FORUM UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
sh a p i ng
m i n d s
t h at
sh a p e
t h e
SPECIAL ISSUE 2015
n at i on
VOLUME 16 NUMBER 1
UPDATES ON U.P.’S STRATEGIC INITIATIVES ALFREDO E. PASCUAL UP President
*Presented before the UP Board of Regents on 29 January 2015.
2 | On Track to Preeminence: Progress on U.P.’s Strategic Initiatives
I
t is a useless life,” Jose Rizal said, “that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of
any edifice.” In 2011, my first year as UP President, I presented
3 | Recruiting the Best and the Brightest Students
O
n recruiting the best and the brightest students, we make sure that our student body would reflect the socio-economic
profile of our country. The latest data we have are based on the results of the UP College Admission
a Strategic Plan, a blueprint for the great ideal and
Test (UPCAT) for the class that’s coming in dur-
edifice that is “One University, One UP.” I called
ing academic year 2015-2016. We have a total of
on constituents—students, faculty, staff and REPS,
86,000 examinees and we offered admission to
9 | Internationalizing U.P.
T
he other important issue is to internationalize UP so that it will be better able to perform its leadership role in developing a globally competitive Philippines and be at par with international standards set by the best practices of leading universities in the ASEAN and the world. What we have done basically as an initial step in creating
UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 2
One U.P.
On Track to Preeminence: Progress on U.P.’s Strategic Initiatives Alfredo E. Pascual President, University of the Philippines
continued from page 1 officials, and alumni—to consecrate our labors and learning to the return of UP to preeminence in the Philippines and its transformation into a great Asian and global institution. More than four years later, we are past the halfway mark in our Strategic Plan. It is time to assess our progress in building “One University, One UP,” as well as checking the tasks that remain. It is an opportunity, as well, to celebrate our accomplishments for, slowly but steadily, we are restoring UP’s greatness in the 21st century. I presented this Strategic Plan on my first year as UP president. We have kept to the strategic initiatives stated in this plan. We have taken a very global perspective on the role of UP. I have promoted the idea that we are “One University, One UP” in terms of the academic standards we have set. I have heard the concerns about possible dilution of some of the courses being offered off-campus or elsewhere in the system, and we’re conscious of that. And the One UP spirit is catching on. Recently, the Board of Regents approved our first ever tri-campus Professional Masters Program--the Professional Masters in Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management. In this progress report, these are the strategic initiatives I would cover. First, the thrust is towards recruiting the best and the brightest students, even as we continue to address issues of admission and democratic access and ensure that those who are qualified are able to enroll. Second, there is also the issue of strengthening and providing the faculty with enough incentives so that we are able to retain them and so that they are able to improve their capability particularly in the area of research. Third, we are also transforming UP into a research-intensive university, intensifying our internationalization efforts, modernizing our pedagogy, formalizing quality assurance, and strengthening public service and sports development.
UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 3
Recruiting the Best and the Brightest Students
Senior public high school students review the UPCAT general information poster on their bulletin board
Fewer people taking the UPCAT are from among the poor and with the lower passing rate. The result is a continuing reduction or decline in the number of poor students or students from poor families in UP. And con-
continued from page 1
trary to what the students have been shouting all along that abolishing
roughly 13,500.
it is admission. We have already addressed the tuition issue by reforming
tuition in UP will solve the problem, it will not. The problem is not tuition;
Because there are more applicants now, and since our admission is based on a quota system, the percentage admission will
the Socialized Tuition System. But we have to address the admission issue, which cannot be solved even if UP is charging no tuition fee.
tend to decline. In 2014, almost 50 percent of those we offered
Percentage of UP Qualifiers by HS Type, 2013-2014
admission to were from private high schools. But private high schools students represent only about 20 percent of the total high school population. So the graduates of private high schools
High School Type
% of UP Qualifiers
% of HS Enrollment
2013
2014
(2013)**
Private HS
48.1
49.8
19.8
schools students account for 80 percent of the student popula-
Public HS (Science)*
25.2
24.8
0.9
tion. So that’s the kind of disproportionate representation we are
Public HS (General)
26.6
25.4
79.3
100
100
100
are disproportionately represented. On the other hand, the graduates of public high schools account for only a fourth of our admissions. But public high
experiencing.
