First among her concerns is the completion of the six new buildings for the college, namely the Institute of Civil Engineering, the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute, the Institute of Civil Engineering, MMME, the Industrial Engineering/Mechanical Engineering Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering and the Chemical Engineering buildings.
She also seeks to make more efficient the internal processes and procedures of the CoE, identifying and prioritizing the ones that will provide timely, efficient, accurate and reliable services such as retrieval of student and faculty records, library resources and procurement of supplies.
With these more efficient services, the CoE will be able to generate additional funds to support scholarships, faculty development and the modernization of facilities and funds for maintenance and operating expenses.
Matias also emphasized the need to create stronger and more linkages with industry, government and alumni through partnerships and collaborations.
A good example of this is the Industry and Government Linkages with Academe Program (IGLAP), which provides for alternative education modes like industry immersion programs for undergraduate/graduate students and faculty, adjunct professors, career assistance and placement as well as joint research and development projects.
With programs like IGLAP, Matias says the immersion programs will help the match the skill requirements and competencies needed in the industry while the R&D projects may be directed towards priority concerns of both the public and private sectors.
Another priority for Matias is to bring the college and the field of Engineering more prominence in the public consciousness through the multimedia.
The college already has a regular program on DZUP (http://dilc.upd.edu.ph/index.php/component/content/article/50-web-page/3...) entitled "Itanong Kay Engineer," which will air every Monday from 4-5 p.m. until April while its website (http://www.engg.upd.edu.ph/) has a new, more dynamic and user-friendly design.
The college has even increased its presence in social media by creating a facebook page for Matias (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dean-Au/143801818987755) to bring news and updates to the CoE community.
Matias is also looking into exploring opportunities to feature student projects and competitions and faculty research breakthroughs in both the print and broadcast media.
She believes that projecting and showcasing the superior skills and competencies of Filipino engineering.
“While we are confident that we are producing global engineers, we also need to retain a critical mass of engineers that will dedicate themselves to improving the quality of life of all Filipinos through technological innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Matias.
Matias has been with the University since 2004, serving as the chair for the Department of Industrial Engineering until she was elected as Dean.
She graduated from the CoE in 1982 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. In 1989 she came back to UP for her masters in Industrial Engineering, specializing in productions systems and operations research.
Matias earned her doctorate in Industrial Engineering (specializing in human factors) from Purdue University, USA in 1996.
She has also been a member of the Commission on Higher Education’s Task Force for Industrial Engineering Program and Task Force for the Monitoring of Centers of Excellence and Centers of Development (CoE/CoD).
Matias serves as regional editor in International Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems and as a member of the editorial board of International Journal on Human Factors in Manufacturing, published by John Wiley Publishing.
She has served as leader as well as primary researcher for many of the country’s top businesses and government agencies, including the newly formed Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corporation, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, ABS-CBN, the Philippine National Oil Corporation, Globe Telecom and the Department of Science and Technology.
Her research interests lie in productivity studies, human factors studies, occupational hazard and ergonomic assessment, project feasibility studies and technology and environmental risk assessment.
Matias will serve her first term as dean until 2013.
