It was the faculty’s turn to grill the five would-be chancellors on January 31 at the Malcolm Hall Auditorium, Law Center during the second of the three public consultations.
UPD faculty gathered at the auditorium to hear the five present their visions for the faculty and UPD in general. Full texts of the nominees’ curricula vitae and vision papers can be found at the UPD website (http://www.upd.edu.ph/~updinfo/index167.html).
First to present was Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara of the College of Engineering’s (CoE) Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute, second was College of Science (CS) Dean Caesar A. Saloma from the National Institute of Physics, then Dr. Patrick Alain T. Azanza of the College of Education, next UP Center for Women’s Studies Director Sylvia Estrada-Claudio from the College of Social Work and Community Development’s Department of Women and Development Studies and finally College of Mass Communication Dean Roland B. Tolentino from the Film Institute.
After the initial presentations the main forum was commenced, with each candidate responding to questions posed by the audience.
Science vs. Humanities. One audience member expressed an opinion over the seeming predominance of the applied, physical and most of the formal sciences over the humanities and social sciences, claiming that some faculty feel they are “being forced” into these academic molds to rationalize promotions.
Saloma stressed the importance of transparency in the promotion process, stating that keeping a clear eye on the goals of the college would inform its policies on promotions. He also espoused peer review and self regulation.
Azanza proposed the establishment of the National Institute for English Language and Comparative Literature, as it will alleviate the pressure of globalization and cater to the growing demand for a multicultural university.
Claudio emphasized the “important balance of making sure that resources are in all the disciplines so that we all meet the needs of our nation as demanded by our charter,” she iterated.
She also noted the importance of not resenting the sciences, saying that with each chancellor’s term, the strength of his/her home discipline will come into play.
Tolentino espoused the sense of community among the colleges, adding that there should be mechanisms to support those that have difficulty in sourcing funding.
For her part, Guevara stressed the importance of looking at the big picture, stating that different colleges may have different needs beyond the financial.
“…[D]apat tignan mo kung ano ba yung pangangailangan ng bawat disiplina, bawat kolehiyo, ng bawat departamento, ng bawat faculty member para maintidihan kung ano ba talaga yung kailangang gawin at saan dapat ilagay ang mga resources,” she said.
The national government has poured billions of pesos into the creation and implementation of the Engineering Research and Development for Technology Consortium (ERDT), the brainchild of Guevara; and the National Science Complex (NSC), which has been part of the University’s plan since the CS was created in 1983 and was only implemented in 2008.
According to Saloma, the money that went to the NSC and ERDT came from “arguing with the national government.” Guevara supported this by iterating: “Pareho kami ni Dean Saloma na pumunta hanggang dun sa Presidente ng Pilipinas para i-explain kung bakit mag-invest ang bansa sa dalawang disiplina.” [Dean Saloma and I went up all the way to the Philippine President to explain why (the government) should invest in these two disciplines.]
RGEP. A query on the state of the Revised General Education Program (RGEP) was raised, asking the candidates their stands on the issue.
All the candidates agreed that a review of the RGEP is in order, with Claudio, Saloma and Guevara supporting the idea of having a set of core courses that all the students should take.
Saloma mentioned the changes made to the Science, Technology and Society (STS) RGEP courses under the CS, pointing out the excellent program coordinator at the college level and the distribution of the workload to several teachers instead of just one.
Guevara believes each college should address the particular needs of their own student body, citing the CoE’s policy of advising some nine units of English to enhance their students’ communication skills.
Tenure. One of the more controversial queries of the afternoon was on the issue of tenure, where the candidates were asked how they will be able to ensure fairness in awarding tenure.
Tolentino began the responses by saying he will institute a clear grievance process with plans to implement it not only on the tenure process, but also on the promotion process for faculty, Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS) and administrative staff.
While Guevara, Azanza and Claudio all agreed that a grievance process should be implemented,
Saloma clarified that a grievance process is already in place, as the CS had already made use of it. For him, the decision making of the various bodies involved should be done independently of each other as well as be more formalized to prevent unfair practices.
Claudio, meanwhile, proposed the preventive measure of a mentoring system for each faculty member by the department chair or her representative to monitor the progress of that particular faculty member.
Guevara is also a firm believer in departmental autonomy, furthering the argument by establishing its supremacy with regard to granting tenure. She said that it is the department who knows each candidate for tenure best, personally and professionally.
UPIS-ALI. Another hotly contested issue raised at the forum was the impending lease of some nine hectares of land along Katipunan Avenue (where UPIS 7-10 now stands) to Ayala Land Incorporated (ALI) for commercial and academic purposes.
Saloma called for transparency and democracy in the utilization of University assets for outside use, saying that as a general principle, these should not be put in the hands of only one entity as it discourages competition.
While Claudio supports private partnership, saying that these are strides toward greater financial and political autonomy for the University, she warns that for this to work there must be fiscal transparency, with the financial benefits of the partnership felt throughout the UP System.
Tolentino espoused a cautious stand, saying that there is no hurry to establish these partnerships: “Pwede rin tayong hindi magmadali sa pagbibigay ng atin lupain dito sa UP dahil kaysa itali natin yung ating mga resources sa 25 years na mga kontrata katulad ng sa Ayala Technohub.” [There’s no need to hurry in granting land; rather than commit our resources to 25-year contracts like the one at Ayala Technohub.]
Guevara would like to see more interaction between the University and the locators in places like the current Ayalaland Technohub, saying that the University should take a more proactive approach.
“We should not think of it as just real estate. Kailangan makipagrelate din tayo sa mga locators,” she said.
The next Chancellor will serve the University for a full term of three years starting March 1.
-Anna Kristine Regidor