Update from the President's Office - No. 176

Chuuk Campus Update. Chuuk Campus Vocational Instructor Stephen Richmond reported that students in the carpentry program successfully completed World of Work, Introduction to Carpentry, and Blueprint Sketching, adding that the maintenance workers at Chuuk Campus had extended their skills by working side-by-side with staff and students in this program. This spring they will be offering Blueprint Sketching, Concrete Form Construction, Rough Framing and Exterior Finishing, Cabinet Making, and Industrial Safety. The Education Department reported on the success of the 74 students enrolled in 5 education courses this past fall; the English Department is reviewing post-test data for all sections of ESL 070 and ESL 071 to determine if the teaching methods applied and the extended classroom hour improved the students' skills; the Business Department has scheduled 14 business classes for spring semester and is looking forward to the return of Randy Nunez who has been on educational leave; and the Social Science Department is revising materials that were designed for use in various courses including SS/PY 101 General Psychology, SS 150 History of Micronesia, ESL/SS 095 Introduction to the Social Sciences, and ESL/SC 095 Introduction to the General Sciences. The library reported that from November 27 through December 15, a total of 426 students used the computers in the library.

The Chuuk Campus Counseling Office has set up a schedule for the administration of the COM-FSM Entrance Test at the nine senior high schools in Chuuk in February.

As reported in Update 175, the Coordinator for the Bilingual Education Career Ladder Program (BECLP) was hired in December. The BECLP is a five-year U.S. Department of Education grant which was awarded to a cooperative partnership between the College and the Chuuk State School System. Under the BECLP, in-service and pre-service training will be provided to upgrade the academic knowledge and skills of teachers, principals, and other school personnel. In addition, vernacular language curriculum materials will be developed and disseminated, and a bilingual teacher education curriculum and supporting materials will be designed. A comprehensive teacher marketing and recruitment plan is also included in the project.

Cabinet Actions. The following IEP course load guidelines were approved during the January 5, 2001, meeting of the Cabinet:

1. One section of reading is equivalent to one course load in terms of compensation.

2. One section of writing is equivalent to one course load in terms of compensation.

3. One section of listening and speaking is equivalent to one course load in terms of compensation.

4. The computer lab may be considered as part of faculty's load in the absence of a full time lab monitor. Three (3) hours of monitoring lab is equivalent to one contact hour.

Anyone with a question regarding these guidelines is encouraged to contact Vice President for Instructional Affairs Spensin James for clarification.

COM-FSM President Official Member of FACSSO. For the past several years I have been invited to participate in meetings of the FSM Association of Chief State School Officers (FACSSO), which had been officially comprised of the head of the FSM Office of Education and the Directors of Education in each State. Although I was always treated as a voting member, technically I was not. At the request of the FSM Department of Health, Education, and Social Affairs, a measure was introduced for the consideration of the FSM Congress to provide voting status to the COM-FSM President. In a January 9, 2001, letter to the FSM Congress Speaker, the FSM President advised that he had signed Public Law No. 11-68 which makes the President of the College of Micronesia-FSM a full voting member of FACSSO. The next FACSSO meeting is tentatively scheduled to be held in Yap State the latter part of this month.

Pohnpei Campus Update. According to the December monthly report submitted by Pohnpei Campus Director Penny Weilbacher, Penny and several staff members accepted two checks from Ambassador Timothy Cole of the Australian Embassy - one in the amount of $4000 for recreational and intellectual games for Pohnpei Campus students and another in the amount of $1200 to purchase books.

Pohnpei Campus' proposal to secure another cycle of OMIP matching funds to assist in the development of vocational programs for employees of the Pohnpei State Government and other agencies was approved by the Sponsored Programs Committee for submission.

During the month Penny and Spensin met with Chief Justice Andon Amaraich in regards to budget proposals for a new round of the Trial Counselor's Program.

Talent Search Director Heinrich Palik and Administrative Assistant Lestley Ashby, Upward Bound Director Churchill Edwards and Administrative Assistant Dernita Iehsi traveled to Kosrae during the month to attend a database computer workshop on File-Maker Pro conducted by Michael Moser from Leeward Community College. Following the Kosrae workshop, Heinrich and Churchill traveled on to attend a conference for TRIO Program Directors in Houston. Churchill also attended an additional workshop designed for new Project Directors.

TSP activities during the month included a financial aid workshop for TSP seniors and their parents, a community service project that involved painting of the Bailey Olter High School classrooms, guest speakers from FSM Mental Health and Micronesian Bound and a Christmas party.

