College plans to increase technology fee by 50 dollars

Palikir, Pohnpei - December 4, 2009 - The College of Micronesia – FSM will be proposing to the Board of Regents at its December meeting in Yap to increase the current technology fee to $100. This will be the first increase since 1997.

The change in fee will help pay costs to improve Internet services at the College, help shoulder costs of replacing aging communications technology network equipment at all six campuses, and the rising need to keep technology upgraded at all campuses.

The College also considered that the rise in funds will also provide more flexibility in terms of being able to purchase more technical equipments for the college, for students and potentially for others. According to the College’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Committee, a committee that advises the college president on communication and technology issues, one of the goals for the use of the technology fee will be to maximize as much bandwidth as possible.

The increase is sufficient now for at least 5 years, instead of increasing the fee fund twice in another 5 years period. The effort is to have the increase in effect by spring 2010. The technology fee can be charged to the Pell Grant for eligible students.

Hearings are being conducted at all campuses and the results of the hearings will be submitted to the Board of Regents for their consideration.

College of Micronesia – FSM receives funding from U.S. DOA Farm Bill

Palikir, Pohnpei - November 30, 2009 - Since 2005, the Vice President Cooperative Research and Extension (VP-CRE) in collaboration with Vice President Instructional Affairs (VPIA) has received funding directly under the US Department of Agriculture Farm Bill. This fund is for educational programs in Agriculture and Natural Sciences and Food related sciences. This program is known as CARIPAC. The acronym refers to the US affiliated areas in the Caribbean and the Pacific regions. The institutions involved are: University of the Virgin Islands; University of Puerto Rico; University of Guam; American Samoa Community College; Northern Marianas College; Palau Community College; College of the Marshall Islands and COM-FSM.

Pohnpei Campus Agriculture Certificate students gathering
soil samples. Alten Lorens – holding shovel, Moyleen Tolena,
Valentine Chipen & Wainer Kihleng

Phase I of CARIPAC emphasized an evaluation of the institutions readiness to prepare and deliver programs through Distance Education. This evidence led to a change to improving facilities and systems to deliver programs through conventional means. Accomplishments through Phases II and III included the development of a Certificate in Agriculture program at Pohnpei Campus and the provision of the first ‘Smart-Boards” to all campuses. Three staff or students from COM-FSM participated in training at the Univ. of Puerto Rico and the Chair for Agriculture Program was sponsored to attend the US National Small Farms Conference. Two students received scholarships to attend University of Guam.

Agriculture Instruction Chair, Kiyoshi Phillip
conducts recruitment at PICS High School

In Phase III and increasingly in Phase IV and V, the focus is changing to include training for Public School teachers and programs leading to improving the transition from High School to college and retention programs within the college. To accomplish these goals a project coordinator has been hired. Phase IV and V are funded through signed Memoranda of Understanding with the University of Guam as the Program Administering Institution.

Phase I started with just over $48,000. Currently Phase IV provides $80,500 and Phase V increased to $86,468.50. This increase has allowed the planned purchase of scientific, instructional and connectivity equipment, training and scholarships. This year CariPac funding will provide 1 scholarship at the University level, 5 for AS students and 5 for students of certificate programs in each of Kosrae and Pohnpei. Criteria for these scholarships will be finalized and announced before the beginning of the spring 2010 semester. As part of our recruitment and retention we are arranging a trip for outstanding agriculture students to see what facilities are available in Palau and Guam; to help encourage our students to consider careers in agriculture, entrepreneurial actions or continued studies at the University of Guam as part of our CariPac collaborative effort.

New Chuuk Campus 300 KW generator provides continuous power

Palikir, Pohnpei - November 2, 2009 -The College of Micronesia-FSM (COM-FSM) has installed a new generator to provide continuous power at Chuuk Campus. The Denyo 300 KW generator went into operation on October 10, 2009.

The new generator replaced an older generator which provided only 90 KW of power to supplement the frequent power outages in Chuuk for Chuuk Campus. The Denyo 300 KW generator is capable of providing power to the entire campus. It produces less noise and is located to the northern end of the campus to prevent disruption to classes. The generator was installed by Chuuk Public Utility Corporation staff and coordinated by COM-FSM’s Alfred Olter.

