By: Aliahcorr Balanon
Photo courtesy: CLAS / Facebook Page & COED / Facebook Page
Letran-Manila has officially merged the College of Education (COED) and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) into one, now called the College of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences (CELAS) starting this academic year.
In an exclusive interview with the Assoc. Prof. Eric N. Awi, Ph.D., CELAS Dean, he recalled that the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Education (CLASED) has been existing way back in earlier years, so merging now is more of a return than a new concept.
“There was CLASED na, so the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Education. Then it was separated, and now it was replaced.” he said.
Asst. Prof. Joy D. Chavez, MAT, former COED officer-in-charge also echoed Dean Awi’s sentiments. “Well, to inform you or for your information, many, many years ago when we came to Letran in 2005, we were CLASED, College of Liberal Arts and Education. So, it's not a new thing for us. So, we just came back with CLAS. But now, considering that education is the mother of all programs, the VPAA recommended that it should be College of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences,” Chavez shared.
The COED looks at this merger in a positive light and hopes to have a larger student population for the Education program.
There will not be much effect on the faculty as they will be the nature of collaboration. The CELAS is now under the following program: Education, Political and Legal Studies (PALS), Psychology, Institute of Communication (ICOMM), and NSTP.
“So may lipatan lang ng faculty, pero isang department pa rin naman. So wala nang general education faculty because these faculty members nandoon na, and na-separate lang sila in different areas.” Dean Awi explained.
Administratively, CELAS is now considered a one college unit, with Assoc. Prof. Awi, as the Dean, and Ms. Verna Pascual will be in charge of students in terms of office operations, while Ms. Melissa Coronel from COED will coordinate with her.
The CELAS Faculty is looking forward to more collaborative programs and joint events working alongside the other two colleges of Letran: College of Business Administration (CBAA) and College of Engineering and Information Technology (CEIT).
In separate messages to their respective departments, both Dean Awi and Asst. Prof. Chavez expressed optimism about this institutional transition.
“Actually, merging organizational movements is really common to other universities, especially if we do institutional recovery. We have a lot of things in store for us as we are about to delve into a new academic journey. When education and liberal arts and sciences merge, experiences also merge. And to create one great experience in Letran,” Dean Awi said.
While Asst. Prof. Chavez echoed the same sentiments, “This change should inspire us to be more dynamic, to be more dedicated, and to be more open-minded. Because, again, we go back to the concept that education is a very, very dynamic field. Walang stagnant when it comes to education. Every now and then, there are changes from DepEd, CHED, etc., management, administration, curriculum. We'll just have to be dynamic and be open to changes. As educators, we are ready to take on the challenges and whatever changes might come along the way.”
As part of the institutional recovery effort, Dean Awi emphasized that this merger is aligned with Letran’s Institutional Recovery Accessibility Measure, a strategic initiative to integrate departments and maintain academic and operational sustainability.