On the search for UP Cebu chancellor

This is a search for a chancellor and it is my UP Cebu’s co-administrators, who are well-published and well-cited PhDs, that nominated me to another term. To them I cannot say no, even though I am a bit exhausted already.

If I was found fit by the Board of Regents (BOR) for the position in the prior search, what makes it different now? I have no pretense that I am a lawyer who was brought into the academe.

I came to UP Cebu only for about five years plus due to an internal conflict there before. From dean, I became chancellor after we, the UP Cebu officials, successfully defended the proposal for us to be elevated as a constituent university of the UP System.

Understandably, because I just came into the academe, I had lesser number of publications and research. But it does not make me less fit to be an academic leader. I get an excellent rating as a teacher. I submit my final grades for students on time despite my hectic administrative work.

Under my term as chancellor, big and relevant research centers flourished in UP Cebu. We were able to host a transnational (international) academic program, aside from hosting master and PhD programs.

We hosted flagship projects of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) like DOST’s Technology Business Incubation or TBI and DTI’s FabLab and Go Negosyo Center. We forged academic collaborations with various international high ranking universities.

UP Cebu facilities are improved and new buildings were constructed in the Lahug campus as well as in the South Road Properties (SRP) campus and in UP Diliman where a UP Cebu Guest House was built for UP Cebu constituents. Buses have been provided and dormitories for students built.

In 2015, UP Cebu garnered the University ranking body Quacquarelli Symonds 5th QS Maple Gold award for most creative corporate video.

If accomplishing these things make me unfit, then what does it make my predecessors who were not able to accomplish the same?

Meanwhile, use of UP Cebu’s facilities by academic student organizations are free, so also for non-academic student organizations holding academic activities. Entrance fees are only charged to non-academic organizations and for non-academic activities. This is based on the recommendations made by UP Cebu’s Fiscal Policy’s Operations Committee chaired by the vice chancellor for administration and heads of accounting, budget and cash and are meant to ensure that the use of our facilities are not being abused, considering that there are groups who would partner with the student organizations just so they get to use UP Cebu’s facilities for free.

I understand from the Student Regent that I am the only chancellor among all eight UP constituent units (Diliman, Los Baños, Manila, Baguio, Visayas, OU and Mindanao and Cebu) who gave the student council chair a seat in the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee and the only chancellor also who had a regular bi-monthly meeting with students.

(To be continued.)--Liza Corro, UP Cebu chancellor