Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 9141)
Republic Act No. 9141 converts the Negros Occidental Agricultural College into a state college to be known as the Negros State College of Agriculture, and provides for its governance, administration, programs, and funding.
The institution is officially known as the Negros State College of Agriculture (NSCA).
The NSCA shall include five (5) extension colleges, two of which were already opened and three more to be opened in specific barangays and municipalities of Negros Occidental.
The Sipalay campus specializes in trade technical courses and mining science, metallurgy, and other locality-relevant programs; Candoni campus offers technical agriculture, forestry, cooperatives and compact farming systems; Cauayan campus specializes in agro-fishery and marine studies; Ilog campus offers fisheries and marine sciences/aquaculture; Main campus continues present educational programs including graduate courses.
Undergraduate and graduate degree programs, short-term technical or diploma courses, technological vocational instructions and training in agricultural sciences, and other related and relevant fields.
The Board is composed of the CHED Chairman as Chair, NSCA President as Vice Chair, Chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Education and House Committee on Higher Education, Regional Directors of NEDA and DOST, presidents of faculty, students, and alumni associations, and two prominent citizens from Negros Occidental.
Enacting rules and regulations, receiving and appropriating funds, accepting donations, setting tuition fees, authorizing construction and purchases, appointing officials and faculty, approving curricula, granting leaves or removing personnel for cause, awarding honorary degrees, establishing branches, research centers, and chairs, entering joint ventures, and extending the president's term under specified conditions.
The President is appointed by the Board upon recommendation of a Search Committee, serves a four-year term extendible for another four years, must render full-time service, and cannot be reappointed beyond 70 years of age.
The NSCA shall provide scholarships and affirmative action programs to assist poor but deserving students and shall not deny admission based on sex, religion, cultural or community affiliation, or ethnic origin.
Section 19 explicitly states that NSCA shall enjoy academic freedom.
All assets, personnel, records, liabilities, and obligations of the NOAC are transmitted to the NSCA, and the positions, rights, and security of tenure of personnel are preserved.
Yes, the Board may fix tuition and fees after consultations. These funds, and other income, shall constitute special trust funds deposited in a government bank, with interests accruing to the same fund and disbursed for specific approved purposes.
Yes, donations to the NSCA are exempt from all taxes and deductible by donors, and purchases and transactions entered by the College are exempt from taxes and duties.
The administrative council reviews and recommends policies on management and development planning, while the academic council prescribes curricula, fixes admission and graduation requirements, disciplines students, and formulates academic policies, all subject to Board approval.
The NSCA may accept affiliation or integration of existing national schools whose programs contribute to its objectives, subject to coordination with CHED and DBM, with transfer of funds, assets, and obligations.