UP Cebu turns a new chapter
As of this writing, preparations are being made for the investiture in the afternoon of the first chancellor of the University of the Philippines Cebu. I want to congratulate Attorney Liza D. Corro for being formally conferred with the rank and honors of Chancellor of UP Cebu.
The guest lists for this occasion include no less than UP President Danilo Concepcion and the UP vice presidents, former UP president Alfredo Pascual, the members of the Board of Regents, and the chancellors of UP Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Open University, Mindanao, and Baguio.
Governor Hilario Davide III is also expected to attend the occasion, including some members of the diplomatic corps, and presidents of different colleges and universities.
This is truly a glorious and joyous occasion for UP Cebu because it affirms its newly-earned status as the 8th constituent university of the University of the Philippines System.
I have stayed in UP Cebu long enough (from being a high school student to becoming its faculty member) to see it grow and weather the challenges it had to face along the way.
Despite its relatively small size in the UP System, the college has been producing graduates who have excelled, and in fact have become leaders in their respective fields.
The school had been mocked in the past (I still remember that "UP Cebu is a joke" remark by a governor in 1995) for not offering engineering and other professional degree courses unlike the much larger universities in Cebu.
Perhaps the reason for this is that some people have failed to consider that UP Cebu had been for many years designated as only one of the colleges under the University of the Philippines Visayas based in Miag-ao, Iloilo. This organizational structure somehow had limited the potential of UP Cebu to grow in cadence with the dynamism and growing economic and social landscape of Cebu.
But on October 27, 2016, the UP Board of Regents elevated UP Cebu to the status of 8th constituent university of the UP System. This was six years after the UP Board of Regents plucked UP Cebu out of UP Visayas and elevated its status as an autonomous unit.
What the constituent university status means is that the UP System recognizes and affirms UP Cebu's important role in extending to the region UP's mandate to "perform its unique and distinctive leadership in higher education and development."
Before UP Cebu became a constituent university, then Dean Corro wasted no time upon assuming office and hit the ground running to have everyone on board in elevating the status of the college from an autonomous unit to a constituent unit. This required major developments during her term in the areas of infrastructure, faculty profile, and academic programs for UP Cebu to become ready for constituent university status.
Yet, more work still has to be done as UP Cebu now has to face bigger challenges as a constituent university.
For one, it must continue to develop its niche in information and communication technology as well as creative and product design, while maintaining its traditional strengths in management, communication, and other fields.
For another, the neoliberal system of education in the Philippines continues to hound UP's mission to be an excellent university that truly serves the public and the nation. Of course, that topic calls for a lengthier discussion at some other time.
Meanwhile, we take and relish this brief moment to celebrate. Congratulations Chancellor Liza Corro and UP Cebu! As we always say in UP: Serve the people.
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