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UP Los Banos

Reassessing and reaffirming UPLB’s commitment to excellence, academic freedom and social responsibility. UP Los Banos. the country’s premier tertiary and research institution agriculture forestry and related sciences. emerging center of excellence engineering and technology,

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UP Los Banos

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  1. Reassessing and reaffirming UPLB’s commitment to excellence, academic freedom and social responsibility

  2. UP Los Banos • the country’s premier tertiary and research institution • agriculture • forestry • and related sciences. • emerging center of excellence • engineering and technology, • biological and social sciences • humanities

  3. UP Los Banos Its mission is inextricably linked to fostering an environment conducive to sustainable agricultural growth for national transformation

  4. The Transformation • every Filipino has adequate access to food and social amenities, • absolute poverty is minimized • communities and civil society are empowered to shape their future

  5. Foundation for Transformation • an enlightened citizenry whose efforts for sustainable and quality economic growth • sound practices of resource management • principles of social justice.

  6. The mandate of UPLB • To provide national leadership in instruction, research and extension in agriculture, forestry and related fields.

  7. Revitalizing the general education, liberal arts and related courses for relevance to the problems of society, • Developing applied fields of science and technology that are responsive to the needs of the CALABARZON and the country in general.

  8. Increasing involvement in policy formulation, adjustments, implementation and in institution building. UPLB is in the best position to make a distinctive contribution in strengthening the capability of small rural communities and their local government units in planning and supervising their development projects.

  9. As a result, • enrolment and the number of graduates grew according to expectations. • UPLB was the first constituent university to implement the Revitalized General Education Program.

  10. Our academic programs in agriculture, agricultural engineering, forestry,veterinary medicine and information technology have been recognized for excellence by the Commission on Higher Education. • Our graduates are among the best performers in professional licensure examinations.

  11. How has UPLB lived up to its commitment? • Excellence • Relevance • Academic freedom • Social responsibility

  12. Reassessing UPLB’s commitment to excellence, academic freedom and social responsibility • The productivity of agriculture and the productive capability of environmental resources continue to decline. • This has exacerbated the problems of low productivity of the entire economy, food insecurity and hunger, poverty and environmental degradation.

  13. Deteriorating quality of education and research services • The agriculture sector continues to suffer • the low level of existing technology • inadequate support services and policy intervention • uncertain, slow pace of implementation of reform measures.

  14. We reassess the quality and relevance of the academic programs and services that we designed to enhance both the technical competence and critical and reflective thinking of our students and development partners.

  15. How has UPLB lived up to its commitment to excellence, academic freedom and social responsibility? • What has UPLB done? • To generate useful technologies • To espouse the values of moral integrity, critical-mindedness, and social responsibility in molding the minds of its students and in the delivery of research and extension services

  16. How can UPLB best serve the people in the face of the critical changes that pose serious challenges and constraints to its carrying out its mission?

  17. This lecture is an attempt by an insider to provide some answers to these questions.

  18. Academic Excellence • available human and physical resources, • the qualification and commitment to duty of its faculty • quality, quantity and variety of programs and services and the relevance of its programs and services to its mission.

  19. Academic Excellence • UPLB’s standing in my scorecard: Needs Improvement

  20. the proliferation of academic units and the rapid expansion in academic programs and services which were not supported by careful planning, genuine needs analysis, manpower development and regular monitoring and review process;

  21. the lack of resolve to carry out much needed organizational restructuring and streamlining and the reluctance to phase out programs, projects and activities of very little useful outputs and relevance to primary mission;

  22. 3. unfavorable policies 4. mismatch between financial allocations and needs.

  23. Proliferation of academic units and expansion of programs and services • While UPLB was designated as an autonomous campus (for agriculture, forestry and related fields), its activities is expanded beyond its mandate.

  24. The increase in curricular offerings resulted in a dramatic rise in student population. • However, the enrolment in agriculture and related fields declined in favor of arts, sciences, engineering and humanities • The strength of UPLB faculty and the bulk of the physical resources remained to be in agriculture and related fields.

  25. The increasing imbalance between primary mission and activities adversely affected the quality and relevance of present UPLB academic programs and services.

  26. The mismatch between actual allocation of funds and the minimum amount needed has also seriously affected the quality of UPLB’s educational outputs and the relevance of its services.

