Dr. Mirasol envisioned a SMART BukSU – a future ready university which can result to enhancing experience, efficiency, and education. She said being in a SMART environment means enhancing spatial, temporal, cultural, professional, local, national, and global relationships.

Part of her mission is to develop innovative, ethical, and culture-sensitive professionals who are committed to an inclusive and sustainable life for all through quality instruction, research, extension, and production.

“The future of higher education is anchored on leveraging human-technology collaborations for greater societal well-being and inclusive sustainable development. Research and innovations are drivers for a transition to a human-centric and resilient world,” she said this during the presidential candidates’ public forum at the university Mini Theater on February 9, 2023.

“As a SMART university, BukSU will provide innovative ways of working, learning and teaching in spaces that creatively integrate advanced hardware and software platforms. BukSU will thus commit to develop innovative, ethical and culture-sensitive professionals who are committed to an inclusive and sustainable life for all through quality instruction, research, extension and production,” she emphasized.

She added that in order to become a future-ready university, BukSU will be guided by the following development goals: 1) A Smart Campus 2) A Smart Education 3) A Smart Research, Development and Extension 4) A Smart Governance 5) Smart Students 6) Smart Workforce.

For SMART Campus, she cited the utilization of smart technologies to ensure operational efficiency and improve client experience. She added that the university will capitalize on digital solutions to complement efforts to make BukSU the first Green University in Northern Mindanao– that is a university with environmental sustainability measures and infrastructure  in place.

For SMART Education, she said that BukSU’s brand of education will be technology-driven to enable learners to learn more efficiently, effectively, comfortably and flexibly and geared towards producing employable graduates who meet the needs of work and life in the 21st ‘century. 

She said she will prioritize Institutional accreditations, increase in number of CODs and COEs, and visibility in national and international rankings.

She also mentioned the strengthening of international mobility of faculty and students, upgrading of learning facilities and resources, comprehensive work/industry immersion programs for all undergraduate course, and the reduction of waiting time of getting a diploma and transcript of records upon graduation for employment to hallmark BukSU’s efficient processes and a strong manifestation of its desire to support the employment of our graduates.

For the SMART Research, Development and Extension, she said that BukSU will strive to become an emerging research university via smart RDE, which means strengthening knowledge creation, transfer, and utilization.

She also mentioned that BukSU will be having Niching of Researches and Research Centers, establishment of fabrication laboratories and food incubation centers, establishment of the Center for Life Long Learning for short term courses and delivery of CPD learning and development activities, membership and collaboration with international and ASEAN Research Universities, and intensifying of public-private-academia partnerships.

For SMART Governance, she said, BukSU will bank on the use of technology and innovation to facilitate and support enhanced decision-making and planning. 

As to her, SMART Governance implies simple, ethical, accountable, responsive, and transparent governance.

She also mentioned the establishment of the BukSU Institutional Research Center as the centralized executive dashboard and knowledge management system of the university to store and analyze university data as basis for decision and policy making, and establishment of the External Relations and Linkages Office to facilitate external funding and linkages for the university.

For SMART Workforce, she emphasized that the well-being of the BukSU community is a priority in her administration. She cited three categories in which they can be prioritized:  1) academic breaks, (2) research-based well-being program and (3) strength-based well-being capacity development.

She proposed to revisit and strengthen the existing BukSU Employee Wellness Program to make it comprehensive, research-based and compliant to the Mental Health Act of the Philippines, as well as provide the necessary support for both faculty scholars and potential scholars.

She also mentioned the Bukidnon cultural learning sessions for BukSU employees so that they can model the cultural sensitivity to develop in the students.

For SMART Students, she aimed for a holistic development of students via diverse programs in sports, literary and the arts, spirituality and cultural competence, as well as Mental Health Services for them. Dr. Joy M. Mirasol has taken her oath as the 3rd president of Bukidnon State University before Comm. Jo Mark M. Libre on February 14, 2023 in Quezon City after the Board of Regents picked her over two other contenders. (Information Unit)