College Installs Informational Panel at National Campus

Student reading news on the new information panel.

COM-FSM's Information Technology (IT) office installed a 42 inch flat screen informational panel at the National Campus Administration Building. The information panel pilot project will be used to deliver college related information to students, faculty, staff and visitors of the campus. The panel will display news, emergency alerts, event announcements and other information from the college.

The pilot project is a move towards improving the College's communications capabilities and ability to disseminate information to its constituents. The project began by request of former President Spensin James.

The information panel is remotely controlled and its contents are simultaneously updated along with the college’s website and the myShark portal news and information sections. The pilot testing will end by summer 2011. The college hopes to deploy this technology at all its campuses.

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Interim President Accepts Resignation by Vice President

The COM-FSM Interim President, Mr Ringlen Ringlen, accepted a resignation letter from Ms Jean Thoulag as vice president for instructional affairs. Vice President Thoulag submitted her letter of resignation on April 18, 2011.

Jean Thoulag, Vice President for Instructional Affairs

In her letter, Vice President Thoulag cited personal reasons and a desire to return to the United States for some time as her reasons for resigning. She chose to alert the college of her decision ahead of time in order to provide the college and those within her department the opportunity for a smooth transition.

On behalf of the college, Interim President Ringlen thanked her for her 14 years of honorable service to the college. He acknowledged her contributions to the college especially in her former capacity as the coordinator of the Title III project, then as the director of the learning resources center, and eventually as the vice president for instructional affairs.

Ms Thoulag expressed her gratitude to the college and her interest to assist the college in the future when she returns to Micronesia. In response, Mr Ringlen invited her to consider reemployment at the college in the future.

New Metropolitan WiFi deployment pilot project at National Campus

COM-FSM's Information Technology (IT) office has deployed and is testing a new metropolitan wireless access pilot project, fittingly named COMFSMWiFi. The goal of the project is to blanket the entire national campus with wireless access. Pending the success of the pilot project, it will be replicated at all six COM-FSM campuses.

IT will be conducting an informational session on the subject on Thursday May 5, 20011 at 3:30PM at MITC. A brief review of the college's proposed Wireless Policy and a Howt-to demonstration will be presented.

Board to Request Supplemental Funding from Congress

The COM-FSM Board of Regents at their March 14-15, 2011, meeting agreed to request supplemental funding from the FSM Congress. The supplemental request is intended to cover the expenses associated with the board's reflection sessions for this fiscal year, the presidential search committee and the hiring of a consultant to help the college understand more about how college foundations work.

Students Now Have Option to Pay Only $15 during Registration

The Board of Regents acted to require student to pay only $15 during registration instead of the original $50. According to the college, the original $50 that students were required to pay during registration includes a registration fee of $15, a health fee of $15 and an activity fee of $20. Instead of requiring students to pay for the entire amount during registration, student now have the option to only pay the registration fee of $15 during registration. The health and activity fees may be paid after the student receives his or her financial aid award.

COM-FSM Signs MOU with Zhejiang Ocean University

COM-FSM hosted a dinner reception at the Village Hotel for the guests from the Zhejiang Open University

Representatives from Zhejiang Ocean University visited the College of Micronesia-FSM on April 12-13 to renew and sign a second memorandum of understanding between the two institutions. The updated memorandum of understanding for cooperation maintained the “sister institution” relationship that existed between the two higher education institutions. The delegation from ZOU was led by Vice President WU Changwen and Director of International Exchange and Cooperation Professor LU Huaqing.

Besides the relationship that the two institutions share, the MOU reinforced the commitment to cooperate in student and faculty exchange programs, and to offer full scholarships for up to 10 students to attend any ZOU bachelor or master’s degree program. Faculty may be exchanged between the ZOU and COM-FSM either as guest lecturers or longer term instructors. ZOU also offered to support a COM-FSM faculty to pursue doctoral or postdoctoral studies. A proposal to co-host a China-FSM marine biology workshop was presented.

Currently, Elijah Tarofmal of Yap, a COM-FSM marine science graduate, is attending Zhejiang Ocean University under a full scholarship program. He has completed one year of Chinese language training and is now taking his major courses in marine biology. According to Director Lu, Elijah is doing well and ZOU would like to invite more students like him.

