1st CHED Commissioner to Conduct a Consultative Forum
April 22, 2017- a date that will forever be etched in the history of Southern Leyte State University as it welcomed Dr. J. Prospero E. De Vera III, the first CHED Commissioner and BOR Chairperson for SLSU to conduct the first consulatative Forum.
THE HISTORIC VISIT
Although hectic in schedule, Commissioner J. Prospero ‘Popoy’ E. De Vera III had squeezed in his timetable what Dr. Prose Ivy G. Yepes, Southern Leyte State University President, termed as ‘priceless visit’ that is not just historic but also very significant for the university’s pursuit in academic and service excellence.
This visit was also made special because aside from having a closer encounter with the BOR Chairperson, SLSU was also given the opportunity to be with and to ask to the Commissioner firsthand about CHED reforms and programs and in return, Dr. De Vera would also impart and share a talk about how to perform and behave as public employees or public officials.
CONSULTATIVE FORUM
After being appointed by the President in September, he promised to visit the 24 SUCs as it was not only proper but also necessary in order not to decide blindly during BOR meetings and also to decide based on correct information.
He also highlighted that that was a listening tour in which he wanted to see how the campus looked like, listen to the issues and concerns of the faculty, administrators to students, to deliver information about the things developed in CHED and to resolve problems.
PUBLIC FUNCTION
Dr. De Vera stated that SLSU, as a public university, has to take responsibilities very seriously and take them to heart because public universities are unique institutions that are created by public law, funded by public money and have a distinct set of responsibilities as public institutions. The University also needs to remind itself and its stakeholders that as part of the public institutions it needs to strengthen its public function and thus to provide access, practical education and responsiblity for extension.
SUCs as public institutions have the responsibility to make the dream of every Filipino family of sending their children to school alive and realizable.
Commissioner De Vera also stated that State Universities and Colleges are now providing more access as tuition will now be free , hence all that’s left is the quality. Basing from facts however, the performance of SUCs were already good but he encouraged that the Univeristy must still do better, in this way, the University is going to move forward and can play our vital role in nation building.
TELL THE GOOD STORY OUTSIDE
‘Konting Hiya at Kulang sa yabang’ , Commissioner De Vera’s words describing SUCs. He said that even though SUCs have already made something remarkable and has done good things they don’t tell the world about it. That is why, he strongly suggested that public institutions should do a better job in communicating for the people to know that public universities work, that they do a very wonderful job and that they change the lives of people. He also left a challenge to the people that are part of the institution that they should be the one advertising, promoting and spreading good stories about the university because if they don’t other people will and most of the time, people from outside tell the negative ones. With this, he truly believes that the best spokesperson are the people within.
TIME TO BREAK THOSE WALLS
A cast down fact that the Commissioner announced to everyone was thar SUCs are not talking to each other. He described them as ‘small kingdoms putting on fences not wanting to communicate’. He speculated that the reason behind this manner was that each SUC see each other as competitors. With this, he sent a wake up call that the time for competition is over, the time for collaboration is now because the competition in the next couple of yearswill come from outside the country because of the Regional integration due to the ASEAN integration.
In order not to be left out during this big integration, SUCs must start breaking those walls amongst themselves and start collaborating. They must find common areas in which they can improve themselves together, they must work together and most importantlym, they must talk with each other. In this way, the walls that keeps SUCs which should be alliances will be broken in order to attain collaboration and improve the service given by each SUC to its main employers, the public.
To end his message, Commissioner J. Prospero E. De Vera III said that this will not be his last visit to the university and that hopefully during his next visit, he would see some changes and collaboration between SUCs.
After the Forum, Commissioner De Vera attended the SLSU Special BOR Meeting with the Campus Key personnel and later participated in the campus tour with some SLSU Faculty and Staff.