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The University of Southern Mindanao (USM) held a public forum on December 5, 2024, at the USM Auditorium, featuring the four candidates vying to become the university’s next president. The members of the Board of Regents, Search Committee, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other stakeholders attended the event. It aimed to foster transparency in the selection process and provide a platform for the candidates to present their vision and plans for USM.
The four candidates—Dr. Abubakar Murray, Dr. Eimer Estilloso, Dr. Jonald Pimentel, and Dr. Samsudin Panday—each outlined their vision for the university’s future and addressed questions from the audience.
Dr. Abubakar Murray emphasized a multifaceted agenda that included academic excellence, research innovation, community engagement, inclusive education, and infrastructure development. “Considering installations of solar powered renewable source of energy across the campuses and it’s buildings, and consider acquisition of electric vehicles for improved transportation system across the campuses,” he proposed, highlighting sustainability as a key component of his vision.
Meanwhile, Dr. Samsudin Panday underscored the importance of educating, inspiring, and empowering individuals to become global citizens while promoting sustainability and regional development. One of his goals is to transform USM into a hub for innovation and creative industries. “Palalakasin pa natin lalo, ang ating collaborations sa mga local industries, local government units, at international institution para maisulong ang technology sharing and innovation” he said.
Moreover, Dr. Jonald Pimentel presented a vision for inclusive growth and cultural preservation from 2025 to 2028. He plans to prioritize building a foundation for inclusive research and cultural preservation during his first year. “We also want to develop a research program, to incentivize faculty and student research, prioritizing projects that involve collaborations with the tri-people and integrate their cultural knowledge and practices,” he stated.
Dr. Eimer Estilloso highlighted his principles of integrity, inclusivity, and service excellence as the keys to sustained and inclusive progress. “Integrity, Inclusivity, and Service Excellence ito ang mga nakikita kong susi at kapangyarihan nating lahat para makamit ang nagkakaisang hangarin tungo sa napananatili at tuloy-tuloy na pag unlad.” he declared. Dr. Estilloso also proposed leveraging income-generating activities and entrepreneurial initiatives to position USM as both a driver of regional development and a globally competitive institution.
Following their presentations, the candidates addressed audience questions on critical issues, including improving infrastructure, addressing faculty concerns, and enhancing student support systems.
The search committee will deliberate on the candidates’ qualifications, consider the responses gathered from the forum, and present their recommended ranking of the candidates to the USM Board of Regents.
The forum highlighted the university community’s collective commitment to ensuring that the next USM president will lead the institution toward a promising and progressive future.
