Re-imaging CM in 100 years and more
Warmest Christian greetings to the CM community, alumni and friends!
This academic year 2020–21 started with uncertainties in CM’s journey, and the situation remains volatile. Yet it is also a challenging time for CM to rediscover its strength: to be resilient, creative and innovative, deeply rooted in our confession that “without God all is in vain.” It also teaches us the most important lesson for any person, organization or institution: the value of people. People matter.
Our darkest days are the best way to re-imagine our world anew.
Now is the best time to re-image CM in its 100 years and more, and how CM should look in the next decade.
Maasin Institute – The College of Maasin (MI-CM) has been through thick and thin since its founding in 1924. A rented bodega with kerosene cans as chairs recalls its humble beginnings as the only and preferred secondary school in the southern part of Leyte. When the Second World War broke out, MI ceased operations but not its spirit. It reopened after the war and reached its best in the 1950s and early 1960s. It dwindled in the 1970s and 1990s, yet with a surviving spirit it struggled to rise and reclaim its past stature, gaining momentum for growth with new courses and breakthrough programs.
Along with this historical struggle came the evolution of its academic thrust. It began as a secondary school known for excellence in leadership, literature and music. It grew into a liberal arts and teacher education institution producing excellent teachers and leaders. It spearheaded technical courses in response to the needs of the time, and offered new and breakthrough courses in which it excelled.
CM’s quest for excellence continues, and in the next decade it needs to re-imagine its academic niche. Retracing our past and reading the signs of the times, now is the best time to re-image CM: to revisit its vision and mandate, define its academic niche and sustain its institutional life.
It shall be CM’s commitment that in any path of development, the benefit to people and clientele takes primacy, and the preservation and conservation of the environment is always considered and respected.
As we have been in the past, as we are now, and as we will be in the future, our confidence is in God. It has been and will always be an empowering journey with you and the CM community.
This pandemic humbles us and keeps us rooted in the truth that without God, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Nisi Dominus Frustra. Thank you, and God bless.