Mapua University is Future-Ready - New President & CEO

Mapua University has just appointed its new President and Chief Executive Officer – Dr. Dodjie Maestrecampo

Maestrecampo succeeds Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea who completed his tenure last June after 23 years of service, making him the fourth President of Mapua since 1925. The appointment was officially announced via a round table media conference at the university’s Intramuros campus last Thursday (July 20).

Known for his visionary academic leadership in technology and education for over 30 years, Dr. Maestrecampo concurrently serves as President of Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna and Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao, higher education institutions (HEIs). Prior to that, he served as Mapúa’s executive vice president for academic affairs, prioritizing the university system’s expansion.

His expertise in technology and education was instrumental in steering the digital transformation of both Mapúa Malayan Colleges. His foresight and emphasis on integrating digital technologies into the schools’ teaching and learning systems enabled them to seamlessly deliver consistent, international standard, outcomes-based, research-driven education despite the challenges before, during, and after the pandemic.

Dr. Maestrecampo also played a central role in establishing linkages with international universities that facilitated global exposure for students. He also initiated numerous research and development programs to help advance various industries and society.

Under his leadership, Dr. Maestrecampo said that the university will continue to introduce more groundbreaking, future-ready programs and courses to enable students to hone global competencies using cutting-edge technologies.

We would like Mapua University to be “the” university of the future, a leader in digital transformation and sustainable development. We will continue to produce graduates who are equipped to solve pressing problems globally and hopefully create a positive impact in the society.

Dr. Dodjie Maestrecampo

When asked about his top priorities, Dr. Maestrecampo said:

Being more relevant is the key driver for us, so digital transformation and sustainability are our top priorities right now.

We asked Dr. Maestrecampo about the current challenges faced by his office as President and CEO of Mapua University. Here’s his answer:

It’s very challenging because the landscape of education has changed and still changing. The pandemic has driven that transformation, accelerated the changes that we haven’t seen previously. We are also in the midst of the 4th industrial revolution where we see new technologies changing the industry, how we live and how we do work. That compels us to be more relevant. Another thing that’s making it difficult for us is that the demand and the skills that are needed by the workplace is also rapidly changing. Based on the projection of the recent world economic forum, a significant number of jobs will not be available anymore in the next few years but will be replaced by new jobs created by these changes. So as if, we are training our students for jobs that are not yet there. That’s the difficulty.