M E M O R A N D U M

August 09, 2006

To:           All Concerned 

From:       President, COM-FSM 

Subject: Update #280

College of Micronesia-FSM Retirement Plan Third Quarter Report

At the beginning of the Third Quarter, April 1, 2006, there were 147 regular employees of the College that are now enrolled in the Retirement Plan. During this reporting period 141 made contributions, 0 entered the plan and 2 left the plan, resulting in 145 participants with account balances at the end of June 30, 2006. The ending balance on the COM-FSM Retirement Plan balance as of June 30, 2006 is at $860,156.66 and the average participants balance as of June 30, 2006 is at $5,932.11.

The Administration is encouraging the regular employees of the College to capitalize on the Retirement Plan in order to have a secure future, especially when they reach the desired retirement age from the College.

Fall Semester 2006 Registration Week at the National Campus

The Fall Semester 2006 registration at the National Campus started on Monday, August 7, 2006, for continuing students. Registration for freshmen started on Tuesday afternoon, August 8, 2006. The registration process will continue to August 10, 2006, and first day of instruction for Fall Semester 2006 is on Friday, August 11, 2006. As of 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 8/8/06, 554 plus students have officially registered. This is about 60 % of the projected enrollment for Fall Semester 2006.

Taiwan/ROC Scholarship Scheme: Priority Fields for 2006

The President’s Office has received communication from the Secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs, FSM identifying the 2006 priority fields for the Taiwan/ROC Scholarship. This scholarship is available to interested students at the COM-FSM campuses. The priority fields included fisheries, agriculture and tourism which will be covered by the Taiwan/ROC scholarship. Recipients of this scholarship will be furthering their education in Taiwan. Interested students can pick up application(s) at the FSM Department of Foreign Affairs. The deadline for submitting these applications is on 13 August 2006.

Five Year Strategic Plan

The Planning Council has been working on a Five Year Strategic Plan for the College during the past years. The Planning Council on its Tuesday, August 8, 2006, meeting recommended that the Strategic Plan 2006-2011 would be widely distributed to COM-FSM’s students, faculty, staff and key stakeholders prior to submission to the Board of Regents at its September 4-7, 2006 meeting in the State of Yap. Electronic copies of the draft Strategic Plan will be emailed out the week of August 7, 2006 for review and comments. Administration of the College would request that each member of the college community take the time to review and comment on the draft document. The plan is to assist the college in improving decision-making and resource allocations to allow the college to meet its mission and goals. As such, the Strategic Plan is a working document that will be reviewed and updated annually.

Carnegie Mellon Student Interns

The College of Micronesia-FSM has been using two student interns from the Carnegie Mellon University during the past six months to assist the College on improvements of its Database Management and other technology related expansions. The administration of the College would like to thank the Carnegie Mellon University and the two student interns for assisting the College with its technology needs during the past six months. A luncheon has been organized for the student interns for the purposes of expressing the College’s appreciation, gratitude, and thanks to these two student interns. The luncheon will be on Thursday, August 10, 2006 at the Sei Restaurant.

Update from Chuuk Campus

Building #4, the last building at the Mori Site will be completed by the third week of August, 2006. This building will be housing the offices for student services. Outstanding work still needed at the current site include the fencing of the site and landscaping. The other pressing needs at the current site include parking areas for the students, faculty, and staff.

The networking of the offices and buildings at the current site is nearly completed and will be ready for the students, faculty, and staff to use when Fall Semester begins in a week.

The Summer 2005 Teach Out which limited enrollment of continuing students at Chuuk Campus will be terminated at the end of Summer Session 2006. The enrollment of new students at Chuuk Campus will commence during Fall Semester 2006. However, the enrollment there will be limited to 610 students because of the availability of resources to the College and Chuuk Campus to provide quality programs and services. As of August 1, 2006 the Office of Admissions and Records has received applications from students in the State of Chuuk expressing their intention to enroll at Chuuk Campus during Fall Semester 2006. The break down is given below:

--Continuing students	283 applications
--New students	274 “
--Returning Students	66 “
Total	623 applications

Update from Pohnpei Campus

Summer Session 2006 ended on July 17, 2006. The total enrollment for Summer Session 2006 was at 434. The average completion rate for courses offered at Pohnpei Campus during Summer Session 2006 is at 76%, which is near the average course completion rate for the system.

The Instructional areas are gearing up for Fall Semester 2006. Most of the instructors needed for Fall Semester have been recruited. An orientation meeting for faculty was conducted on July 31, 2006. Instructors were presented with information on workshops for faculty, registration, and freshmen orientation at that meeting.

Update from Human Resource Division

The College extends congratulations to the following staff and new hires: Nelchor Permitez, Instructor in Electronics and Telecommunications at Pohnpei Campus; Deeleeann Daniel, Instructor in Mathematics at Pohnpei Campus; Albert Amson, Vocational Technician at Pohnpei Campus; Debra Perman, Business Instructor at Pohnpei Campus; and Karen Nelson, English Instructor at National Campus. We welcome all of you to the COM-FSM family.

Essay Contest on Water Problems On My Island

Six essays were submitted by students at the Chuuk, Kosrae, and National Campuses. A panel of 4 judges reviewed the essays on July 23, 2006, and determined the winning essay from among the six that were submitted. The winning essay was submitted by Mr. Dandeen Johnson, a sophomore student from Pohnpei majoring in Health Career Opportunity Program.

The winner of the essay contest will receive a one week all expenses paid trip to the University of Ryukyu in Okinawa, Japan and other sites in Japan during the week of October 9, 2006. Mr. Johnson will be accompanied by Mrs. Jean Thoulag, Vice President for Instructional Affairs. Mrs. Thoulag’s trip expenses will also be paid for by the Ryukyu University.

Mr. Dandeen Johnson will also be presenting his paper at a water issues seminar at the University of Ryukyu. Congratulations to Mr. Johnson for submitting the winning essay on Water Problems on My Island.

SEG Funding for COM-FSM Teacher Corp Program

Mr. Eddie Haleyalig, Director of Financial Aid Office, attended a Nation-Wide Supplemental Education Grant Workshop at the Central Building Complex to learn more about the status of the SEG funds for the College. The recommendation from JEMCO was to delete the SEG funds for the COM-FSM Teacher Corp Program from the SEG Nation Wide Plan for fiscal year 2006 funding. The President will contact appropriate offices at the FSM National Government and JEMCO to find out more about the recommendation to delete the Teacher Corp Program funding from the 2006 SEG Plan.

Thank you.

 

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