The guests had a brief tour of the National Campus, where they met with Interim President Ringlen Ringlen, Vice President for Instructional Affairs Jean Thoulag and Vice President for Cooperative Research and Extension services Jim Currie. JICA Senior Volunteer Dr Mori Hamada gave a presentation on fisheries resources processing for the visitors. The guests also visited the sea cucumber and pearl hatchery at Nett Point and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

An evening reception was held at the Village Hotel along with entertainment by Professor Chen’s COM-FSM Chinese I students. The Charge d’Affairs for the People’s Republic of China Embassy was also at the reception to meet the group from ZOU.

The other representatives from Zhejiang Ocean University include Vice Dean for the School of Food and Pharmacy, Professor DENG Shanggui; Vice Dean for the School of Fisheries and Shipping, Professor SONG Weihua; and Vice Dean for the School of Naval Architecture and Civil Engineering Professor, LI Qiang.

Zhejiang Ocean University is located on Zhoushan Island, off the north east coast of China in Zhejiang Province.

College Notifies Occupants of Affected Positions

Supervisors throughout the college served layoff notices to all employees whose positions were selected for elimination through the job audit and streamlining study on April 6, 2011. A total of 17 fulltime staff positions and 7 part time staff positions will be eliminated.

June 6, 2011, is the effective date for the termination of employment for all 17 employees whose positions were identified in the study. Affected employees who are on special contracts were informed that their contracts will not be renewed. All of these employees are from the National, Pohnpei and Chuuk campuses. Thirteen out of the 17 are from Pohnpei and National campuses and the other four are from Chuuk Campus.

As part of the layoff notices that were served to the affected employees, a list of nonteaching vacant positions was also provided. From April 7 to April 21, the affected employees are given the opportunity to apply for any of these positions, for which they qualify. Ad hoc committee screening of the applications by the employees will commence on April 22 and end by April 29.

The Human Resources Office is scheduling workshops on resume and job interview skills for these employees. The college is utilizing the services of Pohnpei Business Development Center in providing training on how to run small businesses.

The employees, who submitted their applications for any of the vacant positions, will be notified whether they are accepted or not. All employees who are accepted will be transferred to the new positions by June 6, 2011. The remaining employees will be presented a severance package. The severance package contains the remaining salary for the current fiscal year from June 6-September 30, 2011, plus 240 hours of accumulated leave time.

College Delays Job Audit/ Streamlining Recommendations Implementation

The College of Micronesia-FSM has delayed the implementation of the job audit and streamlining recommendations one week late. The original implementation date of March 30 is now changed to April 6, 2011.

This change was made to accommodate the need for the COM-FSM Board of Regents to review a policy that will guide the implementation process. The layoff notice date is changed to April 6, 2011.

The following actions are expected to take place after the layoff notices are issued:

• Vacant positions filled – a period of sixty days will commence on April 6, where the college will prepare the affected employees to apply for vacant positions at the college or seek employment elsewhere
• Public Health and Nursing programs transfer from National Campus to Pohnpei Campus
• ACE Program transfer from Pohnpei Campus to National Campus
• College leadership visit campuses and government leaders to provide updates
• Assessment of job audit and streamlining processes and outcomes

Specific dates for the above items will be identified by the college at a later date.

The recommendations to move faculty and staff to more competitive salary scales and to streamline operations at the college were approved by the COM-FSM Board of Regents at its December 2010 meeting.

College to Implement Job Audit/ Streamlining Recommendations

The College of Micronesia-FSM is preparing to execute a series of actions as part of the implementation of the job audit and streamlining recommendations by March 30, 2011. The recommendations to move faculty and staff to more competitive salary scales and to streamline operations at the college were approved by the COM-FSM Board of Regents at its December 2010 meeting.

According to the human resources office, the college is currently processing personnel actions for faculty and staff in response to the job audit recommendations. Layoff notices will be given to employees whose positions were identified as redundant through the streamlining study by March 30, 2011.

The following actions are expected to take place after the layoff notices are issued:

• Vacant positions filled – a period of sixty days will commence beginning at the end of March where the college will prepare the affected employees to apply for vacant positions at the college or seek employment elsewhere
• Public Health and Nursing programs transfer from National Campus to Pohnpei Campus
• ACE Program transfer from Pohnpei Campus to National Campus
• College leadership visit campuses and government leaders to provide updates
• Assessment of job audit and streamlining processes and outcomes

Specific dates for the above items will be identified by the college at a later date.

Board Accepts COM-FSM President’s Resignation

The COM-FSM Board of Regents has accepted the resignation of Spensin James as president and chief executive officer of the college. This is made in response to a request made by the president.

