Integrity, Transparency, and Efficiency

“Trust, honesty, humility, transparency and accountability are the building blocks of a positive reputation. Trust is the foundation of any relationship.” – Mike Paul

The recent decision by the Northern Marianas College Board of Regents to re-announce the position of the president was disappointing to me and many others. I would like to thank all the individuals who expressed their support and assisted me in my application to become the next president of the College. The selection process took six months from the first announcement in June until the decision to begin the process again. The Presidential Search Committee (PSC), led by Lt. Col. Edward Camacho, was thorough as they narrowed down 12 candidates to the top four that were interviewed. From the four, I was one of two selected as the finalists.

I was first informed that the interview with the Board would be on November 3rd, but less than a week before that date, I was told that the interview was rescheduled a month later to accommodate the other finalist. All of this was done without public disclosure. I learned that the finalists were not going to be announced to the public, and after the new president was chosen, he or she would then be introduced to the College and community. I was given no other information except for the date of the interview, and I did not even know the name of the other finalist until the name of Dr. Betsy Boze was revealed by Moneth Deposa, a reporter for the Saipan Tribune. Within 10 minutes after reading the article online, I knew that Dr. Boze had accepted an offer from the College of the Bahamas to become their next president because it was revealed on both the Wiki pages of Dr. Boze and the College of the Bahamas.

This created an interesting situation with only three options: 1) Interview and chose me as the new president, 2) open the interview to the other two individuals who were part of the four interviewed by the PSC, or 3) re-announce the position either before or after interviewing me.

So here we are, back at square one in the search for a new president. I was pleased to learn from the Board’s press release that the “search process will continue with integrity, transparency, and efficiency.” Transparency is essential for the search to be conducted in fairness and to keep all the stakeholders of the College informed, and hopefully involved in the process. As the press release revealed, the selection of a new president is “for the benefit of our students, staff, faculty, and the community.”

I urge the Board to involve the College and community in the process by publicly announcing the candidates, inviting the students, staff, faculty, and community to meet with the finalists, ask questions, and even have some say in the process. A lack of integrity and transparency will only engender an aura of politics at work and would negatively affect the credibility of the Board, College, and new president.

Will “transparency” be given lip service, or will it be a critical part of the new search process? Will the public be invited to express their opinions and ask questions of the candidates before the person is selected? Can NMC really have a new president by the end of January? It can happen if integrity, transparency, and efficiency are truly part of the search process.

In my original application, I included a Strategic Agenda that outlined the activities and goals for the first 100 days in office. In the spirit of transparency, I plan to share that agenda so you understand how I would approach the position, and I would also like to see the 100 day agenda of all the future candidates. What is their philosophy? Where do they see the College headed in the future? How will they deal with the challenges the College is facing? And, how will they involve all stakeholders to fully achieve the College mission?

I have served at the College in numerous capacities for over 13 years, and we are dealing with the most difficult challenges that NMC has ever had to face. It will take someone who is aware of the situation in the Commonwealth and College to step in and make timely decisions to save the institution.

If the goal is to hire someone by the end of January, the only way this could happen so quickly is if the Board has someone in mind who is currently working at the College and could immediately step into the position. Is there a possibility that I would seriously be reconsidered for the position? Probably not; however, I plan to reapply to make myself available, and to set the standard for the search to be conducted with integrity, transparency, and efficiency.