Let Us Have the Passion to Be
Dean Maria Fe Villamejor-Mendoza
A. The Year that Was: 2014
Last year, we celebrated our NCPAG’s 62nd Founding Anniversary. We knew that despite the constraints we faced with regard to the depleting human resource at the College, intense competition in the academic arena regionally and globally, and the new demands for the University and the College brought about by the 21st Century learning and ASEAN integration, we are getting there… reclaiming our honored position as the premier and leader in Public Administration education, research and extension in the country and the region.
I thank everyone for your best efforts, support and cooperation that enabled us to perform better than before.
We have modestly made big strides in percolating new and bright ideas on our PA discipline with the NCPAG Guest Lecture Series (we had 8 on such topics as quality of government, Weber and NPM revisited, the Bangsamoro and the peace process problematique, climate change, reproductive health, and career service education in Germany) and the NCPAG Research Colloquium (we had 11 or so forums), two important activities of the College under the supervision of CPAGE and PO. CPAGE has also embarked on the review and codification of our academic policies and practices and hopefully when these are done, our students will have clearer guidelines with regard to their admission, progress and graduation. Thank you Directors Lily and Faina and staff.
The student council and organizations have also contributed in the discourses in PA, from such complex issues as the pork barrel, DAP, political dynasty, consumer rights, good governance and accountability, tourism and public service. Indeed the students are becoming strong pillars and allies of the College. Thank you our student leaders; thank you Janelle and all our students.
CPED has also done its share in policy advocacy and reform, with its forums on comparative local governance, ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, 4P’s, population growth and IRA, indigenous cultural communities, hospital corporatization. Thank you Director Ebie and staff.
The CLRG has been regularly conducting capacity building for local governments, from provincial to barangay, from the top executives to the young leaders, on such areas as development legislation, leadership and governance, fiscal administration, entrepreneurship, strategic planning and competitiveness. Salamat Directors Ramy and Erwin at sa lahat sa CLRG.
All our centers have been doing important researches under their domains. Among others, CLCD has been doing studies on the ARTA and CSO capacity building; CPED on Bureaucracy Watch and the 4P’s; CLRG on the feasibility of greater autonomy for the CAR, client satisfaction on the marine protected areas, one town-one product, local government competitiveness. We as a College are doing a client satisfaction survey for the DENR and helping the Climate Change Commission with at least two important tasks: developing a manual of operations and engaging the private sector in the implementation of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP).
Our faculty and staff have also been productive and prolific in their researches, paper presentation in international conferences, and publication. Many were given International Publications Award and the Centennial Professorial Chair and Faculty Research Grants.
We have also received a number of international guests- university officials, visiting faculty, researchers and students. And we have sent students and faculty for short-term visits, research, and lecture in our academic partners in Thailand, Korea and Japan.
We also had a better lantern last December. Marami pong nagpakuha sa lantern natin!
Salamat sa lahat. Ang babait ninyo.
B. What Lies Ahead in 2015
CLRG will be celebrating its golden anniversary and there will be a series of conversations on its rich legacy and hopefully brighter future. The College will host an international conference on Future Perfect (for local governments), in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Quezon City, through also the CLRG.
2016 will be the end of term of the PNoy Administration and this year, we should be starting our series of end of term assessments (self-rating, independent evaluation, triangulation) that hopefully will culminate with the self-assessment of PNoy himself by February or March 2016.
We should also be doing the state of the nation research and be ready with the Report by June 2015.
In these latter two tasks, CLCD has to be on top. In addition, CLCD has to release the GMA Assessment before the 1st Quarter of 2015.
CPED has to complement these endeavors with its Bureaucracy Watch forums and research reports.
PO has to publish the 2011, 2012, 2013 and hopefully 2014 PJPA issues by the first or second quarter of 2015 at the latest. It should end the year with the 2015 and 2016 issues. We have been stricter in our quality control and if we wish to be ISI-listed, we have to have regular releases of our PJPA.
Also, we should be releasing the 2012 NCPAG International Conference Book of Proceedings and the 2015 Reader in Public Administration. I believe these are on their final stages of production.
Our Exemplary PA research series has to fly and the two researches on defining indices of exemplary PA at the national and local government levels have to be started soon. Contracts are hopefully ready for signing soon. Hopefully, the proposed study on exemplary PA of CSOs and academic institutions will be approved for implementation by the 2nd quarter of this year.
The College will host two important international conferences in 2016 and 2017: EROPA conference and the NCPAG’s 65th anniversary conference. I may still or may not be the Dean anymore; but the planning, resource mobilization, call for papers and other preparations have to be done this year.
We should also be completing all researches we have started last year in order that new researches along our research agenda may be explored and started this year.
We should continue with what we have been doing well: NCPAG Guest lecture Series; NCPAG Research Colloquium; NCPAG Policy Forums. But we should be more programmatic and not wait when the resource persons come along. Our calendar of activities has to be firmed up now. We should be organizing a Research Congress at least once a year to engender a culture of excellence in PA research among our students, faculty and staff.
We should also continue our Usapang NCPAG and more importantly, our Wellness Program. We need to be healthy and gay.
We should also continue presenting papers at international conferences and doing an echo presentation when we come back. We should also publish at least one article per year in order to sustain our scholarship in our discipline.
CPAGE has to orchestrate the revision and enhancement of our curriculum, particularly the DPA and the Executive MPA. As service to the 122 or so ASPAP-member schools, we should also be planning for the Summer Institute to help ensure that the teachers of PA courses have the qualifications and competencies to teach PA.
We should also strengthen our partnership with the rest of UP, ASPAP, PSPA, NCPAGAA, and our academic partners particularly in Japan, Australia, South Africa, Thailand and Korea. We should be developing with them more enhanced and engaged action programs, like twinning programs or double degree programs, dual mentorship, team teaching and the like.
We should be releasing our 2013 and 2014 Annual Reports.
We should also be recruiting faculty and staff (hopefully despite the Moratorium for the administrative staff and REPS) because the successor generation has to be trained and prepared so that when we retire, the College will still be in good hands.
(Dr. Lily, Tess Ortega and Rose Cordero will be retiring this year. Hopefully, Dr. Lily will agree to be extended.)
We should also be conversing more often. Usap tayo. Let us also continue to bond, know each other better, eat together (Boodle Fight more often?), cry and laugh together. Let us have another Strategic Planning Session and Outing in July.
More importantly, we should be role models all, servant leaders for others.
C. The Passion to Be
We have done what we have done in 2014 and again, thank you everyone. . We can do what we should be doing and continuing in 2015 and 2016. We can do this as ONE NCPAG, especially if we have the passion to be:
- The best in what we do;
- The kindest in serving others;
- The most respectful of the rights of others; and
- The most humble in our accomplishments.
Let us have the passion to be the leaders and epitome of exemplary PA in the service of the nation and the world. We can be because we have the passion to be.
Thank you. Happy New Year! Mabuhay tayong lahat!