Northern Marianas College seeks $15.3M; lawmakers press on FEMA match, staffing and facilities costs

Hafa Adai. Northern Marianas College President and senior staff told the House Ways and Means Committee on May 20 that the college’s fiscal year 2026 request totals $15,300,000 and would support new buildings, staffing and operations while the institution pursues federal grants to cover construction and program costs.

The presentation highlighted recent program results — including small-business support, workforce training and digital upgrades — and walked lawmakers through a campus facilities master plan that NMC officials said has secured more than $100 million in federal funding but still faces shortfalls for furniture, fixtures, equipment and a roughly 10% local match on some FEMA project worksheets.

“The chair will now call today’s budget hearing with NMC to order,” Representative JP Sablan said at the start of the session, and committee members proceeded to hear a multi-part briefing from college leaders, departmental deans and program managers.

Why it matters: NMC is the commonwealth’s principal public higher-education institution and a hub for workforce training and small-business development across Saipan, Tinian and Rota. Committee members repeatedly framed the hearing as an assessment of how much the House should allocate from local appropriations versus the college’s ability to use federal grants and internal revenue to cover costs that cannot be federally matched.

Program results and initiatives: Roman Tadella, marketing manager for the CNMI Small Business Development Center hosted at NMC, told the committee the SBDC has helped launch 39 businesses, supported over 1,100 local jobs and “helped inject more than $1,600,000 in capital into our local economy.” Tadella said the center served nearly 700 unique clients, ran more than 60 free trainings reaching about 1,200 attendees across the three islands, and is preparing an Innovation Incubator to support early-stage entrepreneurs.

Geraldine Babata Sasmoto, program manager for the Center for Training and Innovation (formerly CDI), described a five-month broadband boot camp that enrolled 301 participants and produced 269 certificate completers in fiber optics and career readiness. Sasmoto said CTI is the first CompTIA-authorized delivery partner in the region and is launching industry-aligned certificates in IT and allied health.

Patty Coleman, dean of the College’s Cooperative Research, Extension and Education Services (CREES), outlined development of a food science analytical lab at the Marianas Business Plaza, early-stage product development (including turmeric varieties and a pending noni-related patent), and efforts to expand regenerative agriculture training. Coleman also described a partnership with Customs and Biosecurity to implement an ASYCUDA-based customs system to improve real-time port revenue tracking and support local exporters.

Digital migration and resilience: Cliff Audan, NMC’s information-technology director, described a collegewide migration to Ellucian Colleague (finance, records and registration modules live; additional modules to go live before the fall semester). Audan said the cloud-based system is intended to increase disaster resilience (keeping systems online during typhoons), reduce manual workflows, and centralize data for accreditation and planning.

Facilities, costs and FEMA match risk: Vice President Frankie Liptico and CFO David Attau outlined the campus facilities master plan and construction progress: a completed student center, a new College Lane (previously Finasiso Lane), and several buildings planned for completion in 2025–26 including a research/extension building and a workforce-development and training center. NMC leaders said the college has secured more than $100 million in federal funding for construction but faces shortfalls for FF&E and local matches on some grants. Committee exchanges with NMC officials put the aggregate FEMA project worksheet total at roughly $30–32 million, making a 10% local match “about 2–3.2 million” (speakers used approximate figures and said the exact amount and any waivers were still being confirmed). NMC said it has already used CIP funds to cover about $1 million of matching costs for the student center.

Personnel, vacancies and operating pressures: Committee members pressed NMC about positions and vacancies. Members discussed NOPs — the college’s budgetary headcount — and committee staff cited a current headcount of 178 positions versus a governor’s proposed 166 positions for FY2026, a difference of 12 NOPs. College officials said many positions go unfilled because of recruitment challenges and grant funding cycles; they described internal prioritization, use of grant-funded personnel for limited terms, and staff who currently “wear multiple hats.” The college also described a recruitment/repatriation package to cover relocation and licensing costs for key hires.

Utilities and energy planning: The FY2026 request includes $800,000 for utilities; NMC officials said current annual utility spending across campuses is roughly $500,000 and that new buildings will increase consumption. Officials said new buildings will be designed for energy efficiency and solar arrays where grant funding permits, and that the college is pursuing LEED-equivalent design and additional grant support to minimize ongoing utility expense.

Questions from committee members focused on FEMA match exposure, personnel funded by federal grants, use of tuition and fee revenue to cover operating costs, and whether deferred maintenance or contractor payments could be reduced by hiring permanent maintenance staff. NMC officials said the college uses grant and tuition revenue to cover utilities and some operating costs because appropriated funds are largely dedicated to personnel.

Next steps and committee actions: The committee did not take a final vote on appropriations at the hearing. At the start of the session, a motion to adopt the day’s agenda was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. Committee members asked NMC to provide spreadsheets listing projects and shortfalls, to secure any written confirmation from the Public Auditor’s Office or the PAO about FEMA matching waivers if available, and to follow up with more precise cost and staffing figures as the legislature considers the governor’s proposed budget.

NMC leaders closed by stressing the college’s workforce role and by urging committee members to consider long-term returns on investment: “your investment in Northern Marianas College is a good investment because the return on that investment is one that yields economic recovery and workforce development,” the college’s opening presenter said.

Ending: The committee scheduled its next hearing on the mayor’s office budget and adjourned after the presentation and question period.