.
The unilateral 25 percent pay cut that many government employees are struggling with and the looming threat to reduce the workforce has caused many government workers to evaluate their employment options by looking for work in the private sector or moving to another location. It’s important to polish up that resume and start thinking about the questions you might be asked in an interview. However, the interviewer’s last question is often the most important one. If you’ve been job hunting, you know that after the interviewers ask all their questions they will usually pause, smile and ask: “Now, do you have any questions that you’d like to ask us?”
This is not just a courtesy question, but an opportunity for you to set yourself apart from the other applicants and demonstrate to those who are evaluating you that you have done your due diligence and want to know more about the position and the organization. It’s also a chance to turn the table around and ask some penetrating questions that will help reveal the type of people you may be working with and determine if the company meets your standards. Asking nothing may cause the interviewer to lose confidence in you and feel like you aren’t interested enough in the position to ask good questions.
Most organizations approach an interview without realizing that an applicant may have numerous other options, or she has just interviewed with a really exciting company and this interview is just a backup plan in case the other job doesn’t pan out. Realize that the interview is a two-way interaction where the interviewee is also trying to evaluate whether a particular organization is a good fit for him or her. How a potential employer conducts the interview and answers the questions may cause those being interviewed to get excited about working with a company, or scratch them off their list and keep their current job or continue their job search. Just because an employer holds the upper hand doesn’t mean that they control all the cards.
In one job interview, I was asked at the conclusion if I had any questions. I wanted to use this time to learn more about the company, so I asked: “From your perspective, what do you feel are the greatest challenges facing this organization?”
The group sat looking at me with a blank stare, so I rephrased the question by sharing some of the most pressing challenges I perceived. After a moment, one of the individuals informed me that my question was not appropriate, because it was a question that they should be asking me. I was shocked by the response. She continued by lecturing me that I should ask questions like, “when will I know if I am selected?” At this point I was trying to keep a straight face. Not one person who was interviewing me would answer the question, and I was even told by one individual that the company’s challenges wouldn’t be shared with me until I was hired. Wow! Remind me not to by a car from that person.
Okay, with one question failed, I came back with a second question: “What is the vision for the future of the company?” After another long, uncomfortable pause, one of them stated that the organization did have a vision and then gave me a generalized, platitudinous response that could have applied to practically any similar company. I was under-whelmed and decided not to pursue the question by asking what that meant. They were now batting with two strikes, so I decided to ask a simple question that just required a “yes” or “no” answer.
At least they didn’t strike out, but they did fail my portion of the interview and left me with an empty feeling. If you’re conducting an interview, make sure to take each question seriously. Unless it’s confidential or proprietary, each question an interviewee asks deserves to be treated with respect by giving a thoughtful answer.
Career coach Robin Upton encourages candidates to ask two questions at the end of an interview: “Now that we have talked about my qualifications, do you have any concerns about me fulfilling the responsibilities of this position?” and “As my direct report in this position, what are the three priorities you would first like to see accomplished?”
As an employer, you can often learn more about a candidate from what they ask, versus what they answer. As a job seeker, doing some research on the company and position will open up many questions. Pick the most relevant that will help you both gain a better understanding and show your interest in the job. If you spend some time sitting on the other side of the table thinking about questions that would impress an employer and give you greater insight, it may transform you from a job seeker into a job getter.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Surviving 2011
.
About this time each year, individuals make a self-assessment to evaluate how the year turned out for them and what they’ve accomplished. Then goals or resolutions are made to start the new year off right with greater hope and prosperity. We should try to better our situation, no matter what the circumstances; otherwise, we end up sinking in the pit of despair. However, the sinking economy doesn’t give much hope for better times ahead.
I’d like to present a plan to help make it through the year with some dignity. There are many areas of your life that you should evaluate, such as your relationships, health, intellectual development, and spirituality, but I’m going to focus on the financial aspect of your life, and what can be done to get better control of your money.
The first step is to determine how much and where your money is being spent. Other than fixed or large expenses such as rent or utilities, it’s a guess for most people as to how much is spent on gas, food, entertainment, etc. If you don’t know the exact amount, take an educated guess and then total the amount to see if it’s close to what you’re actually spending. You will need to start keeping your receipts or recording your expenses in the future to get a better estimate of your spending pattern in specific categories.
