Who should be the next dean of UP Mass Comm?

N.B. – This is the memorandum I sent last April 22 to the search committee for the next dean of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC). I decided to make this public now that the interviews with faculty members are over and the committee is now in the process of writing its report to be submitted to the Chancellor of UP Diliman. The UP Board of Regents (BOR) will most likely decide on who will be the next dean at its meeting next month (May). To the 2009 graduates of UP CMC, consider this as my parting gift to you, a personal way of stressing the importance of being involved especially given the situation within and outside our beloved college.

The next dean of the UP CMC should have a clear understanding of the media situation in order to effectively identify the areas of intervention of the College.

At a time when the practice of the media profession is being threatened by the powers-that-be (who, ironically, are supposed to uphold and protect press freedom), the College needs a dean who will not be afraid to lend his or her voice to numerous cases of media-related harassment and intimidation, both legal and extra-legal.

But to be effective, the next dean must have already earned the respect of mainstream and alternative media through the years. Such accolade can only be achieved by outstanding involvement in media work, making the next dean’s name recognizable and his or her standing reputable.

Aside from this already Herculean task of being directly involved in pressing media-related issues and concerns, it is also necessary for the next dean to provide leadership within a generally collegial setting. In order to strike a balance between firmness (in terms of upholding decisions) and openness (in terms of collective leadership), the next dean should be an excellent academic leader who commands less but inspires more.

As all five candidates (Dean Elena Pernia, Prof. Rosa Maria Feliciano, Dr. Jose Lacson, Dr. Aleli Quirante and Dr. Roland Tolentino) have their fair share of academic credentials and professional experience, I believe there is one candidate who has the edge in terms of quantity and quality of academic publications, professional experience (in both mainstream and alternative media) and extension work.

Transcending the post-modernist attitude of conducting research based on one’s whims or subjective interests – or even worse, based on available funding – this particular candidate chooses topics based on the passion not only to ferret out the truth but also to protect and uphold the rights of media workers and other marginalized sectors of society.

While all of the five candidates effectively articulated the vision, mission and goals of the College as being progressive, only an equally progressive person (whose analytical framework is honed by years of praxis) can effectively interpret the essence of social action at a time when the powers-that-be and other interest groups try to paint an illusion of normalcy.

There is no debate that all of them are qualified to be dean but a different kind of leadership is needed at this time.

As the College strives for excellence and does its part in nation-building, we are now at a critical juncture in our country’s history where academic excellence should be defined along the lines of social relevance.

It is in this context that I am strongly recommending Dr. ROLAND TOLENTINO as the next dean of the UP College of Mass Communication.

One thought on “Who should be the next dean of UP Mass Comm?”

  1. sangayon ako sa lahat ng sinabi nyo tungkol kay prof. tolentino. nga lang, iniisip ko rin, hindi kaya malimitahan ng posisyon at responsibilidad ang flexibilidad na kelangan nya para sa ibang ginagawa nya? baka bihira na sya makapag-blog, o kaya makapagsulat. paano naman kaming umaasa sa mga sulatin nya. hehe.

    Sagot: Salamat sa komento. Sa aking karanasan, hindi naman limitasyon ang pagkakaroon ng administratibong responsibilidad sa kolehiyo sa paggampan sa iba pang makabuluhang gawain. May isang dekano pa nga noong dekada 90 (sa panahong part-time lecturer ako) na nakaya pang makapagsulat ng kolum linggo-linggo.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.