DR. MIRIAM E. Pascua thanked the faculty, staff, and students for their individual and collective efforts for the good work of the university as she delivered her second State-of-the-University Address since her assumption in May 2005 as sixth MMSU president.

She further extended her gratitude to the same people who have “executed their duties with passion” and displayed an “unwavering focus on the university’s mission”.  She emphasized that “everything this university accomplishes is made possible because of [their] efforts”.

One of the highlights of the Convocation and Achievers’ Day last Jan. 9 which culminated MMSU’s three-day celebration of its 29th year anniversary, her speech revolved on the significant achievements of the university as she ushered into her second year at the helm of the university.

Accreditation of academic programs

She informed constituents that 16 of the university’s academic programs underwent evaluation by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP) in 2006 and that another batch of 18 programs are scheduled for assessment this year.  She mentioned latest report from AACCUP that four programs in the Graduate School (i.e., PhD and MS in Rural Development, M/MS in Agriculture, and MA in Nursing) have been awarded qualification for Level III status while three other programs (i.e., agriculture, agricultural engineering, and forestry) have been awarded Level III re-accredited status.  She, likewise, mentioned that the development communication, home technology, marine biology, and fisheries programs have been given candidate status.

She asserted that subjecting the university’s offerings to accreditation gives an idea of how MMSU is faring in terms of achieving its objectives and of the quality of education it is giving the students compared to other institutions offering similar programs. This, she added, also prepares the university for its application for more centers of excellence or development. 

Performance of students in licensure examinations

Dr. Pascua cited figures from the Professional Regulation Commission that showed licensure examination performance of graduates that were generally higher than national passing percentages which made the university as top-performing school in some areas such as pharmacy, physical therapy, nursing, and teacher education. She further mentioned graduates that landed in top ten places in their respective board examinations.  She asserted that graduates’ performance in licensure examinations is a concrete indicator of the quality standards of a degree program.

Performance of students in competitions

The president related that MMSU’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Team won the national finals that made them represent the country to the World Cup in Paris, France.  The team, composed of students from CAS and CBEA, presented a project on “Improving people’s lives through shell craft enterprise” that made them emerge runner up in the international competition.  SIFE is a global non-profit organization funded by giant business corporations that aims to develop community outreach projects that focus on market economics, entrepreneurship, and personal financial and business success skills.

She also reported that a group of students captured the top place for their paper, “Design and development of smart switch for general switching of lighting and small loads” in the First Electrical Engineering Design Contest during the 31st Annual National Convention and Electrical Engineering Exposition held at the Philippine International Convention Center in October.  The switch was designed and developed to solve the problems of and replace the traditional multi-location wiring method at a low-cost.

Development of faculty and staff

For the university to produce more and better-trained teachers, scholars, and researchers, the university, she reported, is supporting the master’s and doctor’s studies of 19 faculty members and three non-teaching personnel enrolled in major universities in Metro Manila, Laguna, and Baguio City. Ten others, she said, are enjoying scholarships granted by CHED, DOST, PCASTRD, and SEARCA.  She, likewise, informed that the monthly stipend of the full scholars under the University Manpower Development Program has increased to P5,000 aside from their semestral book allowance of P5,000.

She asserted that the administration is doing all of these to emphasize the primacy of faculty and staff which she believes are the most important resources in the university.

Offering of more pre-school classes

The president also reported the opening of one kindergarten class and one nursery section in the main campus in addition to the two classes each for nursery and kindergarten in the Laoag campus. This, she explained, aimed to address the increasing demand for enrollment in the laboratory elementary school and to serve as laboratory classes for students specializing in early childhood education. These classes, she pointed out, are managed by a Foundation for Early Childhood Education approved by the Board of Regents. 

Approval of the FAST PACE Program

To reinvigorate and sustain the interest of the general public, especially college-bound youth, in academic training in agriculture, fisheries, and related courses and entrepreneurs which have become “last-choice” courses or “choices of last resort”, the Board of Regents in November, she declared, approved the implementation of the Financial Assistance to Promote Agriculture, Fisheries, and Related Courses and Entrepreneurship or FAST PACE Program.

A student-beneficiary is entitled to free school fees, monthly stipend, accommodation in any available dormitory in the campus, and student-assistanship.
Strengthening linkages and establishment of academic partnerships

The president asserted that one of the strategies for MMSU’s success rests on effective partnerships with government and academic institutions here and abroad.  To realize this goal, she said, the university has linked with several institutions for exchange of faculty, staff, and students for purposes of teaching, research, consultancy, and training.