Total
Science high schools graduates also account for close to 25 percent of those we admit. But the total number of students in the science high schools and specialized high schools comprises only
* including state universities and specialized high schools ** Source: DepEd Facts and Figures, SY 2012-2013
about one percent of the total population. In terms of regional representation, the National Capital Re-
In order to improve access to UP education, we will offer, starting this
gion (NCR), for obvious reasons because the best high schools
year, a free UPCAT Review Online to level the playing field in preparing
are in NCR, has almost close to three times their percentage
for the UPCAT. We also need to aggressively promote UPCAT among pub-
share in the total population. The most underrepresented is
lic high school students across the country to broaden the base of UPCAT
Mindanao. If we further break this down, ARMM is the least
takers from poor families. We will fully support the Iskolar ng Bayan Law to increase our UPCAT
represented in UP.
qualifiers from public schools and initiate other affirmative programs to
UP Qualifiers Based on UPCAT & HS Grade, 2013-2014
UP Applicants % of UP Qualifiers
reach out to the underrepresented and marginalized sectors of our society.
2013
2014
76,662
84,885
16.6
15.4
And of course, we have to make sure that all those who qualify for admission enroll in our campuses.
continued on page 5
How can we address this issue of democratizing admission
Regional Breakdown
to UP? In 2004, the passing rate by income class was more or less even. Seventeen to 19 percent of those who took the UP-
Region
% of UP Qualifiers (2014)
% of Population (2010)*
NCR
30.7
12.8
Luzon (x NCR)
37.0
43.9
Visayas
19.6
19.5
Mindanao
12.7
23.8
100
100
CAT from these income classes made it. In 2014, those from the poorest income class were able to achieve only 9.3 percent of the passing rate while those from the highest income class achieved close to 24 percent passing rate. It’s a continuing change over those years until today. So, it would be interesting to see how it is for 2015. We do not have the data yet. But this is really indicative of what is happening in our basic education system. The quality of basic high school education in the public school systems is apparently getting worse based on the data we have. There are also more students taking the UPCAT from higher income classes than the lower income classes.
Total
* Based on population data as of 1 May 2010 from the Philippine Statistics Authority
Strengthening the Faculty UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 4
T
For masters and doctoral fellowships, in the period 2005-2010, the period before my administra-
o strengthen and incentivize our fac-
tion, we granted 10 fellowships per year. During
ulty, one approach is by increasing the
this administration, we have provided fellowships
number of masters and doctorate degree
to 85 of our faculty members to complete their
holders. We are doing that by recruiting PhDs
masters and doctorate degrees. Money is no lon-
from abroad and providing them incentives. We
ger a constraint. We can accommodate much
are also financing graduate studies in UP and
more. With the help of Senator Pia Cayetano, UP received anoth-
abroad and giving research and travel grants.
er P100 million for our 2015 budget for faculty development and
We have received 29 Balik-PhDs over the past
that will help us fund more masteral or doctoral fellows who will
four years to teach in UP. We will now expand
either study locally or go abroad.
and ensure that all our campuses and disciplines
The numbers are improving. Fifty percent is a good start. With
will benefit from this program. UP Diliman now
funding being no longer a constraint, we will be
provides these Balik-PhDs a relocation package
able to increase that number even more.
of half a million and a start-up research grant of
We are also providing more travel grants so
P2.5 million for a two-year research project.
that our faculty can present their research papers abroad. In 2012-2014 there was a big increase.
Number of PhD and MS/MA Fellowships Foreign
Constituent Unit
Local
PhD
MS/MA
Total
PhD
MS/MA
DPA
Total
Sandwich
22
2
24
4
0
0
4
1
UP Los Ba単os
4
1
5
2
0
0
2
UP Manila
6
1
7
1
1
0
2
UP Baguio
5
0
5
5
0
0
5
UP Mindanao
5
0
5
0
2
0
2
UP Open University
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
UP Visayas
2
0
2
3
0
11
14
UP Cebu
3
2
5
0
1
0
1
48
6
54
15
4
11
30
UP Diliman
Total
1
Source: Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs
U.P. System-Funded Research Dissemination (Travel) Grants, 2012-2014 32 33
35
30
30 25 13
15 10 5 0
2012
18
20
0
3
2
UP Baguio
3
4
5
UP Cebu
Source: Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs
2013
10
9 2
UP Diliman
UP Los Ba単os
3
UP Manila
2
2
3
0
1
0
UP Mindanao UP Open University
3
3
5
UP Visayas
2014
Total
85
UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 5
Pass rate of UPCAT Takers by Income Category*
RECRUITING THE BEST... continued from page 3 All enrolled students of the University receive financial support from the National Government since the full tuition is much lower than the cost of education in UP. Given that students in UP come from all walks of life, there are those who may not be able to
Household Income Category
Passing rate of UPCAT takers in each income category 2004
2014
afford paying the full tuition. So we developed the Socialized Tuition System which pro-
No data
11.8
7.6
vides tuition discount at rates that are based on the assessment of the paying capacity of
P100K below
16.7
9.3
P101K – P200K
19.3
14.5
We have spent a lot of time discussing the Socialized Tuition System and the results
P201K – P300K
19.9
16.9
have been encouraging. There are more applicants now—from 40 percent the number
P301K – P400K
19.3
17.0
P401K – P500K
18.7
18.5
P501K – P1M
18.0
20.4
1M+
17.7
23.9
the household to which a student belongs. This assessment looks at the income as well as the socio-economic characteristics of the household.
