To meet the needs of its students, the Northern Marianas College today announced that it would be making adjustments to its Fall 2011 schedule.
The College issued a decision today to move the last day of the Fall 2011 term to November 26, 2011 ” 3 weeks earlier than the traditional end date in December. The duration of the term will comprise of 13 weeks of instruction, (Aug. 22 ” Nov. 19) with Nov. 21-23 & 26 serving as final exam dates. The new class schedule can be accessed by visiting the Fall 2011 Registration Page.
The shorter term will not affect the number of courses offered or the variety of programs offered, but will lengthen meeting times for all classes by a few minutes (from 10 to about 30 minutes).
The new schedule was developed to ensure that members of the community who have legal status to remain in the CNMI through the expiration of the CNMI issued Umbrella Permits have the opportunity to enroll in courses during the upcoming term.
“This change is important because all pending visa students now have the opportunity to take classes at NMC and complete the Fall semester, thus making this a win-win situation,” said Dr. Sharon Y. Hart, NMC President.
The College has worked closely with students affected by U.S. Public Law 110-229, the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, since December 2009 to facilitate transitions of ongoing students into F-1 Student Visa status prior to the Fall 2011 term in anticipation of the expiration of the CNMI issued Umbrella Permits on November 28, 2011.
Scheduling courses to end prior to the expiration of Umbrella Permits enables affected students to remain enrolled at NMC.
“The changes will enable me to attend school and I’m very grateful that I’ll be able to continue my education,” said NMC nursing student Giselle Butalid.
“The new schedule also ensures the College maintains compliance with federal regulations and college policy with regard to enrollment of international students, and in keeping with the best interest of all NMC students,” said Leo Pangelinan, Dean of Student Services.