Update from the President's Office - No. 178

Enrollment update.    According to the official Spring 2001 National Campus enrollment report, a total of 746 students have enrolled for the spring semester as compared to 684 at this time last year. Of the total, 278 are freshmen, 335 are sophomores, 49 are third-year students, 44 are fourth-year students, 12 are Headstart teachers, 20 are Pohnpei State teachers, and 8 are staff. An unofficial report from Chuuk Campus shows that a total of 613 students registered there for the spring semester including 114 education majors, 186 bookkeeping majors, 305 general studies majors, and 8 "others." According to information received from the Office of Admissions and Records, 177 students are attending classes at Kosrae Campus. The January Update from Pohnpei Campus shows a total of 291 students have enrolled in the following programs: Hotel and Restaurant Management - 81; other degree programs - 22; Intensive English Program - 47; General Studies - 81; Vocational Education - 30; Trial Counselors - 6; Health Assistants Training Program - 21; and audit - 3. Complete enrollment information has not yet been reported from Yap Campus.

President's Trip report.    As mentioned in Update 177 I traveled to Los Angeles to attend a January 26, 2001, meeting of the Board of Directors of the Community College Leadership Development Initiative (CCLDI). Items discussed at this meeting included efforts being made by the California members of the CCLDI Board to obtain funding for CCLDI leadership activities from the California State Legislature and other sources, including private foundations. University of Hawaii Chancellor for Community Colleges Joyce Tsunoda also reported on a $1 million leadership development endowment that had been made to the UH community colleges. The search for the CCLDI Director was also discussed as were plans for the Summer Institute for 2001. I agreed to distribute invoices for payment of CCLDI dues to Pacific Postsecondary Education Council (PPEC) member institutions. After the formal meeting I had the opportunity to meet individually with Dr. Joanne Cooper of the UH College of Education regarding the possibility of extending UH leadership development activities to the institutions in the Pacific region.

Following the CCLDI Board meeting I took annual leave until February 5, 2001, at which time I once again traveled to Los Angeles to participate as a member of the Accrediting Commission Task Force for Standard 5 Student Support and Development and Standard 6 Information and Learning Resources as part of the Commission's Project Renewal. This Task Force is one of five that have been formed by the Commission to review the current standards and make recommendations for improvement. During this meeting, the Task Force reviewed the goals of Project Renewal, the charge of the Task Force, and the accreditation standards as a whole including the results of a standards survey conducted last year. Following this review the Task Force conducted an in-depth analysis of Standards 5 and 6. During the afternoon session, the Task Force broke into subgroups to make recommendations on Standard 5, Standard 6, and overarching themes. The Task Force is scheduled to meet again in LA in April to make specific recommendations for consideration of the Commission at its June meeting. All expenses for my participation in both the CCLDI Board meeting and the Task Force meeting were covered by CCLDI and the Accrediting Commission.

On the way back from the Task Force meeting in Los Angeles I stopped off at Kosrae to provide the keynote address to the TRIO Student Leadership Conference on February 9, 2001. I spoke on the development of leadership skills. Kosrae Campus Upward Bound Director Morgan Jonas and his staff are to be commended for their efforts in organizing this conference which was attended by TRIO staff and students from Hawaii, Guam, Northern Marianas, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae. The support provided by Kosrae Campus Director Kalwin Kephas and his staff should also be noted. Congratulations on a job well done! Following the morning plenary session of the conference, I met with Kosrae Campus Director and members of the faculty on various issues, attended a conference session on Team Building, and visited the Land Grant banana propagation project. I returned to Pohnpei on Saturday, February 10, 2001.

FY 2002 budget hearing.    A hearing with the FSM Vice President's Budget Review Committee on the College's FY 2002 budgets for operations, Board of Regents, capital improvement projects, and FSM Fisheries and Maritime Institute will be held on Wednesday, February 14, 2001, at the FSM President's Conference Room at 9:00 a.m. A report on the results of this hearing will be provided in a future update.

Pohnpei Campus update.    Pohnpei Campus Director Penny Weilbacher attended an Operations and Maintenance Improvement Program (OMIP) conference in Palau during the latter part of January along with Vice President for Instructional Affairs Spensin James, other State Campus Directors or their representatives, and representatives of the respective State Governments. After this meeting Penny submitted an application to secure another cycle of OMIP funding which, if approved, would match an additional $120,000 to assist in the implementation of vocational programs at Pohnpei Campus.

Although 21 students enrolled in the Health Assistants Training Program for spring semester, the program is currently on hold due to a statement issued by the Pohnpei State Department of Health Services declaring that doctors and other staff who have permanent contracts with Pohnpei State Health Services are not allowed to be on any additional contracts. The implementation of the Health Assistants Training Program is dependent on the cooperation of Pohnpei State Health Services.

Penny reported that DELCO has been selected as the firm to build the first phase of the reconstruction of the Pohnpei Campus gymnasium. Funding for the first phase of this project has been secured through donations from various sources, while Pohnpei State has pledged to supplement the next phase of the project.

Pohnpei Campus is currently advertising leisure courses for members of the community including yoga, dance, guitar playing, basic singing, Pohnpeian, and Japanese.

Seven (7) proposals have been submitted to FSM Senators from Election Districts 1, 2, and 3 as follows: (1) GED for Election District 1 -- $20,000; (2) GED for Election District 2 -- $20,000; (3) GED for Election District 3 -- $20,000; (4) Business Training I for Election District 1 -- $7,000; (5) Business Training I for Election District 2 -- $7,000; (6) Business Training I for Election District 3 -- $7,000; and (7) Business Training II for Election District 3 -- $7,000.