of socialized tuition applicants rose to 91 percent this school year. More are enjoying 60 to100 percent discounts, from 30 to 55 percent, as of September 2014. And more are enjoying a full discount. In other words, we have been able to screen better in favor of those who are eligible to receive 100 percent discount, 80 percent discount, 60 percent discount—and the processing time is very much faster, from two to three months to two months. In fact, classification had been done even before classes started.
U.P. Personnel
H
ighest amount, widest coverage. These define the merit promotion of and additional compensation for UP faculty and staff approved by the UP Board of Regents (BOR) in a special meeting we had last November 2014. To date, these monetary awards are the highest amount ever given out by the University and will benefit the most number of employees. Some P205 million will be used to fund the promotion. I am happy that the promise I made during my investiture in 2011–to reward meritocracy and excellent performance–has finally been fulfilled. This is the University administration and BOR’s way of recognizing the hard work and achievements of the faculty and staff in producing cutting-edge research, creation of new knowledge products, innovative and meaningful teaching, and effective public service. I am also grateful to the national government for believing that UP, as the one and only national university, is a good investment for the future of the Filipino nation. This support greatly enables the University to achieve its purpose to perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development.
I
Note: The figures under each year column do not add up to 100% as they are not based on the total UPCAT takers for the year but on the total UPCAT takers per income category.
On additional benefits, we will make sure that we address the needs of our administrative staff. We will also address the issue of contractualization because some of our workers are not regular employees but contractual; some are non-UP contractuals. These people were hired to do specific projects and have not been allowed to go even after the projects were completed. They are still with us and many have worked in UP for 10 years so they want to be regularized. We have already regularized more than 400, and we continue to conduct negotiations. If they are needed on a regular and permanent basis, and when we open the vacancies, those who are on contract will have the opportunity to become regular employees. I am also thinking of offering an early retirement program and I'm exploring all options to get funding from the government. Some of our senior employees still come to office to make sure that they can retire at 65 and get their retirement benefits. I do not know if we can work this out, we can calculate the cost and see whether we can absorb. If we do that, it will free up some regular positions which we can make available for qualified contractual employees so they can get regular positions. This is a major challenge both for UP contractuals and the non-government workers. This problem is not unique to UP. Other government offices face the same challenge. Let us try to contribute to the solution of this problem.
n modernizing pedagogy, we are starting to develop pro-
our degree programs. We have subjected five of our degree programs
grams that will promote blended learning. This is a way of
for assessment by AUN–Quality Assessment: two from Diliman, three
attuning our pedagogy with the way we teach, with the kind
from UP Los Baños. For civil engineering, UP scored 5 out of 7, pass-
of students we are now getting who are very much tied to mobile
ing but far from perfect. That means that there is a lot that we have yet
devices or doing things online.
to learn. The highest scores seen by international assessors were 5.6 to
We have instituted the Gawad Pangulo for Progressive Teach-
5.7, the highest possible score is 7. One panel that came to us included
ing and Learning: to recognize faculty members who enrich
a German professor who evaluated civil engineering. The degree pro-
course content and innovate on pedagogy. Another important
grams that they assessed had taken into consideration the recommen-
strategic initiative is to formalize Quality Assurance. This is the
dation of the QA panels.
first time we are employing a foreign partner to evaluate or assess
Modernizing Pedagogy
UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 6
U.P. as a Research-Intensive University intensive university. My predecessors have put in place the building
O
tion. We have reorganized this; we have hired an engineer to help the Technol-
blocks to make UP a research-intensive university through the construc-
ogy Transfer and Business Development Office (TTBDO).
that this worthy initiative is completed by mobilizing the necessary resources for
Research Program (EIDR) being funded by the UP System. EIDR was imple-
research and additional facilities.
mented in 2012 to provide UP faculty and researchers with grants that will allow
ne very important strategic initiative is to transform UP into a research-
tion of the National Science Complex. Under my administration, we made sure
I want to highlight two examples of major research facilities that we have set up.
As we do research we also need to enhance intellectual property (IP) protec-
Another research program we introduced is the Emerging Inter-Disciplinary
them to carry out interdisciplinary research programs for 2 to 4 years. This pro-
At the start of my term in 2011, I launched the Philippine Genome Center with no
gram encourages inter-unit and inter-constituent university (CU) collaborations,
sure source yet for the building. Eventually, we got the money from the Disburse-
as well as collaborations with foreign institutions, state universities and colleges,
ment Acceleration Program (DAP).
higher education institutions and partnerships with the private industry.
