Pushing nurse program to new level

05 February 2010

New ways of teaching nursing students in clinical settings will be developed in the RMI and other islands, thanks to the efforts of Partners investing in Nursing's Future, a group of nursing faculty and local organizations. The decision to develop 'Innovative Clinical. Teaching Models' was made by Walton Bohanny, of the College of the Marshall Islands, with nursing faculty from US-affiliated Pacific islands and their supporting partners, who met recently at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Graduates become mentors

29 January 2010

The second College of the Marshall Islands "Boot Camp" program started last week at the Arrak Campus in Woja.

"We're off to another great start," said ABC ToolBox Director Robert Revercomb, IV. "We have 37 male and 16 female students."

Enrollment in the current one is up five student from group one that graduated in December.

Four graduates from the first Toolbox group are on the staff for the Boot Camp training "to mentor the new cadets," Revercomb said.

"We're still getting phone calls from people wanting to know if it's too late to join. I recommend they go to CMI to get on the waiting list for the third session."

Woodbury takes over at College

29 January 2010

New CMI President Ken Woodbury, Jr. arrived in Majuro on Thursday to start his term at the helm of the local college. He told the journal that he sees numerous opportunities to develop and expand on the good work of his predecessor, Wilson Hess, and is looking forward to the year ahead.

In particular, Woodbury commented on many grant funding options that are available to move CMI instructional programs and infrastructure forward.

New Tool is a big help

22 January 2010

Government and non-government agencies benefited from a Geographic Information System (GIS) training at the College of the Marshall Islands. GIS involves the use of poweful computer programs to analyze geographic data. GIS is used in a wide range of fields from environmental management, health, education and other social services.

The Training is a partnership funded by the Pacific Integrated Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS), with support from the University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program and the College of the Marshall Islands. ESRI, the world's largest GIS softwafre manufacturer kindly donated a number of books and other resources which will be used to start a small GIS resource center at CMI said Murray Ford.

As GIS capacity and use increases further trainings and workshops will be offered to users, he added.

"The key to successful use of GIS is incorporating skills and tools learnt in the classroom into the daily work environment," Ford said. "With the further development of a community of GIS users, we are building a pool of talented professionals who will be able to use GIS in various projects."

PacIOOS is going to have an increased presence in the RMI, with the deployment of both water quality and wave gauges also schedule for early 2010.

CMI Board of Regents Chairperson, Maria K. Fowler, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kenneth Woodbury as the new President of CMI, replacing retiring President Wilson Hess. “Wilson has been a great success at CMI and we knew that replacing him would be a difficult challenge,” says Mrs. Fowler. “But we are delighted to find in Kenneth Woodbury an outstanding individual to take the College forward into its next phase.”

Dr. Woodbury was President of Harrisburg Area Community College in Pennsylvania for nine years establishing three branch campuses, doubling its enrollment and establishing its endowment foundation. He has also been the president of the Valencia Community College Foundation in Orlando, Florida raising the endowment from $4 million to over $34 million.

He is currently the Community Development Specialist for the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council in Eastern Maine securing nearly 6 million dollars in grants since 2007 for towns and school district to improve their infrastructure through downtown revitalization, planning grants, water & sewer projects, industrial & community parks, streetscapes.

Dr. Woodbury holds a B.A. in government from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, an M.A. in history from the University of Maine at Orono and an Ed.D in educational administration from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He is an active community participant and has served as board member for Girl Scout Councils, YMCA, United Ways, Rotary Clubs. He currently serves on the board of two community recreational clubs and is an active member of his local Catholic parish.

“I am honored to have been asked to serve the College of the Marshall Islands,” says Dr. Woodbury. “I plan to work closely with everyone at CMI and with the larger community of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Together I believe we can accomplish great things.”

CMI Press Release: Contact Ellia Sablan-Zebedy
Vice President for Administrative and Enrolment Services 692.625.3835