Pangasinan State University (PSU) was officially awarded as Investors in People (IiP) Silver Awardee in the recently concluded 10th IiP Concourse held at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura Premiere, Taguig City on May 4, 2018.
This marked another milestone to PSU being named as the first State University and College (SUC) IiP Silver Awardee in the country that set a frontier to build a productive, holistic, and well-rounded SUC with empowered and highly efficient workforce as it successfully integrated in its system the IiP brand of people management.
Pangasinan State University (PSU) officials spearheaded by Dr. Dexter R. Buted, University President, receive the Investors in People Silver Award – a recognition to PSU as one of the leading organizations with excellent leadership in people management.
The said award is a recognition given by IiP to PSU as one of the leading organizations with excellent leadership in people management toward achieving sustainable success.
The IiP is an internationally-recognized body with the mission to inspire organizations to bring out the best in its people. Among the awards that IiP gives to organizations being models of good practice in terms of people management are accredited, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. These awards are arranged from high to highest level of accreditation.
Joining PSU in the said Concourse were three other organizations that also recognized by IiP – these are Republic Cement as IiP Silver Awardee, Maynilad Water Services Incorporated as IiP Accredited Awardee, and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as IiP Accredited Awardee.
PSU with the administration of Dr. Dexter R. Buted, University President, had proven that the conventional mindset on how SUCs should manage its people can be shifted to people management that caters not only to needs of the employees but it also has the significant implication among the customers, who are mainly the students.
The highly principled, morally upright, innovative, and globally competent graduates of PSU are concrete outcomes to support the University’s initiative to invest to its people consisting of the teaching and non-academic personnel who are the primers in effecting the development of students.
Dr. Buted who served as one of the keynote speakers during the Concourse shared before the spectators the courageous goal setting laid by his administration in building innovation through risk taking which resulted to recognitions that the University is receiving now.
He said that upon assuming the Presidency in 2014, he was challenged by the major weaknesses of the University such as existence of old and dilapidated buildings, offices, classrooms, laboratories and facilities, low performance of graduates in the Licensure Examination, and low employees’ morale.
These challenges made him inspired to articulate and came up with a bolder and ambitious vision far from its old vision which only has an Ilocos Region contextual framework – this triggered the creation of the new vision to become the ASEAN Premier State University in 2020.
In bringing PSU to a clearer path in this vision, he stated the importance of having the 7-Step Strategic Planning Process listed in order: Revisit of the Institutional Vision, Mission, Goals and Directions; SWOT Analysis and Current Performance Analysis; Formulation of Strategic Goals and Options; Preparation and Critiquing of Action Plans; Resource Allocation; Deployment of Strategic Plans; and Monitoring of Strategic Plan.
The administration had also crafted the eight University Strategic Goals which directly focus on its four-fold functions and on delivering excellent service to stakeholders and its workforce.
He highlighted in his talk the line, “As a leader, there is a need to consider the people in the organization, their values, their existing culture and their individual goals. So, we carefully weigh the pros and cons before we decide to do something. We analyze things, we debate with people, we brainstorm and together we act.”
As results of the courageous goal setting, Dr. Buted proudly presented some of successes of the University in terms of efficient management of assets, good performance in board exams and production of topnothers, and massive facelifts in buildings, offices, classrooms, laboratories and facilities across the nine satellite campuses of the University.
Apart from IiP, he also cited the recent recognitions of the University as the first SUC in the Philippines awarded with multi-campus ISO 9001:2015 certification, as one of the top Performing SUCs in 2016 and 2017 and with Level IV Phase 2 reaccreditation for its Bachelor of Elementary and Bachelor of Secondary Education in Bayambang Campus as recognized by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines, and it has three Centers of Excellence as given by the Commission on Higher Education in Fisheries and in Teacher Education for Elementary and Secondary Education.
Meanwhile, Dr. Buted was followed by other notable speakers who also graced the event. Mr. Ramoncito Fernandez, Maynilad Water Services Incorporated President, talked on “Analyzing the Root of Success and Learning from Mistakes”. Then, Mr. Martin Wills, Republic Cement Vice President for Manufacturing, discussed about “How to Balance Innovation and Efficiency?”. Lastly, Dr. Peter Tiangco focused on the topic “Why is it Difficult to Learn from Mistakes”.
During the awarding ceremonies, Dr. Buted was joined on stage to receive the IiP Silver Award by Dr. Paulo V. Cenas, Vice President for Administration, Mr. Ian D. Evangelista, HRMDO Director, Ms. Liezel M. Castillo, HRMDO Deputy Director, and Dr. Jenelyn V. Oboza, IiP Project Leader.
Dr. Oboza imparted in an interview how difficult, colorful, meaningful, and challenging journey the PSU community had experienced before finally achieving the said feat.
She said that it was a difficult start since the University didn’t clearly understand the IiP standard the first time it was presented. It took several months to begin the assessment as the procurement process was quite longer than the making of the proposal.
She added that, “SUCs like PSU could get a holistic, productive, and well-rounded system when people know and believe their leaders, and value, respect, and recognize the contributions of every people of the institution…for PSU employees are inspired to work in a place where all live according to the values set or are expected of them. Because when you invest in people, they will repay every effort you exerted or peso spent with loyalty, hardwork and trust.”
Mr. Evangelista, on the other hand, shared his excitement that PSU is set in preparation for the Investors in People Awards 2018 which consists of Employer of the Year Awards, Organization Awards, and Individual Awards.
This another IiP awarding event will recognize the people and teams that make the difference every day highlighting excellence from across the IiP global community.
The event will take place at the Roundhouse, London on November 28, 2018.
News article written by Menard P. Nava (PRPIO)