FROM VISION TO MISSION

Article by Therese Alessandra Flores, Images by Dr. Ian Espada

Editor’s note: More than a month ago, Dr. Ian Espada came home from his five-week trip from the United States (US). He enthusiastically shared his stories of realizations and learnings that he picked up from the trip with The Mediator. In his account, he shared what program he attended in the US and what his vision is for the college after the trip.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes," French author Marcel Proust famously said, and it speaks of reality at some point in life.

In 6 th of June 2022, Dr. Ian C. Espada, Dean of The College of Communication (COC) of West Visayas State University (WVSU) and adviser of The Mediator, embarked on a five-week trip to Arizona, United States of America, as a participant of Study of the United States Institue (SUSI) program with the focus on Journalism, Technology, and Democracy.

Dr. Espada was the only Filipino delegate that was in the program, all the while when he was there, he expressed that, “I always compared the Philippines to the US, and [have] seen the difference of both countries.”

On August 3, 2022, Dr. Espada told The Mediator about how he still hasn’t been over with the “US hangover” as he vividly remembers the details of the duration of his trip in the United States (US).

Now, back in the College, Dr. Espada has a vision that is yet to be set out not only as his personal mission, but a mission that would be fulfilled for the COC, and aspiring professionals in the field.

Dr. Espada has then written two on-line blogs about the program published in the official site of the SUSI program he attended – Journalism, Technology, and Democracy.

Here are the links to the blogs that Dr. Espada wrote:

Unity in diversity…the SUSI way. - https://journalismtechnologydemocracy.org/2022/06/20/unity-in-diversitythesusi-way/ Remember us the SUSI way! – https://journalismtechnologydemocracy.org/2022/07/06/remember-us-thesusi-way

The Program

“The SUSI program in Journalism, Technology, and Development was all about how the media works in the US, the American people, and how media covers politics, democracy, and technological advancement,” Dr. Espada shared the details about the purpose of his trip in the US.

The program was held in Arizona, specifically in Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication on June 6 to July 10, 2022.

Given how progressive USA as a country is being made clear by the technology they were using and how it helped not only the media coverage but the overall help it gives to the nation.

In awe, Dr. Espada said that, “I was drooling!”, when he saw the equipment that the US have that are being utilized in the field of media. “The school even had this very big studio used for their production,” Dr. Espada added.

Philippines, being coined as the freest press in Southeast Asia, is similar on how the US works with their media. Dr. Espada then concluded that the Philippines patterns their media practice with how they do it in the US.

“Other than how media works in the US, we learned about the teaching pedagogy on journalism and [mass] communication students,” Dr. Espada added.

The program taught them how to make engagements with students as well as how to make it colorful, lively, and interactive, especially at the time being where the shift from on-line learning to blended and face-to-face classes are being observed.

For the span of five (5) weeks, the participants of the program have undergone various masterclasses including Media Litercay, Media Habits, Focus on Mis- and Disinformation, Fact-checking,Community Volunteering and Cutural Exchange, Research Projects, The Press and the US legal system, new trends in media, relating media to having an entrepreneurial mindset, as well as engaging in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR).

Personal learnings about the trip

“I’m so lucky I got through the screening process!”, expressed the Dean. He did not expect to be included as a participant of the program for he had doubts and passed his application on the last minute.

What a clutch it was for Dr. Espada and a surprise as his end when he found out that he was granted a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I think this was a reward for me because I personally had made sacrifices especially during the pandemic,” Dr. Espada was grateful and shared his sentiments on how this maybe good karma for him as he spent his life doing nothing but good deeds.

Dr. Espada had personal realizations during his stay in the US. He shared how the cost of living in the US was far more expensive than living in the Philippines.

“It was a life-changing experience,” says Dr. Espada as he reminisces when he set foot to the land of milk and honey.

Unlike other delegates, he shared how he could see a mirror of the representatives of each nation on how limited their budget was. He expressed how he often spends his money on cheap food to get by and compare it to how other delegates would have a hot meal every night. Nevertheless, he was thankful for the days he had in the US.

The disparity between a progressive nation and a non-progressive nation was being observed in the duration of his stay, and Dr. Espada personally witnessed how a progressive nation like US can also have issues and struggles with poverty.

“The program I had with SUSI was very holistic,” Dr. Espada added.

The next move

Asked if he would implement his learning from the trip onto his life as a professor and a journalist himself, he enthusiastically shared his plans and was determined for the college to adapt to it.

Dr. Espada wants the college to establish a Teaching Hospital Model which he notably picked up from the practice in the Walter Cronkite school.

So, what is a Teaching Hospital Model? Dr. Espada explains that, “It is a collaboration between professors, students, and professionals under one roof – may it be a virtual or physical roof wherein a continuity of a course should be practiced as learnings are applied.”

With the existence the Teaching Hospital Model, Dr. Espada wants COC students to be guided by professors on how to produce media that will not only be limited as a school requirement but will be later on critiqued by media professionals.

In this method, graduates would be job-ready in the field, and will not only be touching the basics of how to do something and boxed in the limitation of theory from books, but will be executed with the demands of field in a professional level.

“The learnings should not end when the courses are offered, but to have further application,” says Dr. Espada firmly.

Dr. Espada had also been pushing for the funding of new equipment and to be used in COC, so that students would utilize the technology being used in the field as of the time being.

Is journalism dead?

For Dr. Espada journalism in the country and in general, is not dead, it is thriving despite the rising threats in the field of media.

“Threats remain threats, journalism is very relevant in the country,” Dr. Espada addressed proudly, “Only the platform was changed, but you know, who would use these platforms if not journalists?”, he imposed.

Dr. Espada says that the shift to the digital world only means a wider scope for audiences, and he gave the example of how traditional newspapers now having a digital version.

“Who writes the news? Still, the journalists are those writing the news, and not robots or Artificial Intelligence, maybe in the future there will be, but still, journalism is very much alive in the country and the whole world,” Dr. Espada added.

Dr. Espada also noted that even though there is a shift in platform, traditional newspapers and traditional radio are being utilized by people especially those who are in far-flung areas of the country.

His Message

“Do not be demotivated of the threats that there are in the field. Studying communications will not only lead you to the field of media but will have you gain a lot of job opportunities after you graduate,” this was the Dean’s message on students who aspire to enroll with a degree in communications that are doubtful.

“The study of communications does not wear out, at best, it even is [being] progressive. Just imagine a world without communicators, without the media, without journalist, then what is there left?”

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