Perhaps he was too afraid to rock the boat. Or perhaps he is a reserved leader. But regardless of his intentions, the first year in office of UP Diliman (UPD) Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan has been marked with a muted approach to governing—a possible indication of his administration’s inability to tackle issues and craft clear-cut policies.
The loud protests against his secretive selection stood in stark contrast to his muted leadership. But the measure of an able leader is not on bombastic stunts. Rather, his term will be reckoned with how he led UPD through tumultuous times, and whether his leadership will leave a positive dent in the entire community.
It bears stressing that Vistan’s vision paper for UPD was far from precise. His two-page vision is now a three-point agenda, focusing on “mainstreaming a culture of honor and excellence,” “pursuing sustainable development more aggressively,” and “developing the campus as a cultural haven.”
Yet a culture of honor and excellence is impossible in a university where students are plunged into grueling conditions due to delays and deficiencies in learning assistance. There will be no honor and excellence when the academic community is left reeling from the gaps in learning long before the crisis left by the distance education setup during the pandemic. There is also no honor in the workplace when workers lack security of tenure and are in a hostile workplace environment.
The chancellor’s imagination of a sustainable community is also unachievable when gentrification becomes the norm, rather than pursuing community-centered development. Making the campus a “cultural haven” is also a longshot dream, considering the sorely lacking student spaces on campus.
When measured against the criteria he himself established, the chancellor's leadership falls short. His first year in office did not provide the momentum to launch his key priorities. As a result, he simply managed a beleaguered university, reeling from the anti-community policies of former UP President Danilo Concepcion, which greatly harmed UPD.
The administration’s lack of proactive decision-making may be attributed to a lack of policy direction. It may also be due to a tense relationship between the UP administration and the University Council, with the latter remaining critical of the UP Board of Regents’ opaque selection process of officials. But regardless of the inner workings of Vistan’s Quezon Hall, he has a responsibility to lead UPD and lead it well.
The chancellor has only two years left to make lasting policy decisions. Then nominee Vistan envisioned an “active and consultative leadership that engages with its various units and the community.” He can only achieve this if his administration descends Quezon Hall and actively engages with its constituents. We envision these exchanges as forums where grievances are resolved, and policies are proposed and executed.
Since his selection a year ago, UPD sectors have a running list of immediate demands for the administration to work on. Vistan can revisit it and start from there.
By formalizing linkages with the sectors, like when he created the Committee on the Protection of Freedoms and Rights, Vistan will make good on his promise of “constant exchanges” across UPD. By helming a consultative administration, he may repudiate how his term began–secretive and undemocratic. A rough start won't deter him from working toward a better UPD. After all, he is our chancellor, and he is expected to lead the entire community.
One year into his chancellorship, Vistan must now decide between ushering in substantial change or settling for the status quo. He can still get on track, and this time, with his constituents whom he has a responsibility to serve. ●