According to Chuuk Campus Director, Joakim Peter, the new generator promoted a feeling of assurance among faculty and students especially when instruction can be carried out without interruption. The new generator alternates power generation with the island power with a downtime of less than three minutes to switch between the two power sources.

A general practice was encouraged at Chuuk Campus for machines and devices that use electric power to be switched off if not in use.

The Chuuk State leaders are currently trying to secure legislative mandate to allocate some money to support power generation for the campus.

Second Exchange Student to Ryukyus Returns

Palikir, Pohnpei - October 5, 2009 - Laura Fujimoto of Pohnpei is back at the National Campus after completing two semesters at Ryukyus under a student exchange program between the institution and the College of Micronesia – FSM. Ms Fujimoto is currently taking classes at the National Campus during this fall 2009 semester.

Ms Laura Fujimoto completed two semesters of study as an exchange student at the University of Ryukyus during academic year 2008-2009. At Ryukyus, Laura studied Basic Japanese, Conversational Japanese, Kanji, Japanese Culture, Japanese History, and American Culture and Society. She returned to COM-FSM this fall 2009 to continue her studies as agreed to between the two institutions.

Laura was awarded the Japan Student Services Organization Scholarship which provides monthly stipends for 11 months and relocation allowance which provides for airfare and other miscellaneous costs associated with her stay in Japan.

Ms Fujimoto majors in Business Administration and is also a member of the COM-FSM chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.

During 2007-2008 academic year, Ms Charlene Arthur, also from Pohnpei went to the same university under the same program.

The College of Micronesia-FSM also has a partnership BA Program in Elementary Education with the University of Guam and articulation agreements with University of Guam, University of Hawaii-Hilo, Chaminade University, Hawaii Pacific University, Eastern Oregon State University, San Diego State University, Guam Community College, Honolulu Community College, University of Phoenix, University of Idaho, Brigham Young University (Honolulu) and National University.

Erik Olter and Lewi-Rose Sigrah to Represent FSM at Geneva World Telecom 2009

Palikir, Pohnpei - September 01, 2009 - Erik W Olter and Lewi-Rose Sigrah were selected and approved to attend the World Telecom 2009 Youth Forum in Geneva. They will be representing the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) at the forum.

Olter from national campus and Sigrah from Pohnpei state campus were among a group of second-year students who submitted essays during last March for consideration on the topic of "What is the biggest problem in your community and how would you use information communication technologies to solve it?"

Each campus submitted the names of a male and female student for consideration. A team of essay reviewers from the college and the national government reviewed all essay entries and recommended Olter and Sigrah to the World Telecom 2009 Youth Forum organizers who accepted their nomination.

The forum will take place in Switzerland during the month of October.

Lewi-Rose Sigrah is still attending the College of Micronesia - FSM while Erik Olter has transferred to the University of Hawaii. The two will be contacted directly by the event organizers.

Students Participate In Summer Science Research and Student Internships

Several College of Micronesia – FSM students participated in research projects, presented research projects and experienced commercial fishing in the Arctic region during the summer of 2009.

According to Instructor Brian Lynch, students Herbert Timothy and Jesse Panuel accompanied him to Hawaii where they presented their summer research projects at the Islands of Opportunity-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Students Participation program, which supports students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Herbert Timothy presented a project titled "Diversity and Distribution of Sicydiine Gobies in the Streams of Pohnpei, FSM" while Jesse Panuel presented his project titled "Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Preference of an undescribed species of blind snake on Ant Atoll, FSM." Panuel was mentored under Dr. Donald Buden.

In addition Leinson Neth, Jacobson Kibby, and Paulino Balagot all participated in the Undergraduate Research Mentoring (URM) program. All three students spent ten weeks in Hawaii working with UH researchers and graduate students, and completing individual research projects.

Another student John Dale Charley was also selected and attended a two-month long summer program called the “Alaska Experience”. The program takes students to Alaska during summers to experience life in Alaska including commercial fishing. This program was created by sponsored by professors Ray Verg-in and Yenti Verg-in.

