PACU Thrusts, 2009-2010



This brief outlines the strategic thrusts of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees, from February 2009 to July 2010. Strategic thrusts are themes that will guide the actions of the Board over the next sixteen months. They will hopefully be an immediate method of understanding what we hope to accomplish for the association, without the need to go through details.


The thrusts have been developed taking into account the members, first and foremost. They have been developed in light of the trustees' extensive experiences in PACU and in private education, and from their conversations with PACU members. They are completely aligned with the programs and projects of each of the subcommittees, through which the majority of board initiatives will surface. Finally, they reflect heavily the 2009-2012 program of the Coordinating Council of Philippine Educational Associations (COCOPEA), of which PACU is a member. (The COCOPEA resolutions are included as Annex B.)


Strategic Thrusts


These priorities boil down to service to (existing) members, and continued policy leadership in private education.


  1. Service to Membership. The first strategic thrust will be to focus on activities, projects and programs that provide direct added value to the existing membership. This theme was very evident and consistent from the presentation of the different subcommittees. The present is to for activities that will help our current members, and in the process strengthen the association. Value-added services will focus on training, industry-academe linkages, quick and consistent access to information related to PACU and private education, grant development and more opportunities for members to interact with the board and with each other. Furthermore, value-added services imply that the association does not spend time replicating efforts of other organizations, but in such cases rather supports or links up with these third parties, to achieve the same ends. This also allows PACU to maximize the use of its resources. The schedule of board meetings, expanded meetings, seminars, conferences and assemblies is included as Annex B.
  2. Continued Policy Leadership in Private Education. Hand-in-hand with COCOPEA, PACU will work to continue improving and safeguarding policies developed for private education, so that the continued development of the sector is not hampered. This means work not just with the CHED and the PRC, but also with TESDA, the DepEd, and private professional associations. It means working closely with the Presidential Task Force in Education (PTFE) through COCOPEA, a PTFE member. The key policy themes are incorporated in the 10-point agenda drafted by COCOPEA in preparation for the May 2007 elections, included as Annex C. These include policies in the following areas:

 

  • Improving the process of curricular reform
  • Protecting the rights of schools, as defined in the new Manual of Regulations for Private Schools
  • Improving the consultation process of CHED
  • Improving the basic education system, which heavily determines the quality and volume of students entering the tertiary education system
  • Defining the delineation between, and coordination of, CHED and the PRC
  • Protecting the ongoing encroaching and dilution of General Education in the tertiary curriculum, which understanding the demands of professional organizations with regard to profession subjects
  • Protecting current tuition and school fee policies that recognize the structure of a free market in private education in the Philippines
  • Levelling the playing field with SUCs

In addition, there will be a need to get involved in voter education in preparation for the May 2010 national elections. It is clear that long-term policy improvements in education will require national leadership that understands Philippine education. For this to happen, PACU needs to participate and push for an electoral environment that supports private education. Such initiatives will include those initiated by COCOPEA (e.g., first-time voter registration), voter education, and fora with national candidates regarding private education.


Initiatives


From these two strategic thrusts stem the programs and projects of different subcommittees. These give light to the prose above and represent the work on which this PACU Board will focus. The main thrusts are listed below; those interested to see details can contact the PACU Secretariat:


Subcommittee on Programs and Projects (chair: Dr. Tina Padolina)


  • half-day seminar during the Annual Assembly
  • The Art and Practice of Deanship, August 13-14, 2009 (tentative date)
  • From Admission to Graduation: Policies and Procedures, Nov 19-20, 2009 (tentative date)
  • Graduate Education and Research, January 2010 (tentative date)
  • Participation in creation and topic selection of COCOPEA-level seminars

Subcommittee on Accreditation (chair: Fr. Greg Banaga)


  • Develop a series of orientations on accreditation, primarily for smaller member schools and those located in provinces with limited access to accreditation. The objective is to increase the exposure in and participation of PACU member schools in the accreditation process.
  • These will be done through the creation of a pool of resource persons, developed in cooperation with PACUCOA and other accrediting agencies. The intent here is to augment the efforts of the accrediting bodies, who take the lead in accreditation.
  • Orientation/seminar-workshop will be conducted throughout the year, tentatively commencing July 2009.

Subcommittee on Industry-Academe Linkages (chair: Dr. Vincent Fabella)


  • The objective is to develop more formalized relationships with key industry associations, so that the so-called gaps between industry needs and college graduates can be reduced.
  • The primary targeted industries are determined as those with strong demand for graduates, experience a dearth of qualified graduates, have an organized industry association which PACU can deal with. To this end, the following industries have been identified: business process outsourcing, IT, human resources, engineering, and maritime.
  • Each linkage aims to develop (i) turnkey programs approved by the industry that a college or university can introduce into its curricula, and (ii) provide free or minimal-cost training by industry for PACU's faculty members. (The first linkage, the ADEPT Program developed in cooperation with the BPO sector, is already available. Interested members may contact the PACU Secretariat for details.)
  • The following linkages are currently in place: BPA/P, PSIA and PMAP.
  • This initiative is also done in connection with COCOPEA's Industry-Linkage program, which PACU spearheads.

Subcommittee on Policy (chair: Dr. Chito Salazar)


  • Linkage with key policy-oriented associations in education, such as the Philippine Business for Education Council (PBEd)
  • Work with the PTFE on developing policies that spur private education development, such as further work on levelling the playing field with SUCs and LGUs, and improving tuition setting structures.
  • Work with the Legislative Committee and A Teacher to push for legislation that aids these policy thrusts.
  • In general, the Subcommittee push for policy advocacy on the policy directives enumerated in the strategic thrusts of the previous section.

Subcommittee on Membership (chair: Dr. Guillermo Torres)


  • The Committee on Membership will focus on initiatives to improve association loyalty and participation by existing members. These include (1) “attract-back” programs geared toward members who have not been active in recent years, (2) information campaigns designed to get members to utilize PACU member services more (e.g., legal support, dealings with the Government, policy advocacy, training), and (3) improved networking among members.

Finally, the Subcommittees on Legislation (chair: Atty. Antonio Abad) and Public Relations (chair: Dr. Amelou Reyes) will now have to develop their own agendas as these will need to be structured to support of the initiatives above. These will thus be presented subsequently.

The term of the PTFE has been extended to January 2010 by the President.