For Phase I, we have started construction and will be completed within year. For our capital outlay (CO) budget for 2015, we are getting again the funding for the second phase. We will have a much bigger facility. We already have more than P400 million in research funding for our Philippine Genome Center (PGC). We have state-of-the-art equipment including a supercomputer which is not housed
Number of programs and amount of funds allocated in each cycle of the Emerging Interdisciplinary Research Grant 2011-2013 Cycle
No. of Programs
here but accessible to the Philippine Genome Center. It’s an Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). This 1-Billion Peso Project is an important research facility which
tions, we had no choice but to outsource so that we do not lose the money. We outsourced the construction to the DBM Procurement Service. With that outsourcing, there is no risk in losing the money anymore. But there would be some delay in the completion of the project. This is a very large facility with 34,000 square meters or 3.4 hectares of land space and sport facilities. DOST is an important UP partner and we have been getting a lot of support from it in funding our research projects. In addition to DOST, UP also gets funding from the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the
UPD UPLB UPM UPMin UPD UPLB UPM UPD UPB UPLB
Funds Allotted (in million PhP)
1
5
2
7
3
5
4
5
UPD
37.7
5
9
UPB UPD UPLB
40.4
Total
31
should house 10 institutes. Since this is a very large project, we encountered problems getting acceptable bidders. With two failed biddings and two failed negotia-
Main Proponent
63.9
73.4
34.2
249.6
Source: Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs
Department of Health (DOH). We have not neglected culture and the humanities. In 2014, we succeeded in get-
We have gone through five cycles already with a total commitment of close to
ting funding from government for a proposal that we presented to Malacañang—
P250 million. The ongoing 31 EIDR programs/projects cover a broad range of
the Cultural Infrastructure Development Program (CIDP). Malacañang gave us
topics that are of public and national interest. These include: the Development
about P400 million to rehabilitate and upgrade our facilities for the performing
of versatile instrument system for science education and research (VISSER);
arts and other cultural facilities to support creative work and research in culture
Towards good water governance for development; Social-ecological resilience on
and the arts. By emphasizing this we are able to help develop our sense of national
different spatial and temporal scales; Computer-aided discovery of compounds
identity and unity as Filipinos. This will match the significant investments UP is
for the treatment of tuberculosis in the Philippines; Use of fast growing planta-
making in science and technology. The Siningsaysay: History as Art Project is one
tion tree species as fuel pellets in the Philippines, among others.
way of supporting and promoting culture and the arts in the University. It is a col-
The number of people applying for the research program is increasing. The
lection of 30 murals depicting Philippine history. Twenty-eight UP alumni-artists
requirement is that the proposal has to have a team from different disciplines to
form part of the project.
tackle a particular challenge. We need to aggressively disseminate the availabil-
UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 7
ity of research grants across all campuses so that more faculty and researchers will apply for funding. We also enhanced the Creative Work and Research grants. Even without enhancement we already saw an increase in the number of awardees. Before my term as president, there were only 11 awardees; in 2011 this was more than double—27—and in 2012, we saw a further increase. There is a decline in the number of awardees, that is why we needed to enhance it; we increased the amount available for every grantee. There is also funding for UP Baguio, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, and UP Visayas. There was a presentable increase from 2009-2013, but continuing it is very much dependent on the amount of funds available. There are also external sources of funding for research work. In 2011-2012, UP Los Baños received a growing amount of funding. UP Diliman, on the other hand, received a total of P45 billion, a significant increase, from DOST in 2011-2014. In a period of six years, we received P1.25 billion in funding. Within a four-year period it’s now P4.2 billion. It’s almost triple increase so far. That is really providing the fuel for our effort to be a research-intensive University.
CHED-Funded PCARI Projects, 2015 Health IHITM 63: High Throughput Screening of Philippine Terrestrial and Marine Organisms for Antimalarial Properties and Identification of Novel Drug Targets P84.8M IHITM 109: Phil. UC-Collaboratory for Device Innovation (Training Award) P18.0M IHITM 131: Accessible Detection of Dengue using BioMems and MIP Materials P68.9M A Proposal for the Expansion of the Shared Genomics Core Facility in the Philippines P366.3M Information & Communication Infrastructure IIID 13: Resilient Sensory Swarms for Smart Energy and Environmental Monitoring (RESE2NSE) P116.5M IIID 31: The Village Base Station P89.5M IIID 54: Resilient Cyber Physical Societal Scale Systems P168.2M IIID 58: Cost-Effective Manufacturing Using Printing Fabrication Technologies For Energy Generation, Conditioning, and Monitoring Devices P68.4M And finally, we are going to implement the Philippine-California Advanced Research Institute (PCARI) projects. We are getting seven to eight projects. It’s almost 80 to 90 percent of the funding. Ateneo de Manila University will get one project. The projects are classified into two areas: Health and Information and Communication Infrastructure. If you count all the research funding we have received so far, P4.2B plus P400MP4.6B, plus DOST plus PCARI, there is really a significant increase. The good news is that the laboratories are now becoming available to meet the needs at the Science Complex, the Engineering Complex, the Philippine Genome Center and the National Institutes of Health building.