According to instructions from the board chair, the Vice President for Student Services, Mr Ringlen Ringlen, immediately assumes the role of acting president.

In his resignation letter of March 10, 2011, President James thanked the board for allowing him to work with the members for over seven years.

According to his letter, the president wishes to continue his relationship with the college as a faculty member. Before becoming an administrator, the president served as a professor with the math and science division.

Commission Team to Visit College in April

The college will be visited in April by a three-member team as set forth by the commission during its June 2010, meeting.

During their June 9-11, 2010, meeting, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) acted to place the college on warning and required the college to undergo the submission of a follow-up report and a visitation. A follow-up report was submitted by the college accreditation liaison officer, Mr Jon Berger,

on March 15, 2011. The next step would be to receive the visitors, which is currently scheduled for April 11-13, 2011.

According to a letter from President Barbara Beno of the ACCJC to COM-FSM President Spensin James, the visiting team will devote its attention primarily to the following matters as identified in the Action Letter of June 30, 2010:

• Recommendation 1. Improving Institutional Effectiveness and Leadership and Governance. To fully meet this standard, the team recommends the college evolve its communication efforts to ensure broad-based participation and encourage purposeful dialogue in which all stakeholders participate in the exchange of different points of view and reflections that lead to genuine communication and participatory governance (LBA, IV.A.3). With regard to Recommendation 1, the Commission requires that COM-FSM also regularly evaluate the effectiveness of its participatory governance system in helping the institution to achieve its educational mission and to provide quality educational services.
• Recommendation 2. Improving Institutional Effectiveness. To fully meet this standard, the team recommends that the various plans of the college be integrated into the development of a comprehensive long-range educational master plan that is linked to and includes a long-range budget plan (lB4, IILD).
• Recommendation 6. Physical Resources. To fully meet this standard, the college must develop a facilities master plan that reflects the institution's long term educational goals and plans and is linked to an identified, reliable, and ongoing funding source that supports the total cost of facilities ownership (IILB.2.a).
• Recommendation 7. Technology Resources. To fully meet this standard, the team recommends that the college systematically assess its use and need for technology and use the results to develop a new technology plan that is guided by the college's strategic goals and educational master plan (III.C. IILC.la-d, III.C.2).
• Recommendation 8. Financial Resources. To fully meet this standard, the team recommends that the college systematically integrate financial resources planning with the various college plans into a comprehensive master plan that is directly linked to the budget planning and allocation process (IILD.I.a).
• Recommendation 9. Decision-making Roles and Process. To fully meet this standard, the team recommends that the college evaluate its organizational structure and governance processes to ensure that college stakeholders are involved in decision making processes and that the results of systematic evaluations, meetings, and decisions are broadly communicated (IV.A.I, IV.A.2, IV.Ao2.b, IVA.A.3, IV.A.S, IV.B.1.a, IV.B.2.a-b,
• IV.B.2.b, IV.B.2.e).

After the visit, the team chair will prepare a short report which will be presented to the Commission at its June 8-10, 2011, meeting. The college will be informed of its accreditation status after the Commission June meeting.

The three-member team includes the following:

Sandra Serrano, the team chair, is the Chancellor of the Kern Community College District, a California Community College three-college district. The district's service area spans 26,000 square miles, across parts of five counties. The Kern Community College District has a student enrollment of 30,000 by headcount. There are 374 full time faculty

and an equal number of adjunct faculty, 476 classified staff and 78 administrators. Sandra has 30 years of higher education experience that includes serving as a student services director, dean and vice president, adjunct faculty, and college president. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctorate. She has served on five accreditation teams. She was the chair for the last team that visited the college.

Douglass Dykstra has been Chancellor of Windward Community College since July 1, 2009. Prior to that he served as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Hawai‘i Community College for five years. He began his career in the University of Hawai‘i Community College System as an Instructor in History in 1975 also working as a grant writer and at various mid-level academic administrative posts at Leeward Community College. He has served on one ACCJC visitation team in 2004. His research interests have been in the fields Hawai‘i immigration history and in other state and local history topics. He served on the last team that visited the college.

Sean James, Vice Chancellor of Operations Management at the Kern Community College District (KCCD). In his six years with the Kern Community College District his assignments have included Internal Auditor, Interim Director of Fiscal Services, and Vice Chancellor of Operations Management. The duties of the Vice Chancellor of Operations Management include development, design, operation, and improvement of the systems that create and deliver the District’s services. As Internal Auditor Mr. James was responsible for overseeing compliance with the laws and regulations that apply to the Kern Community College District.