According to Instructor Brian Lynch, summer internships, research projects, and experiences including the presentations by Herbert and Jesse's projects in Hawaii provided hands on experience in research and presentation to the students to enhance their science skills.

A symposium on the summer activities is being planned for presentation at the college.

COM-FSM Is Party To A $867K To Support Health Education Programs In Micronesia

The College of Micronesia – FSM is a party to a program for the Guam/Micronesia Area Health Education Center (AHEC) which was recently funded. The partners under the program include the University of Guam (UOG), the University of Hawaii (UH), the Guam Community College (GCC), the College of Micronesia – FSM (COM-FSM), the College of the Marshall Islands (CMI), and the Pacific Islands Health Officers Association (PIHOA). The UOG has been designated as the office for the program

The Department of Health and Human Services awarded $867K in funding to UOG for the first year of a three-year grant that supports the improvement of individual and community health throughout Micronesia by recruiting and training additional health care professionals.

According to Maria Salomon Director of Nursing at the University of Gaum and Guam/Micronesia AHEC program office director, Area Health Education Centers will be established in Guam, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.

The goal of the Guam/Micronesia AHEC is to improve the health of the underserved through collaborative regional training initiatives across the Micronesian region. This area has some of the highest health workforce shortage ratings, and greatest health and education disparities in the US. The Guam/Micronesian Area Health Education Center emphasizes community-based interisland training for healthcare providers and students while enhancing health career education and recruitment from elementary to community college levels. The grant objectives include:

• Improve the diversity of the health professions workforce by mentoring and providing health career activities for over 1,200 underrepresented minority students per year.
• Improve the distribution of the health care workforce in Micronesia by providing local/on-island interdisciplinary training for more than 150 students a year.
• Improve the quality and retention of the health workforce in Micronesia by providing culturally relevant continuing education to more than 780 medical providers.

According to Salomon, the program will begin with recruitment activities throughout the region at the elementary level in order to familiarize young students with health care professions. She also said the program will be created to train students based on the health care needs of each particular area served by the centers. Training and continuing education programs will include curricula for nurses, dental workers, technicians, public health professionals, and physicians, among others.

For its part, the College of Micronesia – FSM has launched its first Public Health Training Program by Fall 2009 semester and is currently developing its own nursing program to be launched when approved. Both programs are expected to receive assistance from the AHEC grant.

Alumni Executives Appoint Members to Fundraising Committee

College of Micronesia-FSM

The officers of the Community College of Micronesia and College of Micronesia – FSM Alumni Association (CCAA) made their first act by appointing members to the Alumni Fundraising Committee.

The fundraising committee members include Joysleen Daniel, Taylor Elidok, Strickson Fredrick, Mayson Fredrick, Amanda Jack, Josephine James Saimon, Ruthy Lebehn, Daisy Nanpei Cantero, Jean Welles and Xavier Yarofmal. As the treasurer for CCAA executive committee, Amanda Jack is the chair of the newly created fundraising committee.

The creation of the committee was made in response to the terms of reference (TOR) for the College of Micronesia – FSM’s Endowment Fundraising Steering Committee. Besides establishing the alumni committee, the TOR also calls for the creation of fundraising committees for each campus, for the international community and for government entities.

CCAA was established on the evening of May 12, 2009, after the college hosted a dinner for all CCM and COM-FSM alumni. The event included the election of the new association’s executive committee, which include Wayne Mendiola as President, Pelma Palik as Vice President, Amanda Jack as Treasurer and Pamela Joseph as Secretary. CCAA was the first alumni association created since April 1993.

The CCAA executive committee held their first meeting on June 9th, the second meeting on July 21st, and on July 24, 2009. Besides creating the new fundraising committee, the CCAA executive committee has completed the association’s bylaws and is currently working to incorporate the new association.

Other plans discussed by CCAA executive committee include the need to provide a venue for alumni interaction.

Community College of Micronesia and College of Micronesia-FSM Alumni Association (CCAA) Executive Committee

Pamela Joseph (Secretary), Amanda Jack (Treasurer), Wayne Mendiola (President), Pelma Palik (Vice President)

First Reported case of Pandemic Influenza A/H1N1 in the Federated States of Micronesia

College of Micronesia-FSM

On July 20, 2009, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) National Department of Health and Social Affairs was notified of the country's first laboratory confirmed human case of Pandemic Influenza A/H1N1.

