students an opportunity to display their work. The proposed revisions to the lower level English have been approved for implementation commencing this coming fall semester. They report the need for additional classrooms, computers, and instructors.

Students in the "World of Work" class have completed field trips to Kurassa Store where students learned about employer expectations when evaluating employee performance and to the Chuuk State Agriculture Department where they were introduced to the possibility of establishing small gardens and marketing produce for income generation. Chuuk Campus Assistant Director Switer Eter also presented an overview of the application procedures for employment at both Chuuk State Department of Education and COM-FSM.

During the month, the Vocational Education Department designed and completed preliminary renovation of the newly secured vocation education classrooms. With some creative arrangement in the use of space, two classrooms and an office space were made possible.

Library staff continued Internet training with students who want to learn the basics of searching the World Wide Web. Students were also assisted with conducting research for their term papers and using the computers.

In the Upward Bound Program, academic courses and enrichment activities after school and on weekends will continue until May, to be followed by the summer bridge program during which all 13 seniors will take college level courses this summer. Statistics show the students' fields of interest to be as follows: accounting - 4; business/banking - 3; law - 3; nursing - 1; police science - 1; and science -1.

Consistent with its emphasis on grass roots and community based development in a cooperative and collaborative setting, the Chuuk Campus Cooperative Extension Services (CES) program deployed staff and extension workers to remote islands representing various regions of the State as follows: Inos Kuliano and Seiko Jack - Fananu/Ruo; Merly Nelson - Polowot/Tamatam; Ykiko Yerten - Tol; and Risko Walter - Udot.

Pohnpei Campus Update. During the month of April a team from Pohnpei Campus comprised of Howard Rice, Patty Grandos, Jack Duffy, Zag Puas, Diaz Joseph, Francisco Simram, and Jeffry Arnold began visiting local high schools to recruit students students for the upcoming school year. The team is inviting high school seniors to Pohnpei Campus on May 12th to give them first hand knowledge of the programs being offered there.

Word has been received from the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Saipan that they are willing to work with Pohnpei Campus on the HRM 250 course for the Hotel and Restaurant Management program. If the negotiations are successful, arrangements will be made to place Pohnpei Campus HRM 250 students to do their practicum at the Hyatt. Also, in an effort to assist the development of the local tourist industry, Pohnpei Campus offered a workshop in Personnel Management for Hospitality Managers.

Patty Grandos of the IEP program reported that the program received a Critical Resources Grant which provided $3900 worth of dictionaries, dictionary workbooks, encylopedias, and atlases from the British Embassy in Suva.

In the vocational area, Jack Duffy reported that the footings and foundation work of the new vocational shop are almost complete. The program is also assisting the special education program to develop care and feeding chairs for students with severe disabilities in the villages.

According to a report from Cooperative Extension Services (CES) a total of 96 individuals were assisted by extension agents in the area of agriculture including work in swine production, home gardening, lowland sakau, and banana farming.

The nutrition agents are currently working with three groups including the Oumar Women's Group in Sokehs, the Kumwonlaid Women's Group in Kolonia, and the Diadi Women's Group in Kitti.

During the month of March, Youth Extension Agent Justino Smith demonstrated the planting of vegetables to 7th and 8th graders at Sekere Elementary School and mulching and fertilization of bell pepper and eggplants and harvesting of Chinese cabbage to 9th and 10th graders at Our Lady of Mercy Vocational Training School. He also constructed 10 security wire baskets to collect aluminum cans for recycling as part of a joint effort with Kolonia Town. These baskets were distributed to the elementary schools.

Extension Agent Marcelino Martin is working with the community of Lewetik, Kitti, on plans for a piggery project that is being funded in the amount of $15,000 by Senator Wagner Lawrence.

Assistant Campus Director Jackson Phillip attended a week-long training program at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Guam on the use of a new computer program for the establishment of a marketing information system. The new program replaces the original MIS template developed in MS Access.

Talent Search Program Director Heinrich Palik attended a conference on Maui on Legislation and Regulations offered by the University of Western Kentucky's TRIO program. This conference concentrated on the legal requirements of the program including EDGAR.

Both the boys and girls TSP teams, representing Bailey Olter High SChool in the interscholastic basketball league, won the championships. Congratulations, TSP teams!

TSP participants from the elementary schools have been taking advantage of the intersession break by visiting both the National and Pohnpei Campuses. According to Heinrich , all participants seemed convinced they will attend COM-FSM.

Summer classes in the Upward Bound Program will commence on June 26th and run until August 4th. According to Upward Bound Program Director Paul Seng, the class schedule, summer calendar, and faculty and student handbooks were produced during the month of April. Teacher job descriptions were also developed.

A Financial Aid Workshop was held on April 25th for the Junior Class Upward Bound students and their parents. All students were present, and Jeffrey Arnold and Rita Hinga of Pohnpei Campus guided parents and students through the process of completing sample financial aid forms.

On April 29th Patty Grandos of the IEP program presented students with an oral communications workshop during which she stressed the need for students not to feel shy and to speak freely in the classroom.

Paul further reported that in late March the TOEFL test was administered to all UB students and that the entire junior class had scores of 450 or higher. The program does not yet have a senior class.

FY 2001 Budget Request. A copy of the FSM National Government Proposed Budget for FY 2001 was received late last week. I am pleased to report that the budget contains the full appropriation of $3.3 million for operations as requested by the College, $821,700 to support the FSM FMI, $300,000 for student assistance, $236,600 for National Campus A&E, and $320,000 for a faculty office building. Budget hearings will be held while the FSM Congress is in session. The session begins next week.

Personnel. Letters of resignation have been received from Rajarathnam (Raj) and Hazel Kurapati. In his May 1, 2000, letter, Raj said:

With deep regret, I write this letter to inform you that due to medical reasons, Iwill not be in a position to renew my contract, which expires on July 31, 2000, with the College of Micronesia-FSM. It is indeed a very painful exit for me, but I do not have any other choice. I loved and served this institution very dearly. My wife, Hazel, and I have decided to retire and settle down in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hazel and I have enjoyed our fifteen year tenure at the College. We thank you, the faculty, staff and student community for all the spontaneous support and cooperation we have received. We pray that this growing institution will blossom into a full service university in the very near future.

We thank Raj and Hazel for their many years of dedicated service to the College and we wish them all the best in their retirement.

More Next Time!