GenEd dept’s to transfer to Artlets, Education

THE GENERAL Education departments of the University are set to be transferred to different colleges from the supervision of the Office of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs (OVRAA), adopting the organizational structure of other local as well as foreign universities.

The departments of Philosophy, English, Literature and the Humanities, History, Foreign Languages, and Social Science will be under the helm of the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets), while the College of Education will absorb the Filipino department. Its offices, however, will remain at the Main Building.

OVRAA has yet to release a memorandum on the date of implementation and other changes, but Philosophy department chair Paolo Bolaños said the transfer was expected to happen within the year.

“Dapat ganoon naman talaga ang isang department, dapat naka-align sa isang kolehiyo. Kung titingnan mo ‘yung structure ng UST at ikukumpara mo sa structure ng ibang universities, tayo lang naiiba because the University-wide departments are under ng Academic Affairs. Remember, all colleges are under the Academic Affairs. So, ang ginagawa lang ng UST nire-realign lang sa isang specific college na tugma doon sa nature ng disiplina,” Bolaños said in an interview with the Varsitarian.

Bolaños said the realignment would correctly place departments and faculty members with their home colleges. “Pag ni-realign mo, mas madali nang mag-manage ng faculty, magbigay ng load, mas madaling mag-develop ng faculty, and so on, kasi isang kolehiyo na lang ang magma-manage,” he said, adding that establishing linkages with other Universities would also become easier.

Meanwhile, English department chair Camilla Vizconde said the realignment would create “birth pains” as regards matters like communication policies and budget.

“The Office [of the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs] will come out with the implementing guidelines. It will discuss all the questions we will be raising,” Vizconde said.

It will take time before the realignment becomes official as the proposal will have to go through the Board of Regents and the Board of Trustees, among others, she added. Arianne F. Merez and Jerome P. Villanueva