Next, prepare a budget to determine how much you should be spending in various categories in order to live within your means or even start saving some money. Look at the expense categories you’ve created and organize them into four major expense areas: 1) Fixed and needed expenses such as rent and insurance; 2) Fixed and wanted expenses such as cable TV; 3) Variable and needed expenses such as food, gas, and utilities; and 4) Variable and wanted expenses such as entertainment, gifts, and vacations. In this last area, you should also include “fun” (I’ll explain later), and “other” as a category for all those expenses that don’t fit anywhere else.
Once you have your expenses listed under these four major areas, it is easier to see how and where you can start cutting your expenses. Fixed and needed expenses are difficult to reduce or eliminate, but you can still do some things such as moving to a place with lower rent or finding another insurance company with a lower rate. Fixed and wanted expenses may possibly be eliminated. Yes you can live without cable.
The next two categories are where you can start seeing greater savings. Your variable and needed expenses can be reduced by planning your food purchases and taking advantage of sales, planning your driving to accomplish as much as possible on one trip, hanging your clothes instead of using the dryer, etc. In the variable and wanted category you can reduce or eliminate most of the expenses in each category by eating out less, taking a less expensive vacation or waiting to go next year.
By looking at all your expenses and examining where to save, you should be able to live within your budget and find some extra money to accelerate your debt payment. Debt can strangle your financial security if you do not learn to master it. Examine all of your loans and the interest payments and put the extra money you’ve saved each month to help pay off the debt with the highest interest rate. Credit cards usually have the highest interest and require a low monthly payment that keeps you paying for as long as possible. If you’ve maxed out your credit limit and are paying extra fees, you may want to get a low-interest personal loan to pay off the credit card. The bank will usually want you to surrender the card, but if they don’t, put the card in a secure place and don’t be tempted to use it again.
Once you’ve retired one loan payment, you will use the extra money from the paid loan so you can accelerate the payment of the loan with the next highest interest rate. By successively doing this with all your loans, you will get out of debt a lot faster than you could by making minimum monthly payments.
Now, with all your debts paid, you should have a large sum of money left over at the end of each month. The next step is to put most of this money into a savings plan. There are many different ways you can save your money. Usually, the higher the interest rate, the higher the risk. Putting it into a bank savings account is usually the safest, but also has the lowest interest rate, which is below the rate of inflation and will not give you much of a return. Banks use your money to make money by putting it into high interest investments and activities that will earn them a greater return on their investment, so follow their example and be smarter with your money.
Once you start investing, you should never take the money out. Your goal is to take advantage of compound interest so that your savings will continue to grow at an exponential rate. If you’re concerned about the temptation to raid your savings or worried that relatives will ask you for a “loan,” then start an Individual Retirement Account, or some investment that makes it difficult to take the money out at any time. When you do spend money outside of your budget, it should be on things that have a potential to increase your income or increase in value over time.
I know you may see the logic in this process, but where is the fun? Who wants to live like a miser so you can have some money when you’re older? Well, there are a lot of people who are older and find that they don’t have the money they need to live on, so this plan can help you avoid it. As for the fun part, you can set up a category in the “variable and want” section that is labeled “fun” or “mad money.” This is an amount you budget (small at first, but becomes larger as you pay off your debts) and that allows you to spend money for fun things, or when you go “mad” on a shopping spree. You’ll have the money in your account to spend without experiencing the guilt afterwards.
Also, if you have some things you want to purchase, don’t go into debt to buy them. Make a list, prioritize the items, find the best price, and then set up a category in your budget that saves money to pay cash for these items. You need more patience to do this, but if it’s done right, you’ll usually get the things on your list in a relatively short period of time.
One of the easiest things to do is to spend money, but one of the most difficult things is to save it. The key to success is to develop more disciplined spending habits, record your expenses, and make the commitment to stay with the program. As you see some success, it will be easier to stick with it and not only survive 2011, but possibly thrive in the coming year.
About this time each year, individuals make a self-assessment to evaluate how the year turned out for them and what they’ve accomplished. Then goals or resolutions are made to start the new year off right with greater hope and prosperity. We should try to better our situation, no matter what the circumstances; otherwise, we end up sinking in the pit of despair. However, the sinking economy doesn’t give much hope for better times ahead.
