First Post From Tol

As far as I know this is a momentous occasion. I think I am the first person to post to a blog from Tol Island, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia. About two years ago we asked FSM Telecom to provide us with wireless internet on our remote Tol campus. This past week it was completed and works great so far. The picture is of the antennae on the top of the library that sends out the wireless signal. The staff calls it the "snorkel." It was great to download my email here and chat with the people up on Guam. I am excited about the potential for better communication and research that this provides for us. I am not sure about the speed of the connection but I was able to play youtube videos last night.

Last night I met with the students to tell them that because of the teacher shortage here we will have to cut back to 40 students and two class levels on the Tol campus. We hope it is only a one year situation and next year we will be able to expand here and offer all the courses to get an AA degree. There was a lot of crying and sadness but the students understood the situation and handled it well. Many of them told me that they intend to transfer to the Guam campus to complete their degrees. Please pray for the staff and faculty we need for next year.