Seven (7) Upward Bound students were selected to travel to Kosrae to participate in the annual Student Leadership Conference which was held February 8-9, 2001. These students presented a traditional Pohnpeian dance that was enjoyed by all. An additional 3 Upward Bound students were selected to represent BOHS High School at a science symposium which was held in Hawaii the second week of January. Ador Oliver, a junior at BOHS and currently an Upward Bound participant, has been selected to attend a summer UB math/science program at Leeward Community College. Under the Upward Bound program, classes are offered in English, math, and science Mondays through Thursdays, while classes in computer, Japanese, independent study, and additional English classes are offered on Saturday.

Fourteen (14) participants of the Talent Search Program (TSP) were selected to participate in the Student Leadership Conference. These students performed a traditional sakau ceremony as part of the cultural sharing. Acting BOHS Principal Joe Villazon, Counselor Norbert Samual, and TSP Director Heinrich Palik accompanied the group. In other TSP news, the TSP seniors conducted a successful trash-a-thon during the Christmas break and were amazed by the amount of garbage collected along the roads.

Chuuk Campus update.    According to a January update report from Chuuk Campus, Chuuk Campus Social Science Department Chairperson Alton Higashi has prepared supplementary readers and student workbooks for two IEP courses - ESL/SS 095 (social sciences) and ESL/SC 095 (natural sciences). The Social Science Department is offering five (5) courses this spring.

The Chuuk Campus English Department is offering 13 courses (19 sections) and 2 computer labs with a total of 9 instructors. A total of 475 students are enrolled in English classes this spring. However, it should be noted that an additional 50 students could not enroll because the classes were full.

The Education Department has enrolled 127 students in 8 courses being taught by 5 instructors, while the Vocational Education Department is offered 6 courses with a total enrollment of 72 students this spring. The Business Department is offering 18 courses with an enrollment of 415 students and 3 full-time and 1 part-time instructor. They hope to graduate 7 students with Certificates of Achievement at the end of spring. The Math & Science Department is offering 16 classes with a total of 250 students.

The Chuuk Upward Bound Program received approval from its program officer to include three additional high schools - Berea Christian High School, Pentecostal Lighthouse High School, and Weno High School - as target schools. The Upward Bound Program has been assisting 70 students in academic areas, career counseling, financial aid, college admission and information, and personal and cultural awareness.

Five elementary schools have been selected as Professional Development Schools for the Chuuk Bilingual Education - Career Ladder Program. Program staff are in the process of reviewing applications for the two bilingual instructor positions.

The Chuuk Land Grant program has been conducting activities in the following areas: Youth Development; Community Resource Development; FSO, Health and Nutrition; and Agriculture and Natural Resources.

FSM FMI update.    The FSM FMI Fishing/Fisheries Section prepared the Cassiopeia, FMI's 5-meter boat, for a longline fishing expedition held in December. In line with equipment requirements, an Emergency Positioning-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and a Search And Rescue Transponder (SART) were ordered for the Cassiopeia. The Cassiopeia and the open outboard motor boat were drydocked during the month of January. The instructors in fishing and marine engineering, together with their JICA counterparts, scraped off barnacles, algae and other rmarine growth from the surface of the Cassiopeia and the motor boat and repainted the bottom of the Cassiopeia.. The Fishing/Fisheries Section also reported that the fishing modules for the Restricted Class 6 Master/Engineer Courses will be ready to offer this semester.

A new group of students began classes on January 22, 2001, in Elements of Shipboard Safety and Basic Shipboard Safety. Once having completed these two courses, this group will go right on to the next course which is the Restricted Class 6 Master/Engineer Course.

A JICA Project Cycle Management Workshop in line with the Fisheries Training Project was conducted at FMI February 8-9, 2001. Vice President for Support and Student Affairs Ringlen Ringlen represented me at this workshop. A follow-up Joint Coordinating Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 14, 2001, at the National Campus.

FSM FMI Director Matthias Ewaramai submitted a request to the SPC Regional Maritime Program for funding for a Tutor's Training to be held at the Institute. He is pleased to report that the request has been approved and is currently being scheduled for some time this semester. FSM FMI will put up $7500 while SPC will cover the remainder of the expenses to hold this training.

Matthias reports that textbooks for the upcoming courses have been printed and collated and will be ready for binding soon.

The major challenge at FSM FMI currently is proper repair of the roof of the main building. The original contractor was unable to repair the roof and, as a result, and arrangements are being made with a firm in Guam to provide the materials and train the FMI staff in the application of the materials.

SBA Vice President.   In a January 25, 2001, memorandum from Student Body Association (SBA) President Benrita Martin notification was given that SBA Vice President Jonathan Mathau graduated creating a vacancy in the SBA Executive Committee. According to Benrita, the Executive Committee met, in accordance with article V, Section G of the SBA Constitution, and appointed James Lukan to the position of Vice President. Congratulations to James on his appointment!

Personnel.    The College is pleased to welcome M.J. Joseph to Kosrae Campus. Mr. Joseph is teaching agriculture.

Resignations have been received from the following employees: Zag Puas of Pohnpei Campus (effective February 9, 2001), Bernard Kiteuo of the Chuuk Land Grant Program (effective December 14, 2000), and Victor Pluw of FSM Fisheries and Maritime Institute (effective January 10, 2001). We thank you for your contributions to the College and wish you well in your future endeavors.

Chuuk Campus has reported the return of Randy Nunez from a two-year period of educational leave during which he completed his graduate course requirements in Marketing. Randy will defend his thesis early this summer.