The UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office (UPD QAO) organized a two-day benchmarking activity with Pangasinan State University (PSU) in Lingayen, Pangasinan last July 19-20, 2023 as part of its efforts to initiate the preparations of the University of the Philippines Diliman for institutional assessment through the Philippine Quality Award (PQA). The activity, dubbed as a coaching session between the two institutions, featured a plenary and breakout session on the first day, and a campus tour of PSU main campus in Lingayen on the second day. Because of its distinction as the first state university and college (SUC) to be given the Philippine Quality Award with Level III Mastery in Quality Management, PSU was selected as the site of the first outbound benchmarking activity of the UPD QAO.
The administration of Dr. Elbert M. Galas, President of the Pangasinan State University, warmly welcomed the delegation from UP Diliman, headed by Dr. Aura C. Matias, Director of the UPD QAO. The delegation is composed of the UPD QAO and the National Engineering Center (NEC). NEC, under the leadership of Director Matias who was the former Dean of the UPD College of Engineering, acquired the Philippine Quality Award with Level I Recognition for Commitment to Quality Management in 2015 and is now gearing up for reapplication.
PSU President Dr. Elbert M. Galas gave an inspirational message and emphasized that the PQA recognition of PSU is not a ‘one-man job’ but the collective effort of all the stakeholders of the university. Dr. Razeale G. Resultay, the PSU Vice President for Research, Extension & Innovation, then expressed that the coaching activity will serve as a venue for the ‘exchange of knowledge’ with both institutions exploring opportunities for engagement towards many paths of mutual and continuous improvement. She also stressed that UP’s active participation in the ASEAN University Network (AUN), being one of its founding members, inspires other higher education institutions in the country to follow in its footsteps and participate in the programs of the AUN. Afterwards, Dr. William V. Cayetano, the Director for Institutional Assessment and Accreditation, gave a walkthrough on the significance of the PQA to higher education institutions (HEIs), including SUCs. Thereafter, Dr. Jenylyn V. Oboza, the Campus Executive Director of PSU-Alaminos City shared the timeline of the application process. UPD QAO Director Aura C. Matias then gave a short presentation that introduced the Quality Assurance Office, its programs, activities, and projects, and the digitization roadmap of UP Diliman that is part of the University’s innovation.
Dr. Dexter R. Buted, the PSU’s former president and now the Vice President for Administration and Linkages, led the coaching sessions that followed the plenary session.
UPD QAO and NEC staff were divided into teams to share anecdotes on institutional assessment and discuss with the champions and co-champions from PSU the best practices in gathering data and forming narratives for categories of the PQA; Leadership, Strategy, Customers, Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management, Workforce, Operations, and Results.
The benchmarking activity culminated in a campus tour of the PSU Lingayen campus, one of the sites of the PQA assessment in 2020. The UP Diliman delegation visited the University Library, the Information and Communication Technology Management Office, Office of the University Registrar, the Commercial Kitchen laboratory for the Gastronomy course of the Hospitality Management students, the Dr. Marciano Canton Jr. Infirmary, and the University Gym.
Director Matias discussed opportunities for engagement with the heads of the offices, while QAO staff shared tips for program assessment that are drawn from experience in facilitating university-level activities pertinent to AUN-QA assessments.
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