Ongoing construction of the UP Philippine Genome Center building which will house its administrative services office and core facilities as of 28 January 2015 Phase 1: Fund source - 2013 CO Budget, P150M Status: Ongoing; target completion is 2nd quarter of 2015 Phase 2: Fund source - 2015 CO Budget, P150M Status: Most likely to be covered by a contiguous contract; preparations in the works
UP’s National Institutes of Health Created in 1996 as an institutional umbrella for a network of various research and extension units in health and socio-biomedical concerns. After 17 years, NIH will have a modern building in UP Manila with approved budget of P1B for 12 storeys with a total of 34,400 sqm floor area. Status: Outsourced to DBM Procurement Service
UP’s Philippine Genome Center Launched in November 2011, the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) of UP is a multidisciplinary institution that combines basic and applied research for the development of health diagnostics, therapeutics, DNA forensics and preventive products, and improved crop, aquaculture, and animal varieties. The Center was established to facilitate the translation of knowledge in genomics into applications beneficial to society. The PGC currently has five research programs on health; agriculture, livestock & fisheries; biodiversity; forensics & ethnicity; and ethics, legal and social issues. It has three core facilities: DNA sequencing, bioinformatics, and biobanking. PGC will soon offer educational workshops, trainings, and seminars in genomics and biotechnology. Collaborations with the academe, government and private institutions with similar thrusts in genomicsbased applications such as health and medicine, agriculture, biodiversity and forensics are welcome. The PGC officially opened its Core Facility for Bioinformatics (CFB) last 14 April 2014. The CFB aims to provide local scientists and researchers with quality services for genomescale data generation and analysis. The CFB showcases high-performance computing resources, hardware and software required in the efficient analysis, management/curation, and archiving of massive amounts of data derived from next generation sequencing. The CFB also boasts of custom-made/client-focused services such as the provision of software, specialized databases or technical support for varied bioinformatics analyses, and the use of and access to high-performance computing resources. The CFB complements the next generation sequencing services offered by PGC’s DNA Sequencing Core Facility (DSCF).
UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 8
H
ow are research works translating into publications, which is very, very important for our faculty? From 2007 to-2010, there was a 48 percent increase in the number of publications accounted for by the Scopus. Scopus is the organization under Elsevier
Translating Research into Publications UP Scopus Publications, 2005-2014 600 500 400
UPMin UPV
300
UPM 200
UPLB UPD
100
UPB 0
Note: Partial data was used for 2014 Source: http://www.scopus.com
The sad reality is that UP's research output lags behind those of the leading universities in our neighboring countries. The topnotcher of course is the National University of Singapore (NUS). The NUS produces over 8,000 publications per year. The NUS and the Nanyang Technological University are both from Singapore and look at their publication rate. The number of their faculty members is more or less like ours but they are introducing two publications a year. UP publications are at the 600 level despite our over 3,700 faculty. Our publication rate is very, very low. The only one we are beating now among the top 10 universities in Asia is Indonesia. We are still ahead of Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, but Vietnam’s is on an upward trend. If we don’t do something drastic there will be a cross over somewhere here in the future. Vietnam is sending 2,000 of their students to do PhDs abroad. That is their annual rate of doctoral studies abroad compared to our 30.
