The Search for the Next U.P. President is on!

(Student Regent Cori Alessa Co speaking at the First U.P.
Sectoral Regents Forum in UPLB, July 15, 2010. To zoom in on the picture, just click on it)

The University of the Philippines (U.P.) Board of Regents (BOR) is now inviting nominations for the President who will succeed U.P.’s outgoing President, Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman. Roman’s term will come to a close on February 9, 2011.

At its 1255th meeting on June 2, 2010, the Board constituted itself into the Search Committee for the next U.P. President. Composed of all the Regents, the Committee will prepare a list of nominees among whom the Board will make the final choice, according to U.P.'s website at: http://www.up.edu.ph/).

Any outstanding Filipino known to possess integrity, stature in the academic profession, a national and international reputation as a scholar, and proven administrative capability may be nominated by any person, group, or organization both from within or outside the University System. The Search Committee hopes to encourage as many nominations as possible and welcomes the widest participation of the University’s constituents and stakeholders.

The Search Committee shall conduct fora and dialogues throughout the UP System in September and October. Nominees shall be asked to present their vision and programs before the Board on November 8, 2010. The U.P. Charter empowers the Board to elect the President which it shall do at its 1262nd meeting on November 26, 2010.

Each nomination shall include (1) the nominee’s curriculum vitae, (2) his or her vision statement, (3) a statement of his or her willingness to serve, and (4) a brief justification for the nomination. All nominations must be in sealed envelopes, addressed to the UP Board of Regents Search Committee for the U.P. President, and submitted to the Office of the Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents, Quezon Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City no later than 5:00 p.m., August 25, 2010.

Nominations welcome

For those interested in the position, each nominee is required to submit a curriculum vitae; a vision statement; a statement of willingness to serve; and a brief justification for the nomination. All nominations must be in sealed envelopes, addressed to the UP Board of Regents Search Committee for the UP President, and submitted to the Office of the Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents, Quezon Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City no later than 5:00 p.m., August 25, 2010. For further information, the UP Secretariat may be contacted by regular mail at Quezon Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman Quezon City 1101, Philippines; at telephone no. (632) 927-67-80; telefax nos. (632) 920-68-97 and (632) 920-68-85; or via email at osu@up.edu.ph.

Timetable for the Search for the Next U.P. President

1. Constitution of the Search Committee 2 June 2010

2. Discussion of the Criteria for the Selection of the UP President 14 July 2010

3. Call for nominations 15 July 2010 to 25 August 2010

4. Evaluation/Screening of Nominees 27 August 2010 (Friday) - BOR Meeting

5. Nominee’s Forum September to October 2010

6. Presentation of Vision and Programs before the BOR and Interviews 8 November 2010 (Monday)

8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

7. Election of the New President 26 November 2010 (Friday) - BOR Meeting

Criteria Selection - 1

• Stature in the academic profession.

• Administrative capability.

• National and International reputation as a scholar.

• Probity and moral integrity.    

Criteria Selection - 2

• Values and perspectives.

• Possesses the political will and the political skills to defend and promote academic freedom and institutional autonomy.

• Committed to academic excellence.

• Has a clear and inspiring vision of UP’s role in the 21st century.

• Leads in ensuring the implementation of democratic governance in the university based on collegiality, representation, accountability, transparency and active participation of constituents.

Criteria Selection - 3

• Has the ability to raise funds without compromising the traditional values and ideals of academia.

• Possesses the capacity to manage available resources to sustain the UP Modernization program.

• Fair in dealing with all constituents; does not engage in factionalism.

Criteria Selection - 4

• Preserves the secular, public and non-sectarian character of UP.

• Maintains and enriches intellectual diversity; does not promote a particular religion or school of thought.

• Keeps UP above politics, but respects the rights of faculty members and and students to participate in political debates and campaign their beliefs within the limits of the law. 

Sectoral regents organize fora on the selection process for a new U.P. President

According to the Facebook page of Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo, the 2008 U.P. Charter (RA 9500) defines in Section 13(j) the powers and duties of the Board of Regents in this manner:  "To elect the President of the University for a single term of six (6) years following a process of democratic consultation with the university community based on standards and guidelines set by the Board."

Since the term of U.P. President Roman ends in February 2011. The Board of Regents in its June 2 and July 14 meeting approved the criteria for nomination and the schedules of the search. The call for nomination is from July 15 to August 25, 2010 with the actual selection to be held during the November 2010 BOR meeting.

The U.P. Sectoral Regents composed of the Faculty, Student and Staff Regents, are sponsoring a series of forum in the different UP campuses with the title"The Search for a New U.P. President, Criteria, Process and Experience" with the objectives of sharing previous experiences in the search process and sharing the current guidelines for the selection. The fora are also meant to elicit suggestions from the UP constituents on the process of the selection and on the issues the next U.P. President should address.

The first forum was held last July 15 in UPLB with 2004 Student Regent Marco de los Reyes as the resource person. Marco was the student representative in the BOR when the selection for the new U.P. President to replace then U.P. President Nemenzo was held in 2004.

The U.P. Manila forum will be on July 23, 2 to 5 pm at UPMASA, Philippine General Hospital (PGH). The U.P. Diliman forum will be on August 11, 2 to 5 pm at Claro M. Recto Hall, Faculty Center. The forum is open to the public.

(Photo source: Facebook page of Faculty Regent Judy M. Taguiwalo).