I’m Thinking About What’s On The Horizon For UPLB – “Science With A Farmer’s Smile”

 

I saw on Facebook Tuesday, 16 Jan 2024, the UP Los Baños post sharing with the digital world the 4^th quarter 2023 issue of the magazine “UPLB Horizon,” all of twenty (20) pages. The above image is from the cover – I can see that my alma mater is very much alive, that it is reaching for the stars! Indeed, Chancellor Jose V Camacho Jr writes about “Revisiting Our Vision Of Future-Proofing The University.” I understand “future-proofing” to mean “doing things to prevent UPLB from being simply a receiver, even a victim, of institutional future shocks.”

Mr Camacho Jr writes:

“Revisiting Our Vision Of Future-Proofing The University”

It is more than three years ago today when I decided that “future-proofing UPLB” as a battle cry would be apt for the times and should be placed front and center in my vision-mission statement as UPLB Chancellor.

Then and today, disruption is a specter that looms large over humanity, especially if it means sickness and death on a scale as large as the pandemic wrought on us, Climate Change and extreme weather disturbances, “tectonic shifts” in the way we do things, loss of jobs, and so on.

UPLB has begun preparing to future-proof itself from earth-shaking or otherwise institution-disrupting events in the history of the Philippines, not to mention that of the whole world.

The disruptions that we have experienced and are experiencing, such as Climate Change, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), and the Covid-19 pandemic, are not going to be the last. We can expect more to come, and we need to be agile and be ahead of the curve for our own survival as a higher education institution (HEI) and as a people.

… Over three years ago, I shared a vision of a UPLB that will continue to be a bastion of innovation, knowledge generation, a center for lifelong learning and public initiatives. We are doing this by future-proofing our human resources, lifelong learning and instruction system, research and innovation system, commitment to public good and social welfare, and expanding global commitment. Here is a sample of these future-proofing initiatives. 

For UPLB, Mr Camacho’s Vision is not that simple! Since the University is in Agriculture, I am thinking of it borrowing from the Vision of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based in India when Filipino William Dar was ICRISAT Director General: “Science with a human face.” UPLB’s Vision now could be: “Science with a Farmer’s Smile.”

“Science with a Farmer’s Smile” would then be the beautiful thought, simple/not-so-simple idea that inspires each and every UPLB institution and individual to pursue for the good of PH Agriculture in general. In and out of offices, in and out of classes, the singular thought would be, “Science with a Farmer’s Smile.”

Why should UPLB concentrate its science on making the Filipino farmer happy? Because we have about 11 million people employed in agriculture in the country (Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org). 11 million Filipinos smiling because of UP Los Baños would be heaven-sent!@517