The Search for the Next President of the University of the PhiHppines

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1 The Search for the Next President of the University of the PhiHppines Vision Statement Redefining the Culture of the University of the Philippines: Honor and Excellence with Compassion The resurgence of the University of the PhiHppines (UP) among the world's top 400 universities is a remarkable testament to the effective efforts of the past and present administrators of the University. This achievement, however, should not make us blind captives of surveys and their metrics which have little meaning for the public that U P is sworn to serve. It is but an inspiration to do more. " H o n o r and Excellence", UP's motto, stands side by side w i t h compassion, a virtue that is UP's moral core as the National University. After all, this singular honor of being the premier state university carries w i t h it not only the challenge to showcase the best of the Filipino people, but also the obligation to w o r k for the betterment of the Filipino people. UP, therefore, should embrace its role as a public service university - an institution that serves its various constituencies w i t h compassion. As the premiere national university in the country, w e should strengthen the nationalist agenda of UP. As the bastion of the best anci the brightest students and scholars in the country, U P should espouse an academic culture that encourages and values our utmost commitment of serving the interest of the Filipino people. As a public service university, U P should ensure that the services that it delivers to its various stakeholders (from managing the enrollment procedure to the processing of benefits of its academic and non-academic personnel) should be effective, efficient, and relevant. In order to do this, the next administration, in consultation and cooperation w i t h the U P community, should endeavor to change mindsets and methods that constrain U P from realizing its true 1

2 potential. By promoting a consultative culture and administration, w e w o u l d be able to create that culture of critical dialogue in order to address pertinent matters that concern the welfare of our students, the academic community, and administrative staff. In order to actualize this, w e should adhere to the tenets of transparency, accountability, and objectivity. As w e contemplate on UP's roles, w e should consciously try to make them responsive to the needs of our various stakeholders. Simply put, compassion is responsiveness to the concerns of UP's stakeholders. W e ask: " H o w could U P engender compassion in its culture?" First, the university's academic thrust should reflect its concern for the welfare of its primary constituency - the nation. U P should create, conserve, and communicate knowledge w i t h the needs of the country in mind. U P should strengthen its academic journals by ensuring their frequent and prompt publication. Faculty members should be given monetary and non-monetary incentives if they choose to publish in UP's journals, more so if they choose to conduct studies in areas that have significant impact o n national, local and grassroots development. W e are aware that knowledge is useless if it is not transmitted and applied. U P has a duty to connect w i t h the public that it is sworn to serve. Findings published in UP's journals should be made readily available to internal and external audiences. There is also a need to beef up UP's research and development (R&D) capability and to revisit policies regarding them.our goal is to craft research agenda heavily oriented toward addressing our country's problems and needs. W e want U P researchers to see themselves as active contributors to nationbuilding; and w e want U P to be able to lend the proper environment that w i l l ensure that their efforts come to fruition, for the nation's benefit. For it is UP's responsibility, as an academic institution, to take a pro- active role in addressing the social, cultural, economic, and political issues that the Filipino nation faces. There is also an urgent need to review the current metrics for researches, academic grants, and promotions. It should not be dominated by a single disciplinal orientation or guidepost. Rather, it 2

3 should be measured and contextualized depending on the disciplinal field of the proposing body. W e need to establish a culture that equally recognizes all our academic endeavors as vital contributions in the production of knowledge. T o better prepare our students as future agents of change, w e want to ensure that the education they get from U P is holistic and relevant. In this regard, w e need to assess the strengths and weaknesses of UP's general education program. It is time to stop casting the general education debate in terms of whether brendfh of knowledge in multiple disciplines or depth of knowledge in a specialized discipline is more important. The distinctions among the natural sciences, social sciences, management sciences, humanities and athletics are need not be seen great walls of separation. W e should not instill in U P students the erroneous notion that certain disciplines are irrelevant to their chosen fields. O n the contrary, w e should help them appreciate h o w all branches of knowledge can perfectly complement one another, and h o w they can better excel in their fields of specialization by being exposed to the techniques, disciplines and paradigms of their peers in other fields. UP's general education curriculum should therefore reflect the cross- and multidisciplinary character of learning. To make it even more relevant to our students, it should likewise reflect global trends and be responsive to national development needs. Moreover, support for U P athletics should be strengthened. O u r student-athletes' victories are not only a source of pride and joy but also an effective w a y to mobilize alumni support for UP. U P should also collaborate more w i t h foreign universities and scholarly associations without compromising its interests. Moreover, U P should send out our faculty and students to meet their foreign counterparts more frequently. Likewise, w e should encourage foreign faculty and students to visit UP's various campuses. W e could tap our alumni in the foreign service to help us in this regard. Strengthening our linkages, partnerships and networks w i t h foreign peers is consistent w i t h the increasingly internationalized character of education today. W e should take advantage of opportunities to learn 3

