With the ambiguous world constantly changing, the Pangasinan State University Management continues to explore and anticipate the future and prepare for any eventuality that may occur in the next 20 years.
The university’s Planning Office brought in an expert on Strategic and Futures Thinking to help chart the path and direction for the analysis of emerging issues and identification of the weight of the past, push of the present and pull of the future.
Dr. Oliva Domingo, President of the Kalayaan College and an experienced educator and resource speaker on Strategic Foresight and Futures Thinking, opened the discussion with a question asking, “What happens if heads swell because they rested on their laurels and failed to keep pace with the changing times?”
Dr. Domingo said Futures Studies is a field of study about alternative futures (plural) done by researchers in the university. Consequently, it is imperative to prepare for the future and anticipate the relevance of the academic institution in the years to come, she added.
“Strategic planning and futures thinking is the process that would enable you to say ‘Saan ba natin gustong makarating?” Dr. Domingo said.
A series of workshops tackled questions formulated by the employee-participants such as ‘Will classroom learning still exist in the future?’ and “Will the physical presence of employees still be needed in the future?”
Emerging problems, trends and weak signals that people did not imagine to happen were meticulously analyzed and answered during the processes. Scenarios that are possible, probable and preferable in the future were also recognized.
Embracing foresight and futures thinking including the charting of Futures Wheel and identification of the driving forces of change were well participated in by the top management, representatives of divisions, academic units and campuses.
University President Dr. Elbert M. Galas enjoined the entire PSU community to continue being creative, explore processes and practice analytical thinking in order to reduce uncertainties.
“The future is unpredictable, but we can be prepared for any eventuality by having a different mindset and using strategic foresight so that education will not be compromised for the future humanity,” Dr. Galas said.
The seminar-workshop capped the three-day Planning Conference of PSU for 2023.
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