The College of the Marshall Islands comes under two legislative acts, which set out the purpose, authority and governance of the College. No action of the Board, no bylaw, no college policy and no plans shall usurp or contravene these two laws.
College of the Marshall Islands Act of 1992
(14 MIRC Ch. 2)
Ref: PDF – College of the Marshall Islands Act 1992
The Nitijela passed legislation in 1992 entitled the College of the Marshall Islands Act to establish the national college of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
§206. Purpose
The Purposes of the College of the Marshall Islands shall [be] to:
- provide for such services as all post-secondary instruction, nonformal teacher training, adult basic education, adult vocational education, college preparatory instruction and assistance, administration of post-secondary financial assistance programs, monitoring of student performance in colleges overseas, and similar closely related functions;
- maintain accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges;
- develop and offer certificate and degree programs in fields to include, but not limited to, Teacher Education, Special Education, Nursing, Business, Liberal Arts, and other occupational and technical career fields;
- coordinate training and education programs and services currently being provided to adults and the out-of-school youth of the Republic by various public and private agencies;
- develop and conduct outreach programs;
- coordinate with the Ministry of Education for the effective use of resources including facilities, equipment, personnel and educational support services including, but not limited to, career and academic counseling, library services, educational delivery systems, audiovisual and other study resources;
- conduct and support research relevant to the needs of the Republic to the degree funding is available particularly as relevant to assessing ongoing training and education needs;
- administer and provide services related to post-secondary student financial assistance provided by governmental and other sources;
- serve as a testing center;
- serve as the coordinating agency for all higher education activities conducted within the Republic by other agencies and organizations; and
- provide other College related activities as determined by the Board and as financially feasible.
[P.L. 1992-13, §6.]
§207. Organizing Principles
The College, in accordance with recognized professional standards, shall have a representative governance structure to insure institutional autonomy, academic freedom, principles of equity, and insulation from political interference in order to serve the public interest.
[P.L. . 1992-13, §7.]
§208. Governing Body
The College of the Marshall Islands shall be governed by a body to be known as the Board of Regents.
§209. Responsibilities of the Board
The Board of Regents shall have the responsibility to:
- clarify the mission of the College;
- insure the institutional autonomy of the College;
- communicate the mission and goals of the College to the community;
- convey the needs of society to the College;
- insure adequate financial resources;
- insure strong financial management;
- adopt, amend, and repeal bylaws governing the conduct of its business and the performance of the powers and duties granted to or imposed upon it by this Chapter;
- appoint, support, and assess the performance of the Chief Executive Officer of the College;
- insure the well-being of faculty, student and staff through the approval of appropriate policies and procedures;
- serve as the final authority in any dispute involving the interpretation or application of the College’s rules, regulations, policies, procedures, or standards among or between the faculty, students, and staff;
- fix the rates to be charged students of the College for tuition, room and board, and other necessary fees and charges, and grant tuition waivers as the Board may deem appropriate;
- confer degrees and grant diplomas and certificates;
- approve such policies and standards as it may deem necessary for the effective operation of the College;
- approve programs of instruction and research;
- incorporate into the College such technical and research establishments as the Board deems necessary or appropriate to ensure a quality program of instruction and research which is relevant to the national development priorities of the Republic, and to acquire all property whether real, personal, or mixed, tangible or intangible, of any such establishment as may be transferred to the College;
- annually review and approve long range plans for the development of the College;
- execute in accordance with its bylaws, all instruments necessary or appropriate in the exercise of its powers and to that end adopt, alter, and use a common seal by which all acts of the Board shall be authenticated;
- delegate any of its powers and duties which are properly delegable to an officer of the Board or an official or employee of the College where appropriate;
- take such other actions and assume such other responsibilities as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the powers and duties granted to or imposed upon it by this Chapter; and
- assess its own performance.
[P.L. 1992-13, §9.]
College of the Marshall Islands Endowment Act
(14 MIRC Ch. 2)
§402. College of the Marshall Islands Endowment Fund Purpose
The purpose of this Act is to establish an Endowment Fund for the College of the Marshall Islands (“college”) into which all financial contributions (except for the annual operating subsidy) made by the RMI Government to the college shall be deposited for the purpose of investment to meet the long term needs of the college. The Nitijela intends that such government contributions shall remain invested and the college shall only be allowed to withdraw the investment income (dividends, capital gains, and interest) pursuant to the endowment fund investment policy adopted by the Board of Regents of the college. All other donor capital contributions to the college shall be put into the endowment fund as a condition to the receipt of such contributions.
