Search Is On For Next University President
After a thorough and rigid screening process, five Sillimanians are in the final list of candidates for the next University President.
A forum will be held on November 7, 2016 (Monday), 9am to 4pm at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium for the Silliman community and other stakeholders to know more about the candidates and their vision, mission and goals for Silliman.
Among the qualifications that the candidates met include: being a Filipino citizen, a holder of a doctoral degree, at least five years of administrative and managerial experience, experience in networking, resource generation, and mobilization, a record of proven moral integrity, and being a Christian.
The following are the individuals being considered for President of Silliman University beginning June 1, 2018, in alphabetical order of family names. For comments or queries on the Presidential Search, please email: [email protected].
Dr. Macarthur F. Corsino
Dr. Corsino obtained his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Silliman; he earned his BSE History-English degree in 1966 (cum laude) and his Master of Arts in Education major in Educational Administration in 1972. He finished Ph.D. in Political Science from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, in 1977. He also spent a year in Harvard University from 1985 to 1986 as a fellow at the Center for International Affairs.
He spent most of his professional life as a diplomat for the Philippine Government. After topping the Foreign Service Examinations in 1981, he joined the Department of Foreign Affairs the following year and was assigned to different positions in the DFA, both in the Philippines and abroad. Dr. Corsino was the former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to the Republic of Cuba with concurrent jurisdiction over Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, as well as Consular Jurisdiction over the Bahamas. He retired from the service in December 2010.
Dr. Corsino’s vision and mission for the University feature 3 interlocking pillars: Christian Faith, Education to Help in Nation-Building, and Education with International Enrichment.
Born on September 21, 1945, Dr. Corsino is a native Dumagueteño and is married to Bernadette with three children. He is the oldest among the five presidential nominees.
Dr. Betty C. McCann
Dr. McCann is a graduate of the Divine Word University in Tacloban, earning her bachelor’s degree in Psychology/Political Science in 1970 (magna cum laude). She then pursued further studies at the La Consolacion College, where she obtained her Master of Arts in Education major in Guidance and Counseling degree in 1975. She earned her doctorate degree in Psychology (Social Psychology) from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1987.
Dr. McCann spent a significant part of her professional life in Silliman. She started teaching in Silliman as an Assistant Professor in 1981, rising through the ranks as she became Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and eventually Vice President for Academic Affairs from 1990 to 1992 and 1999 to 2002. She even served as acting University President from 1992 to 1994.
After her stint in Silliman, she went to Hong Kong to serve as Associate Director at the Asian Christian Higher Education Institute (Asian Institute) from 2002 to 2006. Dr. McCann was then appointed as Program Director for South Asia at the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA) in 2003, and later became Vice President for Programs in 2007. She held this position until 2013.
Dr. McCann’s vision for Silliman is for the University to serve as the Via, Veritas, Vita for the nation, Asia and the rest of the world. She seeks aims to build up whole person education in Silliman’s teaching and non-teaching programs and services, and ensure that Silliman’s leadership and operation observe the integrity of purpose, sound fiscal management, and financial stability.
A native of Zamboanga del Sur, Dr. McCann was born on November 10, 1950. She now lives in Dumaguete City with her husband Dennis and is blessed with three children.
Dr. Efren N. Padilla
Dr. Padilla earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Silliman, obtaining his bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1976 (cum laude) and his Master’s degree in Sociology in 1980. In 1986, he obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Michigan State University.
He is known for his contributions in the field of urban planning and urban sociology. Dr. Padilla served as urban planning consultant in various projects nationwide. Some of these projects include the 200-hectare Sacobia River Planning Corridor with the Clark Development Corporation, the Silliman University Four-Year Development Plan, the Dumaguete Six-Year Physical Plan in Partnership, the Cabadbaran City Riverfront and Plaza Plan, the Davao Oriental Six-Year Plan and Investment Guide Plan, and the Development Plan of Siquijor Island. He has also written several articles related to Philippine urban planning published on various national news media outlets, including GMA News Online, Rappler, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. In 2005, he was named Outstanding Sillimanian in the field of Urban Studies.
