THE NEW Rector has vowed to open the lines of communication to students and is optimistic the University will soon have a code of students’ rights.
Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P., who was installed as UST’s 96th Rector last June 4, said the improvement of the University’s academic profile and research output would be his priorities. Speaking to the Varsitarian on his plans for the next four years, Dagohoy also vowed to deal with pressing matters such as the long-delayed collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the faculty union.
“The only thing I have to do is to see [to it] that academics is more evident across disciplinary undertakings,” said Dagohoy.
Dagohoy, a veteran administrator and former rector of Angelicum College of Quezon City, had been involved in the financial side of the University as internal auditor, as well as finance and administrative head of UST Hospital.
But Dagohoy’s concern this time is UST’s research output. He said there is a need to focus on research in the University, and professors should come up with research papers publishable in international journals. UST should also resurrect its research journals, he said.
“We have plenty of academic journals [in UST] but sad to say, they have been there gathering dust. Perhaps some officials [have] never bothered to resurrect them,” he said.
Dagohoy bared plans to add two more research clusters—anthropological and sociological studies, and religious and theological studies.
In the recently released Quacquarelli-Symonds Asian University Rankings, UST ranked fourth in the citations per paper category, topping all other Philippine universities. But no Philippine university ranked in the papers per faculty indicator. UST placed 148th in the overall ranking this year, behind University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila, and De La Salle University.
Dagohoy also wants more professors with doctorate degrees. “Kung malalim ang bench natin, ang ibig sabihin, you have so many alternatives. That would mean more academically qualified faculty,” he said.
“[Having a doctorate degree] is not a stringent requirement on the part of the University. In fact, it ensures that standards are met. Otherwise, they (faculty members) will just be relying on seniority,” Dagohoy added.
Direct access
Asked how he would deal with UST’s 40,000-strong student population, Dagohoy said Thomasians would be able to relay concerns to him directly.
“I would like to institute a mechanism wherein the students could have direct access to the Office of the Rector. Whatever that mechanism will be, you’ll learn later,” Dagohoy said.
He also expressed optimism that the long-overdue Students’ Code would be approved under his watch. Dagohoy said he would coordinate with the Office for Student Affairs to review the draft.
The draft of the Students’ Code or the Magna Carta of Students’ Rights has been dragged from one administration to the next for eight years now, due to recurring reviews and revisions by administrators and the student council.
Deliberations on the code were stalled by the sudden resignation of Fr. Ernesto Arceo, O.P. as rector and the transition to the administration of Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. in 2007.
Dagohoy said he hoped collective bargaining negotiations with the faculty would soon begin.
“I have to look into that. Maybe we have to reconstitute a panel and meet the management parties headed by Dr. [Clarita] Carillo,” he said.
Collective bargaining talks have been put on hold with the resignation of De la Rosa last March. The existing CBA expired last year.
Alumni as link
Moreover, Dagohoy plans to strengthen the relationship between the University and alumni, and at the same time tap them to address supposed mismatches between academic offerings and industry requirements.
“The alumni should not only be supportive in terms of financial support but also in linking the industry with the academe through a feedback mechanism,” he said.
The construction of the Alumni Center testifies to the University’s recognition of the achievements of its alumni, he said.
“If the alumni who are engaged in industry would work hand-in-hand with the University officials in crafting academic programs, [employment mismatch] would be avoided,” he added.
Stable direction
Dagohoy said he was confident he would be able to start in the right direction, citing the accomplishments of his predecessor, De la Rosa, who “crafted the direction of the University into the next century.”
“[De la Rosa] has left an institution with a stable direction…what the 96th Rector would do really is to continue to implement what he has started,” the Rector said.
