The UP Open University has an ongoing search for the Next Deans of the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies, and the Faculty of Management and Development Studies. Part of the search process is the presentation of the accomplishments of the incumbent Deans during the 2022-2025 term, which was held at the UPOU Audiovisual Room on 24 January 2025.
In the morning, the outgoing FICS Dean, Dr. Diego S. Maranan, presented the achievements of FICS during his term. Dr. Maranan expressed his gratitude to the FICS community for their support over the past three years. He revisited his initial vision and assessed the progress made during his tenure. The key accomplishments he mentioned included Project ASPEN, External Quality Assurance (EQA) assessment for BAMS, DCS, and MIS, the various research groups, creative studios of FICS, and the collaboration with the UP Intelligent Systems Center on the ISEAC hackathon, the development of MOOCs and Open Educational Resources (OERs), and various public service engagements such as COMELEC partnerships, blood donation drives, and faculty-led masterclasses, among others.
During the Q&A session, discussions touched on Dr. Maranan’s future plans, his advice for his successor, and reflections on his leadership. He emphasized the importance of balancing administrative workload and personal well-being, citing challenges such as managing conflicting interests and maintaining work-life balance. He also shared insights on leadership, noting the necessity of making difficult decisions for the greater good. As his term comes to a close, Dr. Maranan reaffirmed his commitment to research and innovation, particularly through collaborations like the iSTAR Lab.
The afternoon program was dedicated to the presentation of Dr. Joane V. Serrano, incumbent Dean of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS). In her presentation, Dr. Serrano paid tribute to former deans who laid the foundation for FMDS. She expressed her pride in FMDS’s contributions to advancing UPOU as a leader in Open and Distance e-learning (ODeL), research, and public service. Using the vision she introduced in 2022—TRNSFRM—as a framework, Dr. Serrano detailed FMDS’s accomplishments in teaching, research, and public service, including the accreditation of Diploma in Land Use Planning (DLUP), Social Work (SW), and Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) as a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) provider, the launch of the Associate of Arts in Digital Entrepreneurship (AADE) and the Doctor of Sustainability programs, and the collaborated with the University of the Philippines Manila College of Nursing to develop the Master of Nursing Education (MNE) program.
She also emphasized the contribution of the entire FMDS family in all the research and public service accomplishments of the unit. She specifically mentioned that MOOCs and Microcredential offerings of FMDS, as well as the CIDAS and IUSR frameworks, made all their efforts aligned with the goals of FMDS. She provided a detailed report of all the accomplishments of FMDS in terms of research, student support, public service culture, and the numerous partnerships that FMDS established to achieve the goals they’ve set.
Many questions and comments were also raised after her presentation, mainly about the multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity of FMDS programs, staff development, and well-being, the sustainability of the programs and operations she started at FMDS, which she expressed will be supported by the handbooks and manual developed should the next Dean decide to carry over in the next term.
The Search for the Dean of FICS continued with the presentation of the vision of nominees held on 4 February 2025 and the multisectoral consultation held on 5 February 2025.
For the Search for the Next Dean of FMDS, on the other hand, the presentation of the nominees was held on 27 January 2025, and the multisectoral consultation was held on 28 January 2025.
For updates and details about the search process, visit this link.
Written by Anna Cañas-Llamas ♦ Edited by Zyrene Villanueva ♦ Photos by Anna Mhari Duria
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