16 March 2010
Microsoft's Singapore-based director for Asia-Pacific, Steve Haite, visited the Philippines and PLM. For being a pioneer and a leader in formulating and implementing the best practices in the Philippine setting for the Live@edu worldwide program of Microsoft, PLM is now a valued partner of Microsoft in the latter's direction of bringing technological advances to select educational institutions in the country.
Haite was received on behalf of PLM acting president Atty. Rafaelito Garayblas and OIC-executive vice president Atty. Patrick Mariano by the PLM's chief technology officer, Dir. Garry Erwin de Gracia, at the Regents' Lounge. To further the innovative benefits to be derived by PLM from the special partnership, a short meeting was conducted reviewing the progress of and challenges to the implementation of the Live@edu program. Haite acknowledged the efforts of PLM as the pioneer and leader in the country, even as the past activities towards implementing the Live@edu program were revisited. The computer literacy program for master-teachers and deans of colleges as an institutional support courtesy of Microsoft was also noted as an integral part of the program.
Haite subsequently delivered a short presentation at the TOP Room before PLM officials, employees and student council officers. Topics ranged from other free technologies that would be helpful to the academic community that Microsoft is offering -- to emerging technologies that would be beneficial to the academe, like electronic enrolment using the Live@edu program. Haite underscored the need for technology infrastructure which have become basic in any higher education institution, including a campus-wide network facility, so that these innovations from Microsoft may become a reality in PLM. De Gracia assured that such infrastructure are already in place all over the campus, including covering the entire university into a Wi-Fi zone -- a dream come true for the PLM scholars, faculty, staff and alumni. De Gracia, however, was quick to express concern over the recent actions by an external government entity that effectively proscribed PLM from optimizing the benefits that could be derived by the PLM community from the well-received technology-based projects.
The newly-elected Supreme Student Council (SSC) officers graced the occasion in their efforts to explore opportunities with the IT Center on techology-based programs pursuant to their platform of government. The student leaders recognize the long-awaited imperative need to modernize the facilities of PLM which the IT Center has started to facilitate in the previous year. The SSC seeks to partner with the IT Center in translating into reality the hopes and dreams of the thousands of students as far as needed innovations are concerned.
Another short technical meeting was conducted between the British national and the ITC director concerning the concerns and ideas emanating from the short presentation which the PLM community has articulated. Haite committed the full support of Microsoft's Live@edu team to resolve certain areas of concern to benefit the thousands of stakeholders of PLM today and beyond.