By Mark E Labuntog, PhD, Learning Development Office

On 2024 September 17, the Offices of the President and Vice President for Higher Education of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan (Xavier Ateneo) hosted a two-pronged workshop on Xavier Ateneo’s Higher Education Academic Clustering and Futures Thinking – Strategic Foresight. This workshop took place in the AVR 8 of the School of Business and Management (SBM) Building, Level 1. The Resource Persons for such a workshop were Fr Johnny C Go SJ EdD (Dean of the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education Learning And Design of the Ateneo de Manila University / GBSEALD AdMU) and Ms Marite P Irvine (Executive Director of the Research Institute for the Futures of Education, GBSEALD AdMU). The invited 41 participants of such a workshop were the University President, Vice Presidents, School Deans, Associate / Assistant Deans and the Directors of Offices.

Part of the preparations for the upcoming transfer of Xavier Ateneo to its New Campus of the Future in Manresa Uptown, Cagayan de Oro City, the workshop paved more ways for deepening the conversations and narrative on the clustering of the four schools. These are the following: /1/ School of Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Mathematics (STEAM); /2/ School of Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences (SEHS);/3/ School of Business, Accountancy and Governance (SBAG); and the /4/ School of Medical Health and Applied Sciences (SMHAS).

In the first prong of the workshop that was participated in by a smaller number of the University Officials (Deans, Associate / Assistant Deans and the Learning Development Committee Members), Fr Johnny C Go guided their open conversations via a two-sided focal question: Would the clustering of the four schools only be for physical purposes, geared towards building / office / space occupancy? or Would the clustering of the four schools necessitate administrative purposes, paving more ways of Ignatian / Jesuit synodality, greater intra- and inter- communication, cohesion, interdisciplinarity, well-coordinated / well-directed line functions? Every now and then, Fr Johnny would encourage the participants to make their answers more value-based.

Moreover, provoked by such focal question, the participants reflected on, discussed, re-examined and challenged their assumptions on clustering the four schools in terms of their physical array or administrative array as possible, desirable and necessary. Based on the behavior and direction of the grouped participants’ conversations, it was postulated that some more opportunities for related discussions be conducted soon so that the participants’ extended answers and discussions be curated, written and soon be submitted for the review and decision of the Xavier Ateneo President namely, Fr Mars P Tan SJ PhD, and the Board of Trustees.

In the second prong of the workshop that was now participated by a big group of all the 41 participants, Ms Marite P Irvine introduced the fundamental concepts and related tasks of Futures Thinking and Strategic Foresight. It was stressed that while the future could not be predicted, possibilities of futures could be studied and designed by determining the drivers of change, analyzing the emerging issues and signals.

The participants were invited to do the gallery walk that enabled them to begin to examine the pictures and read the situation of Philippine Education for purposes of gathering some data on the high impact and low impact of the related forces and trends. Through sustained group reflections, discussions and creative expressions, the participants developed the future scenarios by forecasting and challenging the causal layers around the drivers of change. Through the related tasks and extended discussions, the participants expressed the implications of the Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan New Campus of the Future amidst the complexity and rapidity of change in the context of the VUCA world.    

Furthermore, on the next day, 2024 September 18 (Wednesday, 8:30 AM – 12:40 PM), a special and similar workshop for the Xavier Ateneo Student Leaders took place in the AVR 7 of the SBM Building Level 1. There were 25 of such Student Leaders who participated in the workshop. 

Excited about the futures, the Student Leaders in their groups discussed, imagined and challenged the emerging future scenarios. What emerged as top two priorities of their futures in the Philippines would be the national economy and the quality of education. Their common concern would pivot on the how these two areas of economy and education be able to sustain and improve the quality of life of the people. Listening to their group discussion and open plenary presentations, one could feel a remarkable “sense of “agit” / agitation / excitement / fear of the coming of the futures.

Towards the end, the Student Leaders expressed their excitement about and gratitude for the experience of entering into discussing, imagining, challenging and re-designing their futures. One of them articulated that in the past, she was not keen on planning because things happen as they would. However, in this workshop, her eyes were opened as she had seen opportunities for growth of the young through the exchange of thoughts, past and present realities, views and related experiences. She then said that the young would then be able to confront the uncertain futures with some sense of realistic confidence.

All told, through the workshops, the Xavier Ateneo Deans, Associate / Assistant Deans, Learning Development Committee Members, University President, Vice Presidents and Directors of Offices (on September 17) and the Student Leaders (on September 18) experienced the dynamics of the reality of the futures triangle: