“It’s easy
to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.” – Tom Brokaw
When I accepted my current job
six years ago, I was told that my main task is to help write articles, or
research results in such a way that even a layperson can understand it. Looking
back, that task was the most welcoming challenge I have had in my professional
career, by far. However, by the time I started working, I realized that the
task is far beyond that job description.
Faculty and students alike
flinch whenever they hear the word “research,” most especially if the endeavor
would involve them. The first few years of the office worked on fostering the
research culture most especially to the faculty since research is part of their
requirement for ranking. It is also part of the requirement of the CHED and
other accrediting bodies. Despite the mandate and the requirement for
promotion, the turnout of faculty researchers is still low.
Privileges and incentives are
given to faculty researchers. The office even makes certain that ongoing
researchers are provided with what they need, be it materials, consultation,
and anything in between. Apparently, these efforts are not enough. It was then I realized
that we need to go beyond what I thought I should do. To be able to reach our
goals for the College, I realized that we need to start doing more than
facilitating those faculty researchers what they need to finish their research.
We also need to come up with efforts to in encouraging them to do research, to
continue doing research, and to not stop unless and until they have published
their finished work. All efforts will be moot if projects will end the moment
the research study has also end. Personally, this has been a challenge for me
for as long as I can remember. And I am hoping that with the lessons I learned
from this course in Social Marketing and Social Mobilization, I may be able to
at least leave a certain legacy as far as academic research is concerned in the
College.
And this task, is far more than
just doing my job and receiving my salary I should say.
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