Mr. James is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of California and has over 15 years experience auditing California Public School Districts. He also served on the last team that visited the college.

COM-FSM Board of Regents to Hold Next Meeting in Yap

The College of Micronesia-FSM Board of Regents will hold its meeting for the quarter in Yap from March 14 – 15, 2011. Board meetings are open to the general public. The following is the agenda for the meeting:

1. Call to order; opening prayer
2. Reading of mission statement
3. Roll call; declaration of quorum
4. Approval of minutes
1. December 8-9, 2010, regular meeting
5. Communications
6. Regents' reports
7. President's reports (summary of progress and concerns)
1. President
1. Chuuk Campus
2. FSM FMI
3. Kosrae Campus
4. Pohnpei Campus
5. Yap Campus
2. Instructional Affairs
3. Student Services
4. Cooperative Research and Extension (Land Grant)
5. Administrative Services
1. Administrative Divisions
6. Faculty/Staff Senate
7. Student Body Association
8. Accreditation
8. Old Business
   1. Responses to Chairman's letter
   2. Update on streamlining/conversion process
9. New Business
1. Finance
   1. Reduction of required out-of-pocket contribution
   2. Replacement of large value equity manager
   3. Board budget shortfall
2. Personnel
   1. Revisions to Section VII Employment Contract policy
3. Miscellaneous
   1. Energy management policy
10. Executive Session
1. Evaluation of President
11. Next Meeting

12. Adjournment

Kosrae Campus COMET schedule

What:	COMET (COM Entrance Test)
When:	Friday February 11, 2011 at 9:00 AM
Where:	At COM-FSM, Kosrae Campus Venue will be announced at a later date
Requirements:	Come on time with your five ($5.00) dollar test fee and a calculator. Pencils will be provided.

Note: If you would like to change programs from a Certificate program to Degree bound program, taking the COMET is your opportunity to do so. Kulo ma lulap and see you at the "COMET".

For more information, please contact telphone number (691) 370-3191, or email kosrae@comfsm.fm.

Pohnpei Campus COMET schedule

What:	COMET (COM Entrance Test)
When:	February 9, 10 and 11 @ 8:30AM – 12:00PM
Where:	Student Services Center
Requirements:	$5.00, pencil, pen and calculator. Sign up with Student Services Staff to take it during yourFREE time.

For more information, please contact telphone number (691) 320-3795, or email pohnpei@comfsm.fm.

Pohnpei Campus Gear Up Proposal is Selected For Funding

The Pohnpei Campus director was notified by the GEAR Up program officer that the campus’ grant proposal was selected for funding. The notification was sent via email from GEAR Up Program Officer Francesca Paris-Albertson to Pohnpei Campus Director Penny Weilbacher on September 29, 2010.

According to the information contained in the email, the project is expected to be funded for six years with an annual funding of $289,000. This grant is made available by the United States Department of Education under Section 404 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

The GEAR UP or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program grant awarded to COM-FSM Pohnpei Campus is a partnership grant involving ten community partners. The project will serve a single cohort of 7th graders from six target elementary schools by providing rigorous academic coursework, mentoring, and counseling through after school study sessions and intensive summer programs. Increased parental and community involvement in education and professional development of teachers are two major key components of the program, which was designed to strengthen classroom instruction. The program will follow the cohort through the six-year duration of the grant.

The six target elementary schools include Kolonia, Ohmine, Nett, Awak, Saladak, and Sekere. According to Director Weilbacher, the College is very grateful for the pledges from the community to support the grant, especially their major partner, Pohnpei State Department of Education (PDOE). Other partners who pledged their support for the program include Pohnpei State Department of Health Services (PSDHS), Conservation Society of Pohnpei (CSP), Micronesia Red Cross Society (MRCS), Pohnpei Public Library (PPL), Bank of the FSM, Micronesian Seminar (MicSem), Island Food Community of Pohnpei (IFCP), Pohnpei Catholic Youth Organization, and Parental Organization.

According to Director Weilbacher, Pohnpei Campus will enforce its commitment to assist the PDOE in the task of bridging the gap between elementary schools and high schools, and between high schools and the College. Other efforts by the campus to help bridge the gap include two other U.S. federal programs, namely the Educational Talent Search (ETSP), and Upward Bound Program (UBP).