Publisher, which tracks 22,000 journals. They track all types of journals from different disciplines, from science and technology to arts and humanities. They’re now the most extensive and are now getting to be the leader in tracking journal publications and books as well. The breakdown by campus is: UP Diliman 46 percent, by
far the biggest number; UP Manila, 25 percent; and UP Los Baños, 24 percent of annual publications. UP Diliman increased at a rate of 11.6 percent per year; UP Los Baños, eight percent; UP Manila yielded a 76 percent increase in 2011 because a journal that it is publishing became Scopus-listed. Let me highlight the fact that in UP Diliman, the distribution of publications across different disciplines is more or less even, 150-200 publications per major discipline in the past 10 years. In UP Los Baños, we have the bulk of the publications in agriculture and biological sciences, more than half of the publications. It simply tells us that, in fact, UPLB is focusing on its niche area. The same goes for UP Manila, with medicine as its niche area. For their publications, our faculty members are given International Publication Awards. This award also includes publications that are internationally recognized—our own internationally recognized journals. There is also a good 15 percent increase from the period before my administration and the last four years of my administration. There are more in the Scopus. We found out that not all faculty members apply for the international publication award. We are trying to understand why. Another form of recognition is the UP Scientific Productivity System for our scientists. This was introduced two administrations ago but during our administration, there has been a significant increase in the awards we’re giving. Now, we’re not constrained as far as funding is concerned. A counterbalance to the Scientific Productivity Awards is the Arts Productivity System and we have given some awards already. It’s growing here, declining there. It’s not a consistent trend but the numbers are encouraging.
Publications: Comparison of Top ASEAN Universities 9000 National University of Singapore
8000
Nanyang Technological University
7000
University of Malaya
6000
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
5000
Universiti Putra Malaysia
4000
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Mahidol University
3000
Chulalongkorn University
2000
University of the Philippines
1000
University of Indonesia
0 2010
2011
Note: Partial data was used for 2014 Source: Elsevier, Research Solutions Sales
2012
2013
2014
UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 9
Internationalizing U.P. continued from page 1 enabling conditions is to synchronize our academic calendar with that of the universities in our neighboring countries. We have also improved our International Linkages Numberof ofActive ActiveForeign ForeignHigher Higher Number Office (ILO) and have apEducationInstitutions InstitutionsPartners Partners Education pointed one of our young perYear, Year,2011-2013 2011-2013 per PhDs deputy director of this Constituent Constituent 201 2011 2012 2013 office, which will lead the 2011 2012 Unit Unit 3 thrust in internationalizing System 55 55 55 4949 the university. Baguio 22 2 But the most important 66 Cebu 2 2 thing is how we implement Diliman 101 108 139 many of these linkages with 101 139 other universities. We are Los Ba単os 49 48 4545 very active in international 49 Manila 21 21 21 1414 networks. The ASEAN Mindanao 99 8 8 8 University Network (AUN) is working closely with Open 88 14 ASEAN organizations, the 8 14 University Association of Pacific Rim Visayas 21 21 21 99 Universities (APRU). UP is Total 266 271 286 266 286 the only university in the Source: Office of International Linkages, January 2015 Philippines that is part of the AUN. The members are all leading universities around the Pacific. We are part of the ASEAN European Academic University Network, South and Southeast Asia and Taiwan Universities (SATU); and the Korean Studies Association of Southeast Asia (KoSASA). I am a member of the steering committee for APRU and SATU. We have increased the number of visiting professors and we want to see more. We are again encouraging the other CUs to do the same. UP Baguio has started bringing in visiting professors from abroad. Right now, only one percent of our student population is from abroad. The issue for undergraduate programs is that for every foreign student we take in, we necessarily have to bump off one Filipino student because
we have a fixed quota per course. We are not yet doing anything to invite undergraduate students to enroll in programs in UP. What we can do or we are trying to do is increase the number of foreign students in our postgraduate programs where there is more capacity and less competition from our local students. If we have to increase the number of our foreign students it will be in the post graduate programs. We are also trying to provide support for our internationalization program. We have improved some of the facilities at the International Center in UP Diliman from our own funds and in UP Los Ba単os with funding from the government. We are building an international center as well.
UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 10
alumni website as the “face of UP to the Alumni ng Bayan”—like the UP System website—was also redesigned using international universities as benchmarks in design, functionality and content. In addition, the digitization of the UP alumni database has been ongoing.
U.P. in Public Service
S
erving the country is a trademark UP value which has always been instilled in its students, faculty, staff, and administration. UP expertise has consistently been tapped in the development of policies and achievement of goals that benefit society. With the Charter of 2008 formally declaring UP as the national university of the country, UP’s public character has been recognized with the mandate to lead in public service. Information dissemination plays a key role in public service. Digital technology has been an important tool in this initiative. Under my administration, the initiative is called “Pabatid UP-Pabatid Bayan,” a comprehensive media and communication program that provides an outward-looking, inclusive information system that reaches out to the nation and the world.
