By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Saipan— The Northern Marianas College has prepared a contingency plan ahead of time, allowing it to cushion the impact of President Donald Trump’s move to abolish the U.S. Department of Education, the institution's head said today.
“As with previous actions and announcements regarding federal funding and support for education, this development has raised a number of questions and concerns within our community and, in particular, at Northern Marianas College,” said Galvin Deleon Guerrero, NMC president.
An independent audit showed that the bulk of NMC's $38.4 million operating revenue in 2023 came from the federal government. NMC received $26.5 million in federal grants, raised $4.9 million from students' tuition and received $4 million in local appropriation.
Guerrero said he directed the college team early on to “develop and implement effective response strategies” to mitigate the impact of federal funding cuts on NMC’s staff and students.
“As a result of their work, we have determined that, for now, financial aid under the Federal Student Aid program will continue and vital college programs and services will also continue,” Guerrero said in a statement, reacting to Trump’s executive order titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States and Communities.”
The student aid program, administered by the soon-to-be-defunct education department, is the largest financial aid provider in the U.S. At NMC, qualified students can receive up to $7,365 in Pell grants per semester.
Trump, however, is not a fan of the program.
“The Department of Education currently manages a student loan debt portfolio of more than $1.6 trillion. This means the federal student aid program is roughly the size of one of the nation’s largest banks, Wells Fargo,” Trump said.
“The Department of Education is not a bank, and it must return bank functions to an entity equipped to serve America’s students.”
Guerrero, however, is banking on Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s reassurance that “closing the department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them.”
McMahon has said the federal government will continue supporting K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers and those who rely on essential programs.
“I assure you that we remain steadfast in our commitment to you: our students, our employees and our community,” Guerrero said.
The presidential directive seeks to decentralize education and transfer control to individual states, noting that the “federal education bureaucracy is not working.”
Guerrero said the NMC team is collaborating with local, regional and national partners to assess the impact of the president’s executive order on college programs and services.
“We have a phenomenal team at the college that remains vigilant and diligent in doing everything we can to continue serving our students and our community,” he said.
“And, as I have said many times before about the Proa Tribe and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, no matter what storms hit us–actual typhoons, a global pandemic, geopolitical forces beyond our control–nothing sinks our proa. We always sail ahead,” he added.
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