Dr. Padilla sees Silliman as a nonprofit Christian University devoted to developing the next generation of individuals from all walks of life and many disciplines to make a difference locally and internationally and to fostering the creation of knowledge to improve the environment and the human condition. Among others, he aims to create a culture at Silliman dedicated to a progressive liberal thought that is ethically inspired, theoretically informed, empirically grounded, culturally acquainted, civically engaged, and architecturally signified.
Dr. Padilla is based in the United States and works as a Full Professor at the California State University’s Department of Sociology.
Dr. Betsy Joy B. Tan
Dr. Tan is presently Vice President for Academic Affairs of Silliman University. It is a position she has held since 2005. She obtained her high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees from Silliman. She earned her Bachelor of Science in General Science degree in 1973, her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree in 1975, her Master of Arts in Education (major in Guidance and Counseling) degree in 1983, and Ph.D. degree in Educational Management degree in 1992.
She spent her professional life in Silliman starting as Docent of the Anthropology Museum in 1977. She then rose through the ranks, becoming the Dean of the College of Education in 1996, Director of Instruction in 2002, and finally, Vice President for Academic Affairs. She also served as Acting President of the University from April to July 2011 and from May to July 2015.
Outside Silliman, she is the President and Board Member of the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP), the Chair/Vice-Chair/Secretary of the Board of the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges, and Universities, Accrediting Agency Inc. (ACSCU-AAI), a Trustee of the Philippine Mental Health Association of the Philippines, and a National Accreditor of the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU).
Dr. Tan sees Silliman as a leading Christian institution that develops the whole being of a person while mindful of the needs of the society of the environment. Among her objectives for the University include: educating whole persons that strengthen competence, national consciousness, and ethical moorings, infusing faith-based principles and values in all areas of learning (FIRE) that improve the well-being of society and the environment, and widening Silliman’s reach, course offerings, and services that foster a global outlook.
A native of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental, Dr. Tan was born on September 23, 1953. She lives in Dumaguete City with her husband, Judge Rafael Crescencio C. Tan Jr. Their marriage is blessed with two children.
Dr. Beulah Rose R. Torres
In 1983, Dr. Torres obtained her bachelor’s degree, along with two certificates, from Silliman: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (cum laude), Certificate of Competency in Philippine Studies, and Certificate of Competency in Southeast Asian Studies. She is also a holder of two graduate degrees, earning her Master of Arts in Political Science from Ball State University in Indiana in 1990 and her Master of Education from the University of Melbourne in Australia in 2002. She earned her Ph.D in Instructional Systems Design from Bukidnon State University in 2004.
She started her career in 1986 as a lecturer at the Bukidnon State College (now Bukidnon State University or BukSU) Secondary and Tertiary School. Rising through the ranks, she was appointed as chairperson of the Social Sciences Department in 2006, and later Associate Dean of the Graduate School in 2015. At present, Dr. Torres is BukSU’s Associate Dean for Student Services and Associate Editor of BukSU’s Journal. She is also a certified accreditor for the Accrediting Agency for Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP).
Dr. Torres’ areas of expertise include research publication, computer proficiency, and community organizing, among others.
Dr. Torres seeks to make her dream for Silliman a reality: to raise the University’s reputation into a world-class Christian institution for the holistic, outcomes-based development of globally competitive graduates who are committed to build and serve a more responsible and just global society. Her mission for the University includes internalizing Silliman’s strategic/core functions related to instruction, research, extension, and production, and incorporating the person of Christ and the virtues of Christianity into these functions. She also aims to focus on the following specific mission areas towards the internationalization of the University: faculty, students, curriculum, students, and administration.
Dr. Torres is the youngest among the five nominees, born on January 13, 1959. She presently lives in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.