4 f r o m and w i t h our international colleagues to keep abreast of breakthroughs and developments in the various frontiers of learning. W e have m u c h to learn from the rest of the world; and in the same way, our U P students, professors and researchers have much to offer and share. W e should commit to build and reinforce UP's bridges to the international academe. However, w e should always remember that in order for the University to successfully engage in the global arena, it must first and foremost have a clear idea of its national character and function. W e must increase our international presence and engagements without sacrificing our duty to contribute to the plight of the Filipino people. Second, UP's admission and financial aid system should respond to the needs of all deserving students. U P should review the processes governing student admissions, scholarship grants, and other financial aid programs. Access to education the great equalizer should be unhampered. Likewise, U P should study the viability of these proposals: a) making tuition free for all; b) instituting a return service contract between U P or the Philippine government and the student w h o w i l l benefit from the free tuition; and c) attracting foreign students to study in U P w h o w i l l in turn subsidize the costs of the local students' education. It is humbly submitted that these proposals w o u l d ensure that our U P graduates w o u l d repay their debt to the Filipino people. Third, UP should endeavor to deliver efficient and effective services to its constituency xvithin the campus and extend meaningfid support to all its personnel. U P should clear the cobwebs of operational inefficiency. One of the reasons behind UP's "inefficiency" is the problem w i t h the law on government procurement as applied. U P should urge its alumni in government, particularly in Congress, to address this issue. Further, U P should also review its operations, trim d o w n unnecessary expenses, and optimize the use of technology in order to deliver its services faster. 4

5 U P should likewise care for its academic and non-academic personnel f r o m recruitment to retirement. The next administration should direct the various units' h u m a n resource and development offices to at least provide brochures to UP's new hires informing them of the benefits that they enjoy. U P should also review policies regarding housing, honoraria, and health benefits. Creating a competitive compensation system that w i l l address UP's h u m a n capital flight and recruitment issues is a challenge that w e must directly address. W e also need to address the issue of contractual and non-up contractual employees immediately. After all, U P cannot condemn the evils of contractualization if it cannot practice what it preaches. To encourage collegiality and creativity, UP's academic and non-academic personnel should also be given a chance to interact and exchange views in officially sanctioned activities. These interactions w i l l surely motivate them to serve the students and U P better. W e must dismantle the "faculty centric" mindset in the University. W e should create a just environment for every stakeholder in our community. Fourth, as its contribution to prudent management of pubuc resources, UP should conceive of creative ways to boost its income without abandoning the campaign for increased government subsidy. Previous administrations already began the productive use of lands granted to UP. The next administration must ensure that the financial gains from UP's real properties must be sustained without diluting UP's academic atmosphere. U P should also encourage its students and graduates to be entrepreneurs by providing venues where they can incubate their business ideas. U P should also encourage the private sector to give back to UP. The next administration should embark on a campaign to inform potential donors that donations to U P w o u l d entitle them to claim 150% of the donation's value as a deductible expense. U P should also take advantage of the tax anci customs duties exemptions granted to it. These are provided for in the new U P Charter, Republic Act No

6 Fifth, UP shouhi contribute to national development. U P should put its influence and moral authority into good use, and wield such powers in a manner that w o u l d inspire, spur and facilitate development and positive change. In the spirit of diversity and responsiveness, every university council of the various constituent universities should be given free rein in determining its o w n extension program. The various campuses should regard the communities in which they are situated as part of their constituency, and their extension programs should endeavor to respond to the needs of those communities. W e must be able to provide and institutionalize linkages w i t h other government instrumentalities in order to shape the crafting of national policies. U P should take an active role in the assessment of the cultural, economic, social, and political challenges being faced by the nation. U P should exercise its role as the conscience of the nation. W e must always take an active stance in the raising of the national consciousness and in the writing of history. W e must continue to take part in the planting of the seeds of genuine social change. Redefining the culture of U P is not the exclusive domain of the U P president. Rather, it is a task to be accomplished in collaboration w i t h all of UP's stakeholders. The task of the next presicient is to ensure that U P remains true to its ideals. The essence of U P is not merely to transmit knowledge, but to serve the nation; and this sense of mission should pervade all fronts of the university's functions - from educating its students, to caring for its personnel, to defining its role in nation-building.. W e need to be organic intellectuals w h o are willing to immerse ourselves in the concrete challenges being faced by our constituents. " H o n o r and excellence w i t h compassion" should be the next U P president's clarion call to encourage the U P community in serving the Filipino people. 6