THE FORMER head of the interdisciplinary studies department has been named faculty secretary of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, according to a circular issued by the Office of the Secretary-General.
Asst. Prof. John Manuel Kliatchko, who led the department comprising the behavioral studies, Asian studies and legal management programs for four years, will serve as AB faculty secretary starting this academic year. He will succeed Asst. Prof. Ma. Zenia Rodriguez of the political science department.
Before his appointment as faculty secretary, Kliatchko was the behavioral science program coordinator from 2016 to 2019. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science magna cum laude and completed his master’s degree in psychology summa cum laude, both at UST.
Four Artlet faculty members have also been designated as department heads.
Asst. Prof. Louie Benedict Ignacio has been named the new chair of the political science program, succeeding Asst. Prof. Dennis Coronacion. Ignacio, also the sociology department’s previous head, specializes in urban governance and sociology of education and politics. He earned both his political science degree and doctor of philosophy, major in political science at the University.
Prof. Clarence Batan, who finished his bachelor’s degree in sociology magna cum laude also at UST, will succeed Ignacio as the chair of the sociology department. Batan was a recipient of the UST Gold Series Research Award from 2014 to 2016 for his studies on topics centering on youth, education, work, employment and Catholicism.
Asst. Prof. Allen Arboleda will succeed Prof. John Jack Wigley as chair of the Department of Literature and Humanities.
Royce Lim, an instructor who specializes in Spanish subjects, will succeed Asst. Prof. Abigail Pagalilauan as the head of the modern languages department.
Two other faculty members have been named program coordinators, UST’s official website showed. They are lawyer and alumnus Teodoro Lorenzo Fernandez of the legal management program and Gian Carlo Ledesma of behavioral science.
Asst. Prof. Benedict Parfan of the literature and humanities department will succeed Asst. Prof. Ailil Alvarez as the new UST Publishing House director. Parfan served as its deputy director from 2019 to 2023. He is also a journalism alumnus of UST.
Asst. Prof. Paul Castillo of the literature and humanities department has been named deputy director of the UST Publishing House, succeeding Parfan. Castillo, a Palanca awardee, is also a board member of Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas.
Asst. Prof. Pia Patricia Tenedero of the English department has been named assistant director of the Research Center for Social Sciences and Education.
The UST administration also appointed four academic officials in other colleges and three administrative officials. The new appointees are Engr. Celso Noel Aban, MEntrep (TomasInno Center assistant manager), Asst. Prof. Vincent Thomas Alferos, V, RMT, MD (Laboratory Equipment & Supplies Office administrator), Asst. Prof. Khrisnamonte Balmeo, MEd (College of Information and Computing Sciences college secretary), Reuel Bennett, Dr.rer.nat (Department of Biological Sciences chair), Asst. Prof. Warren Maneja, MA (Ecclesiastical Faculties faculty secretary), Prof. Florence Navidad, EdD (Institutional Research Ethics Board chair) and Maria Lourdes Santiago-Antonio, LPT, MA (Center for Campus Ministry director). F – Trisha Tamio and Bianca Ysabel Abrencillo
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include the new program coordinators of the legal management and behavioral science programs and the new deputy director of the UST Publishing House.