The confirmed case is a 27-year-old male from the main island of Weno in the state of Chuuk, FSM. The patient developed a headache, fever, cough, sore throat and runny nose on 2 July, and was seen at Chuuk State Hospital on 3 July, where he tested negative on a local rapid test. Samples were forwarded to the WHO Collaborating Centre for Influenza in Melbourne, Australia, where testing confirmed Pandemic H1N1 on 17 July. The patient reported no travel history and no contact with sick animals. He had recently been vaccinated for seasonal influenza.

The patient was advised home quarantine. He was not given antivirals and he recovered without complication. His contacts are in the process of being evaluated.

The Chuuk State Department of Health and Services, with assistance of the FSM National Department of Health and Social Affairs, is continuing its ongoing efforts to mitigate the impact of influenza in the community. These efforts include providing health alerts to travelers at points of entry, carrying out respiratory triage at healthcare centers to avoid spread of respiratory illness to these facilities, isolating patients at home or in the hospital and providing recommended care, following up of contacts, and providing education to the community.

The confirmation of pandemic influenza in the FSM does not change the mitigation measures that have already been in place, but serves as a reminder of the importance of carrying out these activities with renewed vigor.

The public is reminded of the importance of good hygiene and respiratory etiquette, avoiding close contact with ill individuals, staying home from work or school when they are sick, and seeking appropriate medical care if experiencing respiratory symptoms.

WASC Approves COM-FSM Follow-Up Report

College of Micronesia-FSM
At its June 9-11 meeting, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) took action to approve the College of Micronesia – FSM’s (COM-FSM) Follow-Up Report.

The College’s Follow-Up report to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior College (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges informed the accrediting commission on all resolutions the college has identified and implemented to resole four ACCJC identified recommendations.

The report was submitted on March 15, 2009, and was followed up by a visit by Mr Floyd Takeuchi of the ACCJC from April 28 – May 1, 2009. A report from Mr Takeuchi was submitted to the ACCJC after his visits to national and Chuuk state campuses.

In her June 30 letter to President Spensin James of COM-FSM, President Barbara Beno of the ACCJC said that the commission accepted the College’s Follow-Up Report yet it noted that a final resolution of the Chuuk site is still pending. President Beno wrote that the commission requires the College to report on the resolution of the Chuuk site issue, including the implementation of a reliable power source for that site, within the College’s Self Study Report. The Self Study Report is expected to be submitted by December 1, 2009.

Copies of the Commission Action Letter and the College’s Follow-Up Report are available online at http://www.comfsm.fm/Accreditation/archive.html.

During the same meeting, the ACCJC took the following actions on the following regional institutions:

College of the Marshall Islands – Reaffirmed Accreditation on the Basis of a Comprehensive Evaluation

Northern Marianas Coll:)ege – Removed from Show Cause and Reaffirmed Accreditation on the Basis of a Show Cause Report

College of Micronesia-FSM – Accepted Follow-Up Report with Visit

Guam Community College – Accepted Mid-Term Report
For more information about this article, email the editor at jsaimon@comfsm.fm

The College of Micronesia-FSM Receives $1.575 Million for Nursing Program

College of Micronesia-FSM
The College of Micronesia – FSM (COM-FSM) will be receiving $315,000 annually for five years through an approved Area Health Education Center (AHEC) grant. The AHEC grant was applied with the U.S. Department of Health Services through the FSM Department of Education.

According to information from the FSM Department of Education, the grant was approved and grant notification award is forthcoming. The College will be using the AHEC grant money as seed money for the AS Degree Program in Nursing. This is great news for the College and the whole FSM as the nation is in dire need of certified nurses to work at all FSM state hospitals.

The College extends its appreciation and thanks to the FSM Department of Health Services for its willingness to collaborate with the College on this important project.

This article was taken from the COM-FSM President’s Update #329. You can read other news about the College of Micronesia- FSM at the following website: www.comfsm.fm/.