In July, Dr. Andrew G. Hashimoto, dean of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa signed with the university a Memorandum of Understanding on International Exchange which paved the way for an MMSU-UH joint administrators’ conference at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa just last December. The conference laid the groundwork for the memorandum of agreement and the initial implementation of the partnership.

Earlier, a Letter of Understanding and Mutual Cooperation in the field of nursing was also signed between MMSU and the UH-Kapi’olani Community College.  At that time, Dean Dennis Kahawarada of the said college was with Dean Hashimoto at MMSU.  Later, in July, two professors from the Kapi’olani Community College– Mae Kealoha and Teresita Basuel – came to visit the university to share their ladder-type curriculum and evaluation tools for students’ performance and to review the nursing department’s documents for curricular improvement.  The president reported that recently, the university received a donation box from them containing 92 copies of books and journals for use by nursing students.

In July, Dr. Ari Ide-Ektessabi, professor of bio-microsystem of Kyoto University’s International Innovation Center, came for a lecture-visit upon the efforts of CAS Professor Shirley C. Agrupis who was on faculty exchange at Kyoto University.  This was also the same time that an agreement was made between MMSU and the Japan university, represented by Dr. Makoto Kimura, for the development of a proposal for a do-nou technology to be funded one million yen.

Through the efforts of the office of external affairs and partnerships, the university was able to get CHED funding of P1.5 million for a technology commercialization program through Commissioner and former MMSU President Saturnino M. Ocampo Jr. In November, Commissioner Ocampo came to inaugurate the Ceramic Manufacturing Plant and Training Center located at the College of Engineering. The facility was constructed with funds coming from his grant. 

An additional computer laboratory room at the University Main Library was also set-up to accommodate ten new computer units for instructional, training, and Internet use, also upon the initiative of Commissioner Ocampo.

Another P600,000 from CHED through Chairman Carlito S. Puno was released to the university for the project:  “Technology Commercialization for Sustainable Development in Rainfed Areas in the Ilocos” with the College of Agriculture and Forestry as implementing unit.

MMSU also recently received from the National Economic Development Authority the first tranche of P2M from the P5M-“Collaborative Program on Food Product Development and Packaging for Sustainable Development”.  The program aims to improve the packaging of food products of small-and-medium entrepreneurs in the Ilocos and to pilot a mobile toll packaging facility in Ilocos Norte.  Faculty and staff from the colleges of agriculture and forestry, engineering, and industrial technology, as well as from the business and research directorates will implement this program.

Congressman Prospero Pichay of the First District of Surigao del Sur also donated 20 computer units, a television set, and a teacher’s console for a speech laboratory at the College of Arts and Sciences.

Completion of the Mangasep Hall as call center building

The president informed her constituents that construction of the Mangasep Hall to serve as site of the call center project of CHED and MMSU has been completed.

The establishment of a call center in the university is part of the Business Process Outsourcing Incubation for Contact Centers Project of the said commission.  She said that the university is now just waiting for CHED for the installation of facilities needed for the operation of the center.

R&D activities

Research and development efforts at MMSU may be very well considered fruitful, the president reported.  This is clearly shown, she said, by the overall efficiency of the university R&D system, the number of projects funded by outside sources, awards garnered in regional and national conferences, symposia, and fora, and the number of papers accepted for presentation in competitive research reviews, symposia, and fora.

Extension activities

The Manual of Operations in Extension which was approved for implementation by the Board of Regents in the middle of 2005, according to Dr. Pascua, spelled a big difference in the operations of MMSU’s extension activities.  The material, she said, provided the most important element in unifying and rationalizing the plans, activities, and resources of the university to address its extension function with utmost effectiveness and efficiency.

She reported that MMSU continued to implement existing projects and initiated new innovative and creative delivery approaches and projects that brought significant changes in the lives of the community the school serves.  The university carried on with its key program areas such as training and continuing education, applied communication, technology demonstration, piloting, and commercialization, monitoring ad evaluation, and special development projects.

Business affairs

The president underscored that MMSU’s pursuit for productivity is highlighted by investments toward projected long-run returns.  To respond to this goal, the university, the president said, poured out capital and revenue expenditures from available resources from the start and toward the end of 2006.  The university’s immediate objectives were to improve services and to comply with environment, sanitation, and other standards of doing business.

The president was “enormously” proud that the achievements occurred under her watch but she emphasized that these “are the results of dedicated efforts and remarkable range of talents in our campuses.”  She said she believes that MMSU’s notable achievements in recent years are “the direct dividends of our investments in strategic planning”.  She said that much still remains to be done but she said she believes that MMSU is in excellent shape and making significant strides.

“It is a pleasure serving as your president,” she ended.