I’d like to present a plan to help make it through the year with some dignity. There are many areas of your life that you should evaluate, such as your relationships, health, intellectual development, and spirituality, but I’m going to focus on the financial aspect of your life, and what can be done to get better control of your money.
The first step is to determine how much and where your money is being spent. Other than fixed or large expenses such as rent or utilities, it’s a guess for most people as to how much is spent on gas, food, entertainment, etc. If you don’t know the exact amount, take an educated guess and then total the amount to see if it’s close to what you’re actually spending. You will need to start keeping your receipts or recording your expenses in the future to get a better estimate of your spending pattern in specific categories.
Next, prepare a budget to determine how much you should be spending in various categories in order to live within your means or even start saving some money. Look at the expense categories you’ve created and organize them into four major expense areas: 1) Fixed and needed expenses such as rent and insurance; 2) Fixed and wanted expenses such as cable TV; 3) Variable and needed expenses such as food, gas, and utilities; and 4) Variable and wanted expenses such as entertainment, gifts, and vacations. In this last area, you should also include “fun” (I’ll explain later), and “other” as a category for all those expenses that don’t fit anywhere else.
Once you have your expenses listed under these four major areas, it is easier to see how and where you can start cutting your expenses. Fixed and needed expenses are difficult to reduce or eliminate, but you can still do some things such as moving to a place with lower rent or finding another insurance company with a lower rate. Fixed and wanted expenses may possibly be eliminated. Yes you can live without cable.
The next two categories are where you can start seeing greater savings. Your variable and needed expenses can be reduced by planning your food purchases and taking advantage of sales, planning your driving to accomplish as much as possible on one trip, hanging your clothes instead of using the dryer, etc. In the variable and wanted category you can reduce or eliminate most of the expenses in each category by eating out less, taking a less expensive vacation or waiting to go next year.
By looking at all your expenses and examining where to save, you should be able to live within your budget and find some extra money to accelerate your debt payment. Debt can strangle your financial security if you do not learn to master it. Examine all of your loans and the interest payments and put the extra money you’ve saved each month to help pay off the debt with the highest interest rate. Credit cards usually have the highest interest and require a low monthly payment that keeps you paying for as long as possible. If you’ve maxed out your credit limit and are paying extra fees, you may want to get a low-interest personal loan to pay off the credit card. The bank will usually want you to surrender the card, but if they don’t, put the card in a secure place and don’t be tempted to use it again.
Once you’ve retired one loan payment, you will use the extra money from the paid loan so you can accelerate the payment of the loan with the next highest interest rate. By successively doing this with all your loans, you will get out of debt a lot faster than you could by making minimum monthly payments.
Now, with all your debts paid, you should have a large sum of money left over at the end of each month. The next step is to put most of this money into a savings plan. There are many different ways you can save your money. Usually, the higher the interest rate, the higher the risk. Putting it into a bank savings account is usually the safest, but also has the lowest interest rate, which is below the rate of inflation and will not give you much of a return. Banks use your money to make money by putting it into high interest investments and activities that will earn them a greater return on their investment, so follow their example and be smarter with your money.
Once you start investing, you should never take the money out. Your goal is to take advantage of compound interest so that your savings will continue to grow at an exponential rate. If you’re concerned about the temptation to raid your savings or worried that relatives will ask you for a “loan,” then start an Individual Retirement Account, or some investment that makes it difficult to take the money out at any time. When you do spend money outside of your budget, it should be on things that have a potential to increase your income or increase in value over time.
I know you may see the logic in this process, but where is the fun? Who wants to live like a miser so you can have some money when you’re older? Well, there are a lot of people who are older and find that they don’t have the money they need to live on, so this plan can help you avoid it. As for the fun part, you can set up a category in the “variable and want” section that is labeled “fun” or “mad money.” This is an amount you budget (small at first, but becomes larger as you pay off your debts) and that allows you to spend money for fun things, or when you go “mad” on a shopping spree. You’ll have the money in your account to spend without experiencing the guilt afterwards.
Also, if you have some things you want to purchase, don’t go into debt to buy them. Make a list, prioritize the items, find the best price, and then set up a category in your budget that saves money to pay cash for these items. You need more patience to do this, but if it’s done right, you’ll usually get the things on your list in a relatively short period of time.
