UCU prioritizes mental wellness, conducts hybrid seminar for personnel

Urdaneta City University, initiated by the Center for Training and Professional Development, conducted a two-day hybrid webinar-workshop with the theme, "Activating the Infinite Potentials in Mental Health towards Ethical Leadership," for teaching and non-teaching personnel on May 18-19, 2023 held at the University Cafeteria for onsite participants, and via Zoom Meeting for online participants.

"This seminar-workshop is very timely. We are already the Heads [in our own ways], but we still need to be provided with this training to progress as professionals in our institution,” Dr. Amihan April C. Mella-Alcazar, the Acting University President said in her inspirational remarks, emphasizing the importance of the two-day seminar, not only for the appointed leaders of the university but also for everybody who makes up the entire academic community.

"Wherever you are in our institution, whatever your role and responsibilities, we have to have the conviction to what kind of leaders we want to be; we have to decide, we have to define ourselves,” Dr. Alcazar added.

With the goal to prioritize the mental well-being of all its personnel, hoping to answer the ultimate question: “Okay ka pa ba?” Seven timely topics have been discussed during the two-day seminar, each by reputable resource speakers according to their expertise.

The first day focused on what entails effective leadership, and on ways how to cope with stress and pressure at the workplace, facilitated by four experts: (1) Ethical and Effective Organizational Leadership by Prof. Rex Belli Alejandro, the Chair of the Department of Social Science at Mariano Marcos State University; (2) Fallacious Arguments: Threats to Mental Health by Prof. Ryan C. Buado, a UCU Faculty Member under the College of Arts and Sciences; (3) Physical Exercises at Work: Anti-Depression and Anxiety by Coach Marquez "Mark" T. Sangiao, the Founder and CEO of Team Lakay; and (4) Building Stability Under Pressure by LTC Lian D. Giangan, the Director of Curriculum and Educational Development Center, and AFP Educational Training and Doctrine Command.

“Being brave and bold is not always what being resilient means; resilient leadership is the ability to recover from setbacks and adapt to change. The question should be this: ano ang mai-aambag ko sa university?” pointed out Dr. Maria Monica C. Costales, one of the resource speakers.

Focusing on the importance of emotional health and the resilience in leadership, the second day was facilitated by three experts: (1) Emotional Health: Being Attuned to Emotions, Vulnerability, and Authenticity by Prof. Andrew S. Macalma, the Registrar at Saint Louis University; (2) 5S of Workplace for Well-being by Prof. Lorena R. Angulo, the Dean of the UCU – College of Engineering and Architecture; and (3) Leadership Resilience: Cultivating Greatness at Work by Dr. Maria Monica C. Costales, the Chief of Civilian Personnel Affairs Division (CPAD), who is also associated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Prof. Andrew S. Macalma, also one of the resource speakers said, “It's a strength to actually reach out for help to a professional when things aren't going well; it is never a weakness to acknowledge that we need help, stressing that it is crucial to admit and accept within ourselves that we need professional help. With this, he shared the method, “The Change Triangle” as a strategy to know and control our core emotions, and change the way we react against stressful triggers. “Learn about your emotions. We have to be able to understand and accept what we are feeling, how we are feeling,” Prof. Macalma added.

Head participants engaged in a workshop, producing their respective 5S strategy of workplace wellbeing for their offices and colleges.