  27. Barriers to carrying out organizational and institutional changes • the proliferation of research and training programs • the lack of resolve to terminate the appointments of the staff of programs that had outlived their usefulness These contributed to the increasing imbalance in the administrative to academic staff ratio.

  28. Academic to administrative staff ratio of over 4 is nearly double that for UP Diliman. • Over 80 percent of the total expenditure goes into personnel services.

  29. it has been difficult to develop a sound manpower planning system • identify growth points, • guide manpower development • carry out much needed organizational reforms. • compete for limited funds and staff time.

  30. Maintaining human and physical resources • Budgetary constraints • Savings and other sources of funds that could have been used to upgrade facilities and support faculty development have been used for staff bonuses and allowances

  31. The termination of most of the faculty development scholarship programs • affected the quality and variety of the post-graduate training opportunities It has become increasingly difficult for UPLB to retain its promising young faculty.

  32. The pressure to rationalize the allocation of funds to factor in the necessity of maintaining quality human and physical resources is inevitable.

  33. The gradual deterioration in the proficiency in language, mathematics, physics and basic engineering concepts of our students. • Their lack of exposure and familiarity with actual project planning and formulation of important design parameters. • Focused more on solving the problems in their textbooks using design parameters and methodologies not appropriate to Philippine conditions.

  34. Policy concerns • The UP System adopted the up-or-out and tenure policies.

  35. The faculty credentials for achieving academic excellence • advanced academic degree attained • publication in a refereed journal. • Such credentials do not necessarily guarantee teaching proficiency.

  36. best measure of utility of a research output - adoption by its intended end-users • less than 1 percent of the generated outputs were actually used by the intended end-users.

  37. Very fast turnover rates of their faculty • Very few faculty members in the 25-to-35-years age bracket. • The young engineering graduates find the challenge of getting an advanced degree and publishing an article in a refereed journal within eight years of service a daunting and a risky proposition.

  38. Because of the tenure policy, • our college had to fire teachers with masters and doctoral degrees • leaving the bulk of the teaching duties to new graduates who are struggling to get their advanced degrees. Most of our units have no replacements for their “aging” faculty.

  39. Favor faculty development in units that are relatively strong - offer graduate programs - have senior faculty who can provide guidance and funds for the research of junior faculty. Without such guidance and funds, it will be difficult for a new unit to attain a critical mass of competent faculty.

  40. Applying these policies to all teaching units not only is unfair but counterproductive. • An extreme example is the UPLB Rural High School.

  41. Gradual policy shift favoring centralization and the erosion of powers and influence over university matters of the autonomous UPLB campus. • Some faculty members are somewhat disturbed • the lack of built-in safeguards at the highest level against political overtures • pressures to compromise integrity and bend rules in the academe and in governance.

  42. System administrative bodies and officials with staff appointments have slowly encroached on the rights over academic matters of collegiate bodies • Those occupying high staff position are also perceived as encroaching on the rights over academic and administrative matters of collegiate bodies and administrators holding line items.

  43. Academic freedom • The extended family system that has long characterized the elite of UPLB is as strong as ever. • Some students, faculty, staff and alumni organizations and other affiliations are suspected to continue to harbor self-serving interests that may run counter to the freedom to seek truth.

  44. Commitment to fraternity agenda and active participation in some undergraduate activities spill beyond undergraduate years. • It does not run counter to academic freedom, codal provisions and the general well-being of the university. • The same precaution can guide student activists.

  45. The greatest potential threat to academic freedom • lack of safeguards against political overtures and pressures to compromise integrity and bend rules in the academe and in governance

  46. Social responsibility • So, is UPLB still producing graduates imbued with the UPLB spirit and the values of integrity, critical-mindedness, and social responsibility? YES

  47. The UPLB spirit (love of our university and country), integrity and service to the people • The quality and variety of the liberal arts and related courses have yet to reach a level which guarantees that most of the graduates will have developed a full appreciation of the Filipino culture and history and possess the reflective intelligence to understand what is useful to our people and the country.

  48. UPLB was the first constituent university to implement the RGEP • It encountered difficulties in developing GE courses in the arts and humanities due to limitations in human and financial resources.

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