On December 22nd, the Upward Bound staff met with all UB students for a general session during which the staff recognized those students who maintained excellent academic standing during the first quarter of the school year. The following UB students have earned perfect 4.0 GPA's: Fransky Ilai, Jessica Anson, Resel Elias, Charlotte Johnson, Juleen Manuel, Rosa Nakasone, Erwine Prens, Christine Primo, Mary Immanuel, Belsihpa Mihkel, and Alisihna Saimon. Congratulations to all of you on this achievement! Keep up the good work!

Six Upward Bound students have been selected to attend the Student Leadership Conference scheduled for the first week of February in Kosrae. TSP students will also be attending this conference.

Upward Bound activities during the month include: a freshman cultural trip to Nan Madol; Pohnpei Campus fundraising for the renovation of the gymnasium; a workshop on techniques of public speaking; a lecture on graduation requirements; a cultural trip to Black Coral; supplementary instruction in General Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, General Math, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, English Reading, English Grammar/Writing, Japanese, and Computer; and tutorial services in math, science, and English.

A doctoral student from the University of Florida visited the Pohnpei Cooperative Extension Services (CES) office on several occasions to discussion plans for preliminary research on agroforestry. Other visitors included the Director and Associate Director of the Pacific Basin USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Service who followed up on the Pohnpei Soil and Water Conservation District program activities and assisted in the preparation of the 9th Annual Pacific Basin Association of Conservation Districts (PBACD) conference to be held in Pohnpei September 20-23, 2001.

CES staff Alpenster Henry, Augustine Primo, Marcellino Martin, and Mark Kostka were involved in the Kitti Agriculture Fair held on December 8. The agriculture extension agents also responded to requests for assistance with sick pigs, castration of pigs, and other types technical assistance in the area of Swine Husbandry. Justino Smith and Raul Javier visited a farmer in Sokehs who requested assistance with his cucumber field. Justino prepared more than 500 vegetable seedlings for Head Start Centers around the island. Dr. Flordeliza Javier and Raul Javier traveled to Yap to provide training and information on cultural (production) practices, invasive weed control, and fruit fly management.

President's Travel Schedule. I am scheduled to travel to Guam on Saturday, January 13, 2001, to attend a meeting of the College of Micronesia (Land Grant) Board of Regents to be held at the University of Guam and am scheduled to return on Wednesday, January 17, 2001. All expenses associated with this trip are being covered by COM Land Grant. Vice President for Support and Student Affairs Ringlen Ringlen will be acting in my stead.

In a December 8, 2000, letter from Constance Carroll, President of San Diego Mesa College and Chair of the Community College Leadership Development Initiative (CCLDI) Board of Directors, I was informed that at the CCLDI Board's December 1st meeting, I had been elected to one of the newly created seats on the Board. I will be attending the next meeting of the Board which will be held in Los Angeles on January 26th. All expenses for attendance at this meeting will be covered by CCLDI. I have also been invited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) to serve on a Task Force to review the current accreditation standards. The first meeting of this Task Force will be held in Los Angeles on February 6th. Again, all expenses for my participation are being covered by ACCJC. Rather than make two separate trips to attend these meetings, I will sign leave for the interim period and remain in the US on personal business. On the return trip I will stop in Kosrae to deliver the keynote address to the Student Leadership Conference on February 9th and return to Pohnpei on February 10th.

Personnel. The College bids a fond farewell to three employees whose resignations became effective since the last Update.

Dominic Maluchmai resigned effective December 31, 2000, to further his education. We thank Dominic for all the services he provided to the College as the Work Study Coordinator and wish him all the best in his studies.

David Reiss resigned from Yap Campus at the end of fall semester. David completed his contract with the College and accepted a position in Korea. We wish David the best for the future.

Director of Vocational Education Gary Robertson's last day of work will be January 21st. Thank you, Gary, for all of your contributions to COM-FSM and best of luck in the future.

The College is pleased to welcome the following new employees: Brent Villiers who began work as the new Director of Vocational Education on January 15th; Priscilla Figir as a Clerk Typist I for FMI who also began work on January 15th; Benjamin James as the new Practical Navigation Instructor for FMI who began on January 5th; Belinda Suzuki who begins work this semester as a Business Instructor at the National Campus; and Rosalinda DeMesa who is the new Education Instructor at Kosrae Campus. A warm welcome to all of you!!