Every year, the University welcomes new faculty members into the Lasallian community. Professors aim to impart knowledge and values onto students and ensure their growth in their chosen fields. During the first week of classes, however, some classes experience a shuffling of professors as well as a number of free cuts that could last for two to three weeks in some cases.
This is partly due to the availability of professors, which is experienced by different departments. At times, some professors receive additional workload in order for all classes to have an assigned faculty member. When it comes to addressing these issues through the admission process of new professors, various departments adhere to different criteria and standards.
Qualifications and processes
According to Marketing Department Vice Chair Jose Luis Legaspi, various departments hire new professors due to a number of reasons, among them the number of incoming students and the approaching curriculum.
“It depends on the number of freshmen intake per new academic year, and the number of shiftees every trimester to the department. In addition, we also have to plan for the K-12 senior high school (SHS) teaching load. Some teachers are deployed to teach SHS outside [the University], our DLSU ConnectED schools. I, for, one also teach at St. Peter’s the Apostle School,” Legaspi explains.
The departments have different requirements for new professors to be admitted. History Department Chair Dr. Rene Escalante explains that having a related college degree should be mainly considered.
Dr. Escalante asserts that applicants can teach part-time if they have obtained their master’s degrees. However, if one wants to be a full-time professor, having a doctoral degree is required alongside major requisites. These major requisites include having completed several researches, having carried out community service, and having undergone academic exposure abroad, among others.
“Of course, Lasallian values are also considered,” Dr. Escalante points out, as he explains that all these are only part of the manual process. He claims that every department must also have a disciplinal requirement, which varies per department.
Professor Javen Babac elaborates that, for the Department of English and Applied Linguistics (DEAL), it is highly recommended that an applicant must also have published researches in journals, years of experiences in college education, industrial experience, and a track record of his or her own outputs ready for validation.
Legaspi shares the same sentiments. “Some departments will require years of related work experience besides educational attainment. Others will require awards and distinctions on top of everything. The University’s process is strict to ensure that only excellent professors get hired and retained. It’s not enough to get hired; to be permanent is another story,” he explains.
The hiring process involves fairly simple requirements, but they must be strictly complied with. Babac states that for DEAL, a job interview is initiated, which is then followed by a teaching demonstration by the applicant. The department will then examine the documents submitted by the applicants, and later on, be validated. According to Babac, the applicants are required to submit an original copy of their papers, as photocopies of the said works are not allowed. Once the applicant passes the screening process, they can then start teaching.
Students’ experiences
Despite the rigorous process that the new professors go through, some students claim to have encountered incompetent professors. Others claimed that some of the new professors were even “unprofessional.”
Rain Pioquinto (IV, AB-HIM) voices out that some professors would give out grades to the students that they themselves were unable to justify. Moreover, some of these professors were also usually on leave. On the other hand, Ellie* reveals that one of her professors had given more free cuts than holding regular class days.
When the students were asked if they had taken the necessary actions, they opted not to do anything for several reasons. They claim that filing a grievance case is a big inconvenience for them, that they thought the University would not do anything about the said professor, that they did not know to whom and where they should report, and that if matters were to be resolved, it would have already been too late.
According to Andrea Ocampo (IV, AB-PHM), new professors should have the skill to teach well apart from having a master’s degree. They must also have the knowledge on how to handle college students. Furthermore, Ocampo expresses that the professors must have a clean and good track record, because the moment they enter the University as faculty members, they carry the name of the school.
The students see that it is necessary for the applicants to turn in evaluations from their previous employers and students in order to see how well they will be able to interact with their incoming colleagues and students. Most importantly, however, the students conclude that the most important trait a Lasallian educator must have would be the ability to change lives, inspire students, and move them to become better versions of themselves.
*Name changed for anonymity