The institutional visibility and the reach of UP was expanded with the use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Issuu. As the so-called face of UP to the world, the UP System website was redesigned using international universities as benchmarks in design, functionality and content. It was launched in August 2011 and as of 8 June 2015, it has had 2.999 million visits. UP has also ensured that its internal publics are served. One such group highly valued by the university is its alumni. In 2011, the UP
W
To harmonize the flow of information in the UP System, I created a unified and coordinated UP information/communication system. This system aims to standardize the functions of all
existing CU Information Offices; and generate and provide timely, accurate and quality information to internal and external publics through all available communication media, through a unified System-wide information system. We conducted seminar-workshops for the designated information officers of the units of all campuses—the first concrete step toward implementing the system. The information officers have since organized themselves in a Facebook group to facilitate the completion of a unified, working and effective information system throughout the UP System. To anchor the public service initiatives of the university, centralize operations, and coordinate public service endeavors of UP units, the UP Padayon Public Service Office was created by the Board of Regents on 29 March 2012. It is responsible for mobilizing UP resources to respond promptly and efficiently to the demands of public service. It is also tasked to develop networks of support from the different publics of UP. With UP Padayon in place, the University partnered with the Commission on Elections and ABS-CBN to help ensure clean and intelligent exercise of the people's right of suffrage in May 2013. We had the UP sa Halalan 2013 website and social media accounts that shared relevant data—from candidate background and infographics on political families to analyses and think pieces from UP experts. UP election experts dominated the airwaves with their incisive commentaries and analyses throughout the campaign period and on election day. Let me also emphasize that we are going international and regional in our approach to public service because the other universities in our region are now also getting conscious of the need to engage with the community. Public service has been part of UP culture for many years, so we have a lot to share with them. We are getting active in the so-called Asia-Talloires Network of Industry and Community Engaged Universities (ATNEU), AUN’s University Social Responsibility and Sustainability (USR&S) Thematic Network, and AsiaEngage.
Professional Schools
e are extending the reach of UP particularly in the fast developing urban centers like UP Cebu. We broke ground in 2012 and inaugurated the UP Cebu Professional Schools in Cebu, South Road Properties. That was donated to us by the city government which funded part of the cost of the building, the
first building, and the other part was from the PDAF of Senator Sergio Osmeña. The library is now under construction. In Bonifacio Global City, the construction of the Bonifacio City building of UP is ongoing. The target completion is July this year. We have the building that was donated to us by BCDA. We also have a donation from SM Investment Corporation. We have the approval of P50 million more in the 2015 budget for the furnishings of the building but we’re still raising money from our alumni. The future Clark Green City has an area of 70 hectares but we have not signed a formal agreement yet. I have also met with representatives of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology because they’re looking at the possibility of setting up an Innovation Hub in the Philippines like the one in Singapore. We presented to them what we are doing in the area of research and development. We have a very strong proponent for this in the person of one of our regents, Senator Pia Cayetano. We also got a few millions to start the track oval, again with the help of Senator Cayetano.
Ongoing construction of UP in Bonifacio Global City (Basement Level) 28 January 2015
UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 11
Increases in the U.P. Budget
W
e are committed to continue
UP Budget from GAA (in million PhP), 2010-2015
our campaign for increases in the UP budget. When I as-
sumed the presidency in 2011 the UP budget had already been approved and the proposed budget for 2012 had already been pre-
14000 UP Budget from GAA 2010-2015 12000 (amounts in million PhP)
pared. In 2013, we made a presentation to
Year
Budget
the Department of Budget and Management
2010
4,609
(DBM) and we were able to get an increase
2011
5,376
of over 60 percent, which was maintained
2012
6,847
in 2014. In 2015 we had an increase of more
2013
9,529
than 40 percent for the completion of critical
2014
9,373
infrastructure and for the modernization of
2015
13,143
10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0
PGH. Over the past four years, we have been able to increase the bud-
2010
2011 PS
get of the University by more than 100 percent. The increased funding for UP shows that the national government now recogniz-
2012 MOOE
2013
2014
CO
2015
TOTAL
Note: 2010 to 2012 amounts are actual budget releases while the 2013 to 2015 are budgets as approved.
es that every peso given to the University is not an expense but an investment in the future of our country.
eUP & GreenUP
I
n the area of operational excellence our two main thrusts are administrative efficiency, for which we used eUP as the main tool, and Green UP.
We committed at the start of my term to campaign for an increase in the government-allocated budget, and we have achieved that. We have generated revenues from our idle lands and have worked on donations, both cash and in kind, from our alumni and friends. We have achieved a few things here including the donation of the Bonifacio Global City campus, the Theater that would soon rise here plus a number of donations for chairs and scholarships.
The eUP is difficult to implement, not because it’s UP but because that is the nature of implementing a comprehensive and integrated information system. I have yet to see a company that has implemented an ERP within the original time frame. The Student Academic Information Services (SAIS) is now LIVE in UP Manila and UP Cebu. We also have the Financial Management Information System (FMIS) and Supplies, Procurement and Campus Management Information System (SPCMIS) in UP System, UP Manila, UP PGH and UP Open University; and Human Resource Information System in all units. There are a lot of challenges. Technical challenges—choosing a technical partner for this project was difficult. It was problematic not so much with the prospective partner’s lack of intention to do it but because of the nature of the IT industry. Members of the team were given more lucrative offers to work elsewhere. The team assigned by the Techlogix to UP, the original team, is no longer complete; they lost some of their experts to another competing outfit. The same thing is happening in the BPO industry. Turnover is very fast, less than a year, and because we are losing experts, quality of work suffers, progress is slow. Slow internet access is still an issue. We are now installing new fiber optic cables. We are reiterating the need for training, particularly among the more elderly in our staff. We have to change the mindset and accept the fact that we have to input data in the Human Resource System because that would be the basis for the database. Next time, we will time the release of bonus or whatever incentive benefits UP will distribute to their filling up the data in their respective accounts. As for Green UP, the design of our buildings now includes green features. An example is the UP Integrated School.
The new UP Integrated School
The UP FORUM BOARD OF ADVISERS Dr. Clarita R. Carlos UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Dr. Edna A. Co UP National College of Public Administration and Governance Dr. Emil Q. Javier UP President (1993-1999)
Dr. Orlando S. Mercado UP National College of Public Administration and Governance Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan UP College of Medicine Sec. Oscar G. Yabes Senate of the Philippines
Prof. Luis V. Teodoro UP College of Mass Communication Dr. Dante M. Velasco UP College of Mass Communication Sec. Gen. Marilyn B. BaruaYap House of Representatives
J. Prospero E. De Vera III Editor-in-Chief
Voltaire Veneracion Consultant
Frances Fatima M. Cabana Editor
Celeste Ann Castillo Timi Cabana Layout Artists
Flora B. Cabangis Managing Editor Luis V. Teodoro Copy Editor
KIM G. Quilinguing Webmaster: Forum Online Sol R. Barcebal Researcher
Abraham Q. Arboleda Misael A. Bacani Jonathan M. Madrid Photographers Cristy M. Salvador Roberto G. Eugenio Alice B. Abear Tomas M. Maglaya Victor D. Imbuido Administrative Staff
UP System Information Office Mezzanine Floor, Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City Telefax 926-1572, trunkline 981-8500 loc. 2552, 2549, e-mail: forum@up.edu.ph
THE UP FORUM UP FORUM | VOLUME 16 NO. 1 | SPECIAL ISSUE 2015 University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines, 1101
12
APPROVED PERMIT NUMBER/INDICIA Business Mail Permit No. 2ND-07-010-NCR Entered as Second class mail at the U.P.P.O. Valid until June 30, 2015 Subject to Postal Inspection (for printed matter only)
Examples of Infrastructure Projects
U
P is the national university as declared in the 2008 UP Charter. It is now a system
of seven constituent universities (CUs) and a constituent college spread over 17 campus locations all over the country. It will soon have 18 after we put up the Panabo Campus and 19 if we proceed with the Clark Green City Campus. By international standards we are now a large comprehensive university, with 190 undergraduate degree programs and 355 postgraduate degree
Palma Hall Pavillions Renovation (80% completed)
Quezon Hall Renovation (68% completed)
Renovation and expansion of UP Baguio buildings (Completed)
programs. We have a total of 57,000 students, 25 percent of whom are post graduate students. Forty percent of the total number of students are in UP Diliman. We have 3,700 fulltime faculty members and around 1,000 part-time faculty
New UP School of Statistics building (96% completed)
UP Mindanao University Library (Completed)
and support staff consisting of 8,000 regular staff excluding the UP contractuals, the job order employees, and the agency employees. If we take all these people into account and count how many support staff we have, we have a ratio of about 2:1, or two support staff for every
U.P. Town Center Phase 1-B (Ongoing)
Construction and retrofitting of UP Cebu Lahug Library (Completed)
faculty member, because 3,000 of the regular administrative staff are at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). UP Diliman is the most comprehensive among the CUs, although it doesn’t have all the colleges for all the disciplines. We know that UP Los Baùos has Agriculture and Forestry; UP Manila,
Renovation of UP Diliman Residence Halls Phase II (94% Completed)
UPDEPP Academic Building (Completed)
Health and Medicine, these are the niches of the two big campuses. In UP Visayas, we have Fisheries and Ocean Sciences; UP Open University (UPOU), Distance Learning; UP Mindanao, food and agribusiness and indigenous culture; and UP Baguio, indigenous culture in the Cordilleras. We are trying to develop UP Cebu into an
Construction of UPLB Gymnasium (Completion of Phase V, Wing B) (73.8% Completed)
IT and Creative and Industrial Design College.