When a new era begins, it is usually met with great fanfare and enthusiasm. In the Ateneo, a new era is beginning, yet one not marked by hubbub and hullabaloo, but by puzzlement. Very little is known about the man who would be Loyola Schools Vice President, John Paul Vergara.
Carrying an air of determination and confidence, he has his eyes set on large-scale improvement, internationalization, and continuation.
The GUIDON sits down with the man of the hour to know more about his new job, his vision for the university, and even The Godfather movies.
GUIDON: Could you share with us your long term plans for the school?
JPV: If you look at the announcement of my position, it already says how the Loyola Schools should move forward, and my selection is actually secondary to that. We should continue to improve our research, and our internationalization, for example. There’s also the systems that we have in place, particularly how the four schools interact.
G: And in the short run of things?
JPV: Dr. Cuyegkeng has done very well in setting up systems, and we have to follow through and make it more effective. Many of her efforts, like the things that are IT-driven are within my field and orientation—these things I’m familiar with, so it’ll be easy for me to follow through.
What I’d like to see from myself in the short-term is getting more familiar with other things outside my field, like Guidance, Student Affairs, and Social Concern and Involvement. I know what’s going on, but how they operate is not immediately clear to me. It’s for my education as well.
G: What’s the rationale behind these goals?
JPV: Well, where these goals came from is related to the vision and mission of the school. We’re meant to be an academic institution, world class in orientation but also oriented towards excellence and service.
G: On a more personal level, what are your personal goals for the Ateneo?
JPV: It might sound like another shared statement, but if I had to formalize, I’d say that it should be an academic community with students and faculty who can face the challenges of education and the country, who can confront these with their own field and disciplines. In my time, we talked about being men for others, about social orientation, service, and excellence. That still applies now. But this idea has evolved into something more concrete, and that’s why we have all these connected fields.
G: What made you decide to accept the job?
JPV: Honestly, I had my reservations about it. For example, my current job, I just started it last year. My level of experience and exposure then is lower than say, the deans. I’ve gained some exposure because of my current position, but it’s only been a year, right? So I gave these reservations to the Committee, and to Fr. Ben.
Well, eventually, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse, if you want to take from The Godfather. It’s humbling, and at the same time I had a sense of obedience. When Fr. Ben and the committee, even after hearing all my concerns, still thought that I was the man for the job, well, I guess I had to face it. There’s some wisdom there that you have to follow.
G: You mentioned Mrs. Cuyegkeng who has been Vice President for quite a while. Comparisons will invariably be made, so, how do you plan to stamp your own personal authority to the Vice Presidency?
JPV: The problem is that the question is too early to respond to. From what I said before, I’ll start out with continuation. Of course, eventually, I’ll figure out what other contributions I will make, but first, I have to continue with the contribution Dr. Cuyegkeng made and see where I can contribute more.
I really do think I can help, but that’s not to say she hasn’t—she’s a very good systems person, and I could help with that notion, with being more systematic. But at the same time, I recognize that that’s not the only orientation available to be an effective leader. These other areas, I can’t answer what kind of mark I will make. I guess we’ll have to wait.
G: Anything else you’d like to say?
JPV: It’s like what I said to Fr. Ben. What I can definitely promise is that I’ll do my best. I know what my gifts are, and I hope I’ll be able to grow in the job as well. It’s a challenging position to get into, and I hope to serve and keep with the mission of the university. I’ll do this in such a way that recognizes the contributions of the past VP and leaders, and at the same time, inspire others. That’s part of it—we need to hone and train more leaders, the would-be deans and VPs. That way it’s a better school, if we have ready leaders, ready to step up.
