THROUGH a phone call on Jan. 6, AACCUP executive director Manuel B. Corpuz relayed to President Miriam E. Pascua a very good news: AACCUP has granted institutional accreditation to MMSU.

With this, the university earns the distinction of being the third SUC in the Philippines with institutional accreditation status and the first under the outcomes-based accreditation system.

Institutional accreditation is a big boost to the university in terms of SUC levelling, normative financing, and in forging international linkages. The visit, held on Nov. 17-20 last year, scrutinized nine areas: governance and management; teaching, learning, and evaluation; faculty and staff; research; extension, linkages, and consultancy; support to students; library; infrastructure and learning resources; and quality assurance.

The first two Philippine SUCs that attained such distinction are Visayas State University and Central Luzon State University.