OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR – American Samoa
PRESS RELEASE
(for immediate release – November 9, 2007)
Contact: click here to email newsroom
(684) 633-4116 - Fax: (684) 633-2269 - Cell: (684) 731-8989
Governor Togiola launch SDSU Master’s Program,
Counseling Cohort
(UTULEI) – Governor Togiola Tulafono today launched the Master's Degree Program in Leadership and Counseling offered by San Diego State University (SDSU) in a brief ceremony at the Office of the Governor.
Initiated by Governor Togiola Tulafono, this is the first time the American Samoa Government is offering the rare opportunity for ASG employees to pursue a graduate program that is fully sponsored by the ASG Professional Development Scholarship Program.
Governor Togiola joined Scholarship Board Chairman Reverend Ned Ripley and Board Member Fofo I.F. Sunia in welcoming Dr. Fred McFarlane of SDSU's Rehabilitation and Post-Secondary Education and Interwork Institute and the 26 local candidates that will be pursuing a graduate degree in the program. (See text of Gov. Togiola and Dr. Fred Macfarlane’s remarks below.)
The first course of the Master's program will begin on November 10th.
GOVERNOR TOGIOLA’S REMARKS
Today marks the launching of one of the most ambitious and far reaching programs of this Administration. Our goal is to improve the services we offer as a government – to our people. To do that, we need to upgrade the qualification and skills of our core of public servants. I have said this often enough in the past, and today, we are on the move.
After reviewing our most critical areas of services, we decided to begin this manpower upgrade with the counseling services. Why? It is because we are a society in transition. Most of the developments today are new to our people.
Our hopes for tomorrow can almost be described in one word: Education. We selected school counseling because of its critical role in education. Counseling is a job performed by educators who work mostly in the background and is not often visible to the public. When we think of schools, we usually think of schoolteachers. For teachers to be successful in their task, children should be prepared to learn. Teachers need to be comfortable in their classroom concentration, and parents need to be responsive and in tune with what goes on in the schools. The school must reflect a true learning environment. Our schools will never become "good schools" unless all these elements are properly blended. That is where our school counselors come in. They are coordinators who see to it that all elements are properly interfaced. They are a special breed of educators.
We say often that we want better schools, and we want them as quickly as possible. Upgrading the school counseling services is one of the keys to that expedited improvement. That is a fact of today's public school system.
Most of the services offered by our Department of Human and Social Services are new, or at least have not been attended to before. Such as child abuse, anger management, domestic violence, abandonment, child sex abuse and so on. The idea of offering counseling services to our people in these critical areas of people development is a great need. It is irresponsible to think we can just offer counseling without a special solid education background and, special training. Again, because we are a society in transition. We need to counsel with patience, understanding, and dedicated to helping our people.
When you have the educational background and training, you have the basic qualifications to be a good counselor. That is why Department of Human and Social Services (DHSS) counselors fill a number of slots in this cohort. We want to see their skills and competence upgraded. I believe that when a worker knows what they are doing, they will do it well. I am confident this higher level of education will provide a solid foundation for these young counselors.
I know counseling is needed in other areas of government services, and they are probably wondering why they were not included here. Let me tell you now that we plan to cover all areas of public services in this upgrade program. This is only the start.
Without going into details at this time, I want to briefly say that we are preparing for the start of cohort in government accounting in January. One in law enforcement will follow that. My hope is that in five years time, we have covered all of our basic government services in these skills and qualification upgrade effort. It is a major undertaking for ASG, and it is one that is long overdue.
I thank San Diego State University for making this venture possible. Let me say that all of the participants applied to the university, as any students applying for a graduate degree program. The university reviewed all applications. A team from the university visited the schools where applicants work, and also the DHSS offices and reviewed their field work to make sure that the courses offered are pertinent to American Samoa’s needs, and that the applicants are qualified to attend this program, and that the program will increase their knowledge and improve their services.
I want to also thank DOE Director Dr. Claire Poumele and her staff for adding this program to their schedules and making sure it comes to reality. Rev. Ned Ripley and your Board, I thank you for your continued service to our people as evidenced by this presentation.
And finally to our participants, I compare you to astronauts chosen at the start of America's space program. It is a rare opportunity. The success of your efforts will determine the direction and conduct of this program in the future. And yes, we are aiming for the stars in this program. Your government is doing all it can to prepare you. At the end of this mission, believe me, you will be better public servants.
Be serious about the opportunity to serve your people. It is a sacred calling.
DR. FRED MACFARLANE’S REMARKS
I bring greetings to you from San Diego State University President Stephen L. Weber. This is a unique opportunity for our institution, and for our partnership, to work with the American Samoa Government. And for us, more importantly, working with the students who are now part of SDSU.
We have 35,000 students on our campus, and 18% are graduate students, which include your participation. We have students from 80 different countries. We are proud to be a people’s university.
One of our primary focuses at our campus, in its strategic vision, has been to open up education for individuals throughout the corners of the world. This is an extension of those opportunities.
I want to comment on points made by the Governor. I believe today, my learning continues to grow. One of the challenges for each of our students, while it is a beginning to a formal degree, it is not going to culminate in the end of your learning. To be a true adult learner, it begins as soon as possible, and continues through our lifetime.
It is our intent in working with you to foster education, and to foster it both with colleagues here, and throughout your government. We know that the challenges that you must face are significant. From economic to work force development, to environment, to a whole series of issues. But it all comes down to having an educated group of individuals who works together, who build together, and make changes.
I’m a strong and passionate advocate for education. Not just because I’m an educator, but I’m also a father, and grandfather. And I know, as we shape learning in my six-month-old grandson, or my 12-year-old granddaughter, or my 40-year-old son, or myself, the key to being independent, and to being productive, and to being a contributing member of society, is education.
We consider it an honor to be able to enter in this agreement with you. We believe that as we share education together, as we share counseling and leadership together, that it will benefit not just these students, but also, everyone that they touch.
To you students, you are now a part of us. You are now a part of 35,000 strong and 200,000 alumni that we have from San Diego State University. The quality of your education, the quality of your degree, is based on the commitment and energy in the learning that each and every one of you put into it.
We will send the highest-level faculty here. Their role will be to stimulate learning. Yours will be to apply that learning in your environment. What we want to do is move theory into practice. So, within each of your courses, and more importantly, throughout the degree, we would hope that your studies will on what will improve the quality of education through counseling and leadership in DOE and DHSS.
Each one of you will be involved in completing a research study. What we expect is the the research that you enter into will have a direct application in American Samoa. It’s not about what makes sense in San Diego. It’s about what makes sense in American Samoa. So, we want you to be able to look at issues for change, issues for improvement, and issues that will improve the quality of education and the quality of life for you, your families and your community.
Governor Togiola, we look forward to this educational opportunity. We believe that we can learn together with you. And as long as we have that partnership and make education for each individual paramount importance, we know that they will make a difference.
I look forward to two years from now when you. Governor, will be able to sit with us and we will confer the Master’s degree to all these colleagues here. That will be a great celebration. But, it won’t be a commencement that ends their learning; it will only be one step in their continued learning. I wish each of you the very best. I look forward to working with you and you teaching us during the course of the next two years.
Governor, I commend you for making this an effort. And I totally commend the Scholarship Board for working with us, the support in putting this together just has been phenomenal and we’re starting with everything on track.
Governor Togiola, thank you for your leadership and thank you for your commitment to education. |
