UCO does #realtalk

In the case of the University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC), a pioneering educational institution in Davao region that was established in 1905 as Escuela Catolica de San Pedro, communication has played a very important role. It has, since then, grew into one of the best universities in Southern Philippines being the Center for Development in areas such as Business Administration, Information Technology, and Teacher Education. The University has also been enjoying an Autonomous Status granted by the Commission on Higher Education and Institutional Accreditation granted by FAAP since more than 75% of the program offerings are PAASCU accredited. Also, its management system is ISO 9001:2015 certified. Further, the University, in all its simplicity and humility, has been a pioneering educational institution in various fields such as Pharmacy (1948), MS and PhD in Pharmacy in 2001 and 2017, respectively. It also offers a five-year BS Pharmacy major in Clinical Pharmacy with a curriculum approved by the US-National Association Board of Pharmacy (2004).

In March 2018, UIC became the first university in the country to be an Associate Member of the ASEAN’s University Network – Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) and first to have AUN-QA Certified Programs such as Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Elementary Education, Bachelor of Secondary Education, and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. The AUN-QA is a most sought-after certification, a document certifying the University’s quality of education and processes. According to AUN-QA Guide to AUN-QA Assessment at Programme Level v.3.0), the AUN-QA Network is established as the ASEAN quality assurance network in higher education with the responsibility to promote quality assurance in higher education institutions, raise the quality of higher education, and collaborate with both regional and international bodies to benefit the ASEAN community.

Among the 120 AUN-QA associate members in Asia, UIC has been granted recognition. The University is one of the few to receive said certification in the Philippine archipelago and the first outside the National Capital Region.

These are but a few of the achievement of UIC worth sharing. And the UIC University Communication Office (UCO) has jumpstarted the information push.

In fact, communication has been seen as very important that most organizations have realized the need to invest in building a corporate communications team responsible for various activities. This has become more noticeable in this generation when information has been made accessible not only in the traditional formats but also in its more advanced electronic versions. For these reasons, the need for “information push” has become more defined and totally necessary for the UIC to claim a better position as a premier educational institution not only in Mindanao but in the whole country and globally.

In August 2021, the UIC University Communication Office (UCO) was established to suit the growing needs of the University in terms of reaching out to its various audiences. It is now trying to develop standard processes in information packaging and dissemination and craft information, education, and communication materials for specific audiences.

The Office works under the supervision of the Office of the University President. Among its functions are the following:

● Be responsible for creating communication content on behalf of the University.

● Be in charge of major communication-related activities of the University especially those concerning IEC materials.

● Coordinate with various offices within the University about information packaging and production including preparation of press releases and creation of social media posts.

● Ensure that the entire organization is working toward the same strategic communication goals.

● Inform its stakeholders including the media about important developments in the University.

At present, UCO is managed by only two special staff and coached occasionally by a consultant. A third hand is expected to be in the picture to help maintain a lean and mean organization.