Remembering Professor Joe Habuchmai with Great Fondness & Respect

Joseph J. Habuchmai was a visionary leader, educator, and statesman whose lifelong dedication to the people of Yap, the College of Micronesia-FSM and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) leaves an indelible mark on the region’s educational legacy and governmental institutions.

A Life of Service and Leadership

Joseph Habuchmai’s career was defined by service. From 2003 to 2007, he served as Lieutenant Governor of Yap State, working alongside the late former Governor Robert Ruecho to guide the state through a period of growth and transformation. His leadership was grounded in humility, wisdom, and a deep commitment to community values.

He also served as Yap State’s representative on the Board of Regents for COM-FSM, contributing to the prudent oversight of the college’s financial resources and creation of educational policy.Following his tenure in government, Mr. Habuchmai returned to higher education, where he became a cornerstone at the College of Micronesia-FSM (COM-FSM). Professor Habuchmai had first started at COM-FSM as a faculty member in 1981 before later serving as an Associate Professor and then as the Director of Academic Programs. He was also actively involved in distance learning initiatives, such as the Special Teacher Education Initiative (SETTI) and the Center of Distance Learning with San Diego State University, which provided capacity-building opportunities and distance learning coursework for our faculty who sought to further their education.

For over 16 years, he served as Vice President for Administrative Services (VPAS), overseeing infrastructure development, strategic planning, and institutional governance. His work helped shape COM-FSM into a resilient and forward-looking institution. On many occasions, VPAS Habuchmai served as the Acting President of the college to ensure that stable and continued leadership at the highest level was maintained.

Champion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems

In the last twelve months, Professor Habuchmai wholeheartedly embraced a new role that reflected his deep cultural roots and visionary spirit: Education Developer of Indigenous Ways of Knowing at COM-FSM. In this role, he worked to preserve, promote, and integrate traditional Micronesian knowledge systems with modern education. His passionate commitment to mainstreaming indigenous epistemology has been inspirational. His extensive networks both in the FSM and beyond were impressive. In recent months as he developed the overarching framework under which indigenous epistemologies would be mainstreamed, the breadth and depth of his own knowledge and expertise were exceptional.

The most recent collaborative project involved submitting applications to the National Department of Education to secure funding for the initial phase of implementing indigenous epistemologies. Professor Habuchmai's single-minded approach ensured that we continued to work as an outcomes-focused team. We will miss him greatly as we push forward with this transformational work which he started centered on Micronesian identity as the basis for students' successful learning journeys.                 

Career Timeline

2024 – 2025: Education Developer: Indigenous Ways of Knowing, COM-FSM; Included curriculum development, transforming assessment models and being actively engaged in securing grants for mainstreaming indigenous epistemologies

2008 – 2024: Vice President for Administrative Services, COM-FSM

2007 – 2008: Associate Professor, Education Division, COM-FSM National Campus

2003 - 2007: Lieutenant Governor Yap State

2003: Appointed to the Board of Regents, COM-FSM

1996-2002: Director of Academic Programs, COM-FSM National Campus

1989-1996: Chairperson/Associate Professor, COM-FSM Kolonia

1987-1989: Assistant Professor, College of Micronesia-FSM Kolonia

1981-1987: Instructor, Community College of Micronesia. Kolonia

1980-1981: Accountant/Work study Coordinator, CCM , Kolonia

June-Dec. 1980: Administrator/Coordinator, TTPI Census, TTPI Headquarters, and CNMI Government in Saipan Marianas Islands.

June.-Dec. 1979: Research Assistant, East West Center Population Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii 

I977-1979: Audio Visual Office Machine Repair. Work Study Program Concordia Teachers College, Seward, Nebraska 

• Vice President of Administrative Services, COM-FSM
• Vice Chairman, Board of Regents, COM-FSM, Kolonia
• Completed advanced training in governance and financial management at the APIPA conference, Palau
• Lieutenant Governor, Yap State
• Yap Delegation Head to the Palau Annual Cultural Festival, Koror, Palau
• Yap Delegation Head to the FSM Technology Policy formulation in Palikir
• Yap Delegation Head to the Annual Marianas Flame Tree Festival of Arts in Saipan
• Represented the FSM National Government as part of the delegation to the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo Egypt
• Exchange Faculty at the University of Oregon at Eugene, Oregon

• 1995: Management Skills Training COM-FSM
• o   Evaluation workshop, Kapiolani Community College
• 1994: Pacific Islands Identification and Assessment Technical Assistance, Honolulu, Hawaii
• 1993: Population Instructional Materials Development Training, Kolonia
• 1992: Workshop on Establishing Population Education and Family Life Sexuality Education, COM-FSM, Kolonia
• o   International Symposium on Alternative Futures for PAN-PACIFIC,NON-COMMERCIAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS, Sendai, Japan
• 1991: Innovative Methodologies on Population Education in the Pacific. Nukualofa, Tonga
• 1990: Regional Consultative Seminar on Population Education in the Pacific. Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati
• 1989: AIDS Education, Port Moresby, New Guinea
• 1984: M.ED. Education, Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska
• 1979: B.S. Degree - Early Childhood Education, Concordia Teachers College, Seward, Nebraska
• 1977: A.S. Degree Elementary Education- Community College of Micronesia, Kolonia
• 1975: High School Diploma, Outer Islands High School, Ulithi, Yap State