SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — On my way back here, I met a fellow Sillimanian in the plane who is now a successful and accomplished tech engineer in the East Coast. As always when we meet, we reminisce and laugh at old Silliman jokes. Somehow those old jokes don’t grow old.
But there is something that we also seem to seriously share — the understandable cultural lag that many Third World institutions face.
In this sense, we observed that despite the best efforts of the University administration and faculty/staff, our Alma Mater has not fundamentally changed much. That is, she has not kept up with the demands of new educational thrusts and innovations.
In thinking about our exchanges, it reminded me of an incident here in this state where I teach. California ensured that by the year 2023, workers would be paid at least $15 an hour.
In anticipation to this costly reform, and with cutthroat competition south of the border, California farmers are now moving away from crops that require careful handling like apricots and plums, to crops that can be harvested by machine.
There’s simply no way that California farmers could pay enough money to remain responsibly competitive or sustainable. They’d go out of business, and their outputs would be replaced by imports (which is already increasingly happening).
Today, almond trees are spreading across the most important farming state. In March, the fields burst into beautiful light pink and white blooms in preparation for pollination, where swarms of bees are migrated to the orchards to carry pollen, and initiate crop development. In September, mechanical tree “shakers” vigorously jerk the nuts to the ground, and sweep them into rows.
Can we blame the farmers for reinventing themselves? Of course, not! They have to be clear-eyed and pragmatic in the way they analyze the opportunities and risks as they hedge against contingencies. It is key to their sustainability, more so, survival.
There is a painful lesson to be learned.
The educational landscape is no different. In fact, it is getting more difficult not only from purely fiscal considerations, but also, from simply self-preservation, if not, sustainability consideration.
Particularly, in the context of almost-free tertiary public education, private educational institutions have to reinvent the faculty/staff-Administration relationship to remain sustainable.
But just like many of our educational institutions in the country, I’m afraid we are looking the wrong way. Why do I say this?
It’s because our Alma Mater has an obsessive penchant for nostalgia, and status quo.
We are so nostalgic that we keep talking about the past. We are so regressive that we keep talking about the same old issues without seriously rethinking the teaching profession.
I don’t have a problem with nostalgia; it’s a nice feeling. But nostalgia has one problem: it forgets that there is tomorrow.
I don’t have a problem with status quo if it is the only iota one knows at the present. But there is one problem: the old ways can not cut it anymore. The reality is, our Alma Mater is not in the business of the present.
Instead, she must answer the question: What is it going to be 5 or 10 years from now?
If Silliman is to remain relevant and meaningful, our Alma Mater must live for the future, and possess the physical stamina and technological know-how to make quick substantive and methodological educational decisions, be they in teaching, healing, or preaching to keep up with the ever-changing technological and cultural landscapes.
In short, the administration, faculty and staff members must rethink careers and teaching.
Here’s one ubiquitous reality that can no longer be ignored: The contents and methodologies of subject matters (i.e., social sciences, humanities, business, theology, etc.) as we know them, are now made redundant by Cloud technology.
Seriously. Why should I pay or even deal with someone with less or no information and knowledge to teach or terrorize me in a classroom setting? I’d rather data mine my sources, right?
Consider this: Professional degrees such as sociology, political science, journalism, accounting, retail, etc., are now being streamlined by big data and Artificial Intelligence doing the grunt work. Unfortunately, there is no exception for the fate of other educational degrees.
Are we well-positioned in this area? Is our Alma Mater well-positioned against the inevitability of this new educational landscape?
I don’t think so.
Efren N. Padilla
_____________________________
Dr. Efren Padilla, an expert in urban sociology, urban planning, and social demography, is a full time sociology professor at the California State University-East Bay. On his quarter breaks, he comes home to the Philippines to give pro bono planning consultancy. He was shorlisted last year for the presidency of Silliman, but backed out midstream for personal reasons.
