Silliman University President Dr. Ben Malayang III has outlined five thrusts which the University will pursue in the next five years.
Malayang, in a telephone interview with the Dumaguete MetroPost, revealed the new university directions after obtaining the unanimous vote of the 15-member Board of Trustees for an extended five-year term starting in June 2011.{{more}}
The BOT action was made during a special meeting last Oct. 17 although Mark Raygan Garcia, director for information and publications, made the announcement through a statement emailed to the Dumaguete MetroPost only last Tuesday.
Quoting BOT Chair Juanita Amatong, the statement said the BOT “recognized the valuable achievements of Dr. Malayang during his five-year term. For this reason, the Board of Trustees trusts that Dr. Malayang’s continuance as President will provide sustainability to the plans and programs of Silliman University and enhance the University’s contribution to the educational, social and environmental development of the community in particular and the country in general.”
The Board is composed of 15 representatives, coming from the Alumni, Silliman University Foundation, Inc., and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.
The present members of the BOT are Mrs. Amatong (Chair), Judge Candelario V. Gonzalez (Vice Chair), Atty. Fema Christina P. Sayson (Secretary), Dr. Angel C. Alcala, Dr. Silvester B. Almiron, Mr. Ricardo A. Balbido, Jr., Bishop Ebenezer C. Camino, Mrs. Roselyn G. Delloso, Dr. Rosita V. Fundador, Mrs. Deborah T. Marco, Atty. Reinaldo M. Nolido, Mrs. Edna J. Orteza, Atty. Grace A. Sumalpong, Dr. Rebecca C. Torres and Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor.
“This means more work ahead,” Malayang told the DumagueteMetroPost in a telephone interview as he unveiled the five thrusts identified in the strategic plan of the university.
The first thrust, he said, would be to ensure a good focus of the content of university programs and see whether they remain relevant in particular areas.
The second is to increase the level of competency of faculty and staff. “We are going to encourage the faculty to upgrade themselves and to raise the level of investments in faculty development to respond to the many changes in the curriculum,” Malayang said.
The third thrust, he said, will focus on the rehabilitation of the university’s physical assets, particularly residential assets like dormitories. Most dormitories, he said, were built in the 50s and were built out of wood. “This means massive rehabilitation as we need to rehabilitate them and make them fireproof.”
The fourth, is fiscal sustainability. “The last five years,” Malayang said, “were focused on deficit eradication and deficit-proofing. In the next 5 years, we will ensure continuing sustainability.”
The fifth thrust would be the development and upgrading of the university’s capabilities to maintain friends from the alumni and the public at large.
Malayang said the University needs to institutionalize measures that will make sure that the alumni and the public will become part of the university rather than mere adjuncts.
He also said that the University had established an Alumni College last August to allow alumni to take part in teaching and developing curricular programs of the university. Some alumni have been tapped as visiting lecturers and others have been asked to help design some curricula.