Silliman University continues to pursue digitalization, modernization

DUMAGUETE CITY – Silliman University (SU) to continue its efforts in its digital transformation and modernization in response to the global, digital and knowledge economy.

“This is paving the way to offer competency-based certificate courses and micro-credentials for purposes of immediate need-based, skills-focused employment. Human resource requirements in business and industry now demand marketable certificate courses on top of, and in some cases, in lieu of college diplomas,” SU president Dr. Betty Cernol McCann said in her message during the All-University Academic Convocation on September 28 at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium.

It was the first in-person convocation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as McCann outlined the three major changes in higher education: the need to respond to not only national issues but also regional and global issues; the shift from analog to digital technology; and the need to consider the knowledge-based economy in changing teaching models.

She said that SU is integrating and prioritizing global studies in its different academic programs to prepare learners for global citizenship and worldwide engagement. She also bared some of SU’s achievements regarding its shift to digital technology, including the continuous retooling and upskilling sessions for faculty and staff.

The establishment of the Office of Silliman Online University Learning; the SU Library’s digitalization and modernization; online guidance and counseling services; holding of virtual conferences, training, and events; and the digitalization of university processes such as the online registration system are some of the major changes in the University.

Silliman’s priorities, said McCann are guided by a roadmap adopted by SU at the height of the pandemic. The University adopted a roadmap that subscribed to a theory of change--If the internal capacity, systems, and culture are enhanced, and the policy environment and provision of support from various sectors are secured, then the level of readiness and quality of delivery for a 21st-century education will be assured, she added.

Moreover, McCann reported that SU experienced no layoffs among its personnel.  “Despite the onslaught of the health pandemic, I am happy to report that unlike in other schools, colleges and universities, Silliman experienced no lay off among its personnel, no one displaced; with salary levels and benefits improved within our resource and capacity,” she bared.

Student enrolment remained steady, even with or because of the digital or online learning capacity, McCann added.

The All-University Academic Convocation is a bi-annual gathering of SU faculty, staff, and students held at the start of the semester for them to be informed about the latest developments in the University. (Photos: SU-OIP/Bing Aguilar)