One of the easiest things to do is to spend money, but one of the most difficult things is to save it. The key to success is to develop more disciplined spending habits, record your expenses, and make the commitment to stay with the program. As you see some success, it will be easier to stick with it and not only survive 2011, but possibly thrive in the coming year.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Ghost of CNMI Yet to Come
.
“A Christmas Carol” is the perennial story by Charles Dickens that shares the redemption of a miserable human being with little hope or caring in his heart for the struggles of others. Ebenezer Scrooge’s salvation comes in three phases, as prophesied by the ghost of his partner, Jacob Marley, who has had to suffer for his greed and self-serving life by wandering the Earth weighted down with heavy chains.
The Ghost of Christmas Past and Present leave Scrooge shaken, but it is not until the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows him his eventual fate that he promises to renounce his insensitive, avaricious ways. Scrooge then finds himself safely tucked in his bed in the present day, and leaps out a changed man ready to start a new life.
Many plans and ideas have been shared that could turn things around for the Commonwealth. Some have been considered, but most lie dormant, waiting for something or someone to breathe life into them. In many of my columns, I have tried to be upbeat about the future, but given our extreme circumstances, it might be fitting to imagine where our present course is taking us. It sometimes takes a glimpse into the future to see where the trajectory of our life is headed. What would the CNMI look like and what might we experience if we were shown our future when we finally hit rock bottom? In the spirit of Dickens’ tale, here’s what the Ghost of CNMI Yet to Come might share with us:
Driving down a once busy street, it’s apparent that many businesses have left the island because half of them are closed or have graffiti painted on their façade. The Garapan business district is like a ghost town with scattered tourists walking on the sidewalks. Tourism continues to struggle because there are no direct flights from other countries and every visitor has to be routed through Guam. It costs over $300 for a round-trip ticket between Saipan and Guam. The guests that do visit are shocked by the dilapidated buildings and trash strewn on the beaches and other public areas. The once pristine lagoon is now murky and full of sea vegetation from the pollution that has continued to be spilled.
The businesses that remain are struggling to keep their doors open. This has caused a continued loss in government revenue which has led to further wage cuts and initiated a reduction in force that has left many families jobless. Crime is extremely high as people struggle to make a living. Most of the families are dependent on food stamps and other government assistance programs because of the dwindling jobs in the government and private sector.
Many government supported agencies and entities had additional funds cut, and this has caused the loss of many public programs and services. The reduction of revenue and ongoing challenges faced by the community college has resulted in their loss of accreditation. This also caused the loss of federally funded programs, and more people are leaving the Commonwealth to pursue their education.
While a lot of locals have moved to the mainland to find better opportunities, the many children of foreign contract workers born in the Commonwealth have graduated from high school to become a strong voting bloc. This has resulted in the first non-indigenous person to be elected as the governor, and more are gaining control of the House and Senate.
The retirement fund prediction of collapse has finally occurred and retirees have had to return to the workforce or depend on their children for support. There are no off-island medical referrals because bills are not paid by the government, and the hospital continues to have a high turnover of doctors and nurses.
CUC’s rates have climbed to become one of the highest in the world, even while their service hits an all-time low. Their engines are continually failing, and brownouts and blackouts are a common occurrence with power failures occurring regularly. This has eroded the quality of life, destroyed electronic components, and severely hurt businesses.
Because of the desperate times, politicians have been able to push the marijuana and casino bills through the House and Senate with the promise of bringing additional revenue to the CNMI. This, however, brought more social problems and dubious investors to the island. The casinos did not add significantly to the tourism numbers, but they did encourage more people living here to become addicted to gambling, which has destroyed many families and has caused more social ills that have spread throughout the Commonwealth and spurred more corruption, prostitution, drugs, and illegal activities that has turned this once family-friendly oasis into a crime-ridden, financially bankrupt island.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen many glimpses into this future and some elements are occurring sooner than later. In Dickens’ tale of a miserable man who is given a second chance to turn his life around, he encouraged his readers to experience the fullness of life in a selfish world that has stifled their compassion and hope for the future. Just as Scrooge pled to alter his future, we have the potential to alter the future of the CNMI and experience a different world than fate would have us know. But this does not have to be, and it’s possible for the Ghost of CNMI Yet to Come to give us a second chance. During this season, we have the perfect opportunity to honor Christmas with all our heart, turn from our avaricious and insensitive ways and do what is right and best for the islands and its people.
“Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world… and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!” – Charles Dickens
“A Christmas Carol” is the perennial story by Charles Dickens that shares the redemption of a miserable human being with little hope or caring in his heart for the struggles of others. Ebenezer Scrooge’s salvation comes in three phases, as prophesied by the ghost of his partner, Jacob Marley, who has had to suffer for his greed and self-serving life by wandering the Earth weighted down with heavy chains.
The Ghost of Christmas Past and Present leave Scrooge shaken, but it is not until the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows him his eventual fate that he promises to renounce his insensitive, avaricious ways. Scrooge then finds himself safely tucked in his bed in the present day, and leaps out a changed man ready to start a new life.
Many plans and ideas have been shared that could turn things around for the Commonwealth. Some have been considered, but most lie dormant, waiting for something or someone to breathe life into them. In many of my columns, I have tried to be upbeat about the future, but given our extreme circumstances, it might be fitting to imagine where our present course is taking us. It sometimes takes a glimpse into the future to see where the trajectory of our life is headed. What would the CNMI look like and what might we experience if we were shown our future when we finally hit rock bottom? In the spirit of Dickens’ tale, here’s what the Ghost of CNMI Yet to Come might share with us:
Driving down a once busy street, it’s apparent that many businesses have left the island because half of them are closed or have graffiti painted on their façade. The Garapan business district is like a ghost town with scattered tourists walking on the sidewalks. Tourism continues to struggle because there are no direct flights from other countries and every visitor has to be routed through Guam. It costs over $300 for a round-trip ticket between Saipan and Guam. The guests that do visit are shocked by the dilapidated buildings and trash strewn on the beaches and other public areas. The once pristine lagoon is now murky and full of sea vegetation from the pollution that has continued to be spilled.
The businesses that remain are struggling to keep their doors open. This has caused a continued loss in government revenue which has led to further wage cuts and initiated a reduction in force that has left many families jobless. Crime is extremely high as people struggle to make a living. Most of the families are dependent on food stamps and other government assistance programs because of the dwindling jobs in the government and private sector.
Many government supported agencies and entities had additional funds cut, and this has caused the loss of many public programs and services. The reduction of revenue and ongoing challenges faced by the community college has resulted in their loss of accreditation. This also caused the loss of federally funded programs, and more people are leaving the Commonwealth to pursue their education.
While a lot of locals have moved to the mainland to find better opportunities, the many children of foreign contract workers born in the Commonwealth have graduated from high school to become a strong voting bloc. This has resulted in the first non-indigenous person to be elected as the governor, and more are gaining control of the House and Senate.
The retirement fund prediction of collapse has finally occurred and retirees have had to return to the workforce or depend on their children for support. There are no off-island medical referrals because bills are not paid by the government, and the hospital continues to have a high turnover of doctors and nurses.
CUC’s rates have climbed to become one of the highest in the world, even while their service hits an all-time low. Their engines are continually failing, and brownouts and blackouts are a common occurrence with power failures occurring regularly. This has eroded the quality of life, destroyed electronic components, and severely hurt businesses.
Because of the desperate times, politicians have been able to push the marijuana and casino bills through the House and Senate with the promise of bringing additional revenue to the CNMI. This, however, brought more social problems and dubious investors to the island. The casinos did not add significantly to the tourism numbers, but they did encourage more people living here to become addicted to gambling, which has destroyed many families and has caused more social ills that have spread throughout the Commonwealth and spurred more corruption, prostitution, drugs, and illegal activities that has turned this once family-friendly oasis into a crime-ridden, financially bankrupt island.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen many glimpses into this future and some elements are occurring sooner than later. In Dickens’ tale of a miserable man who is given a second chance to turn his life around, he encouraged his readers to experience the fullness of life in a selfish world that has stifled their compassion and hope for the future. Just as Scrooge pled to alter his future, we have the potential to alter the future of the CNMI and experience a different world than fate would have us know. But this does not have to be, and it’s possible for the Ghost of CNMI Yet to Come to give us a second chance. During this season, we have the perfect opportunity to honor Christmas with all our heart, turn from our avaricious and insensitive ways and do what is right and best for the islands and its people.
“Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world… and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!” – Charles Dickens
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)