Twenty-six administrators from Saint Mary’s University, led by the University President, Dr. John Octavious S. Palina, participated in the CICM-Philippine Network (CICM PSN) Governance Assembly from July 9 to 11, 2025 at the Baguio Country Club, Baguio City. 

The annual gathering of university presidents, vice presidents, deans and principals, directors, heads of offices, and coordinators include the representatives of the following schools: Maryhill School of Theology (Quezon City), Saint Louis University (Baguio City), Saint Louis College – San Fernando (La Union), Saint Louis College – Cebu (Mandaue City), Saint Mary’s University (Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya), and the University of Saint Louis (Tuguegarao City).

Revolving around this year’s theme, “CICM-PSN: Sustaining A Beautiful Mission Through Innovation, Collaboration, and Synergy,” the assembly formally opened on July 10 with a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, PhD, SLU President. In his Homily, Fr. Sales, placed emphasis on this event as an opportunity for the participants “to listen, to reflect, and to discern together as one educational mission family under the CICM congregation” with the thought that amidst the challenges of the times, CICM schools are mindful that there is a need to work with each other “not just as a structure for coordination, but as a community of communion.” Other CICM Fathers co-celebrated in the Mass.

Aside from the plenary and simultaneous conferences, the organizing team invited Mr. Reuben L. Aslor, Human Resource Management Consultant and Trainer at the Council for the Restoration of Filipino Values (CRFV), who gave an animated lecture on “Unlocking Potential: The Power of Employee Engagement,” with sub-topics like indicators of employee engagement and causes for employment disengagement; ending his talk saying that “employee engagement is a by-product of employer engagement.”

Break-out sessions were organized among clusters: President, Academics, Administration, Basic Education, Campus Ministry and Christian Formation, Campus Planning and Maintenance, Community Engagement / Extension, Culture and The Arts, Data-Protection, Finance, Guidance Center, Human Resources, Information Technology, Institutional Development and Quality Assurance, Internationalization, Libraries, Mission and Identity, Registrars, Research and Development, Sports Development, and Student Affairs and Services. These parallel meetings allowed the participants from the different schools to benchmark, share insights and ideas, and plans for 2025-2026; attentive to the demands of the global academic scenario, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and the current national and local state of affairs.