Four candidates from the academic sector are vying for the presidential seat of the Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), the only state university in Negros Oriental.
The candidates are: Dr. Ma. Elsa Ilona Austria Bulado, NOSRU vice president for Administration and Special Concerns; Dr. Reynaldo Geronides Tan, a professional electrical and mechanical engineer and currently a lecturer at NORSU graduate school; Dr. Briccio Merced Jr., university librarian of the University of the Philippines Mindanao; and Dr. Don Vicente Real, campus administrator of NORSU Bais City Campus who all were presented during a forum.
The forum, which forms 25 percent of the total criteria, officially marked the search for the new president of NORSU for the next four years after the term of its current president, Dr. Henry Sojor, expires on July 12, 2012.
The candidates presented their vision for NORSU and the programs they wish to pursue during the half-day public forum held today at the NORSU Cultural and Sports Center.
They also answered questions from the audience, most of whom were university students, faculty and staff, and representatives from the local government, non-government organizations, civil society and private sectors, and the media.
The search committee for presidency is composed of Silliman University President Dr. Ben Malayang as chairperson, Cebu Normal University President Dr. Marcelo Lopez, former Region 7 Director of the National Economic Development Authority Marlene Rodriguez, Commission on Higher Education Region 7 Director Dr. Amelia Biglete, and Dr. Cecilia Abringe who represented the alumni, faculty, and student sectors.
Search committee chairperson, Dr. Malayang said, that following the public forum, the committee will interview each candidate after which the group will deliberate on the top three hopefuls that they will submit to the board of regents for consideration.
“Our role here is to vet, assess, and evaluate the candidates. It’s the board of regents alone that can make the decision who to elect among the names we submit to them,” said Malayang in an interview.
The committee will assess the candidates based on four aspects, namely: administrative experience, academic credentials and qualifications, personal integrity, and the personality of the candidate relative to how she or he is perceived by the NORSU community.
Asked on his impressions on the presentation of the four candidates, Malayang described them as, “very competent persons.”
“I am happy for our own state university in Negros that we have a complement of high quality individuals who do and say things that are relevant to the situation of our state university. All four individuals have shown a range of perception that makes one feel confident that if any of them become president of NORSU, they have the ability to appreciate the complexity of this institution,” he said. (RMN-PIA 7, Negros Oriental)
