General mandate and curricular offerings
- Section 2 requires the University to primarily provide advanced education and professional, technological instruction in allied medicine, education, engineering, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, environment, arts and sciences, accountancy, cooperative, business and entrepreneurship, technology, and other relevant fields of study.
- Section 2 requires the University to undertake research and extension services and provide progressive leadership in its specialization areas.
- Section 3 requires the University to offer graduate, undergraduate, and short-term technical courses in the fields enumerated in Section 3, and other degrees/courses within its areas of specialization and according to its capabilities.
- Section 3 authorizes the Board of Regents to determine course offerings necessary to carry out the University’s objectives and to meet the needs of the Province of Quezon and Region IV-A.
- Section 3 provides that existing high schools shall be transferred to the jurisdiction and supervision of the Department of Education (DepEd).
- Section 3 allows existing high schools to remain and operate within the University campus until existing students have completed high school education.
- Section 3 allows the University to operate a reasonably-sized laboratory school if it has a College of Education.
Corporate powers and Board governance
- Section 4 provides that the University has the general powers of a corporation under Batas Pambansa Blg. 68, as amended (the Corporation Code of the Philippines).
- Section 4 vests administration and exercise of corporate powers exclusively in the Board of Regents and the president of the University.
- Section 5 establishes the Board of Regents as the governing board of the University.
- Section 5 provides that the Board of Regents shall include:
- the chairperson of CHED (chairperson),
- the president of the University (vice chairperson),
- the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture (member),
- the chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education (member),
- the regional director of NEDA (member),
- the regional director of DOST (member),
- the president of the federation of faculty associations of the University (member),
- the president of the federation of student councils of the University (member),
- the president of the federation of alumni associations of the University (member),
- two prominent citizens from the private sector with distinguished specialization or profession (members).
- Section 5 requires the Board to appoint the two prominent citizens from a list of at least five qualified persons in the Province of Quezon recommended by a search committee constituted by the University president, in consultation with the CHED chairperson and the other Board members, based on standards and qualifications set by the Board.
- Section 5 makes the terms of the federation presidents (faculty, student councils, alumni) coterminous with their respective terms under their constitutions and bylaws.
- Section 5 sets the term of the two prominent citizens at two (2) years from the date of appointment.
Board authority, fees, trust funds, audits, linkages
- Section 6 requires the Board to promulgate and implement policies consistent with:
- the declared State policies on education and pertinent constitutional provisions on education, agriculture, science and technology, and
- the policies, standards and thrusts of CHED under Republic Act No. 7722 (Higher Education Act of 1994).
- Section 7 grants the Board the specific powers and duties, in addition to general corporate governance powers, including authority to:
- promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the University’s purposes and functions;
- receive and appropriate all sums provided for University support in the manner it determines;
- import duty-free economic, technical and cultural books and/or publications upon CHED certification that imports are for economic, technical, vocational, scientific, philosophical, historical or cultural purposes, consistent with the Tariff and Customs Code, as amended;
- receive in trust legacies, gifts, and donations of real properties of all kinds and administer and dispose of them when necessary for University benefit, subject to donor limitations, directions, and instructions, if any.
- Section 7 provides that donations under the trust authority are:
- exempt from the donor’s tax, and
- allowable as deductions from gross income in computing the donor’s income tax under the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997, as amended,
- with the condition that such donated properties shall not be disposed of, transferred or sold.
- Section 7 authorizes the Board to fix tuition fees and other necessary school charges (including matriculation fees, graduation fees and laboratory fees) after due consultation with involved sectors.
- Section 7 declares that tuition-related charges, including government subsidies and other University income, constitute special trust funds deposited in an authorized government depository bank, with their interest forming part of the same funds for University use.
- Section 7 mandates that income generated by the University from tuition fees and other charges, and from operation of auxiliary services and land grants, shall be retained by the University and disbursed by the Board for instruction, research, extension, or other University programs/projects, while ensuring that fiduciary fees are disbursed for their specific collection purposes.
- Section 7 authorizes, when the University cannot pursue projects for which funds were appropriated and allocated under the approved program of expenditures for reasons beyond its control, the Board to authorize use of said funds for a reasonable, necessary and urgent purpose for attainment of University objectives and goals.
- Section 7 requires adoption and implementation of a socialized scheme of tuition and school fees for access of poor but deserving students.
- Section 7 authorizes the University to:
- construct or repair its buildings, machinery, equipment and other facilities;
- purchase and acquire real property, including necessary supplies, materials and equipment.
- Section 7 empowers the Board to appoint, upon president’s recommendation, vice presidents, deans, directors, heads of campuses, faculty members, and other officials and employees of the University.
- Section 7 authorizes the Board to fix and adjust salaries of faculty and administrative officials and employees subject to the Revised Compensation and Position Classification System and other pertinent budget and compensation laws, including hours of service and other conditions.
- Section 7 authorizes the Board to grant leaves of absence under Board regulations and to remove persons for cause in accordance with due process of law.
- Section 7 authorizes the Board to:
- approve curricula, instructional programs, and rules of discipline drawn by administrative and academic councils;
- set policies on admission and graduation;
- award honorary degrees and authorize awarding certificates of completion of nondegree and nontraditional courses;
- establish and absorb nonchartered tertiary institutions in the Province of Quezon as branches and centers in coordination with CHED, after consultation with the DBM, offering programs/courses to promote equal access to educational opportunities mandated by the Constitution;
- establish research and extension centers that promote University development;
- establish professional chairs and provide fellowships and scholarships to qualified faculty members and deserving students;
- delegate any powers and duties to the president and/or other officials to expedite administration;
- authorize an external management audit financed by CHED subject to Commission on Audit (COA) rules and institute reforms based on audit results and recommendations;
- collaborate with other governing boards of state colleges and universities within the Province of Quezon or Region IV-A, under CHED supervision and in consultation with DBM, to restructure for efficiency, relevance, productivity and competitiveness;
- enter into joint ventures with business and industry for profitable development and management of University economic assets, using proceeds for University development and strengthening;
- develop consortia and economic forms of linkages with LGUs, institutions and agencies (public and private; local and foreign) to further University objectives;
- develop academic arrangements for institutional capability building and appoint experts/specialists as consultants, part-time/visiting/exchange professors, scholars or researchers as the case may be;
- adopt modern and innovative knowledge-transmitting modes such as information technology, dual learning system, open learning, distance education, and community laboratory to expand access;
- set policy guidelines and procedures for participative decision-making and transparency;
- privatize, where most advantageous, management of nonacademic services such as health, food, building/grounds or property maintenance and similar activities;
- extend the term of the president beyond retirement age up to seventy (70) only if performance is unanimously rated as outstanding by the Board based on Board guidelines/standards after unanimous search committee recommendation.
Board meetings, Secretary, and required officers
- Section 8 requires the Board to convene regularly at least once every quarter.
- Section 8 allows special meetings by the chairperson on three days’ prior written notice, with a maximum of two special meetings whenever necessary.
- Section 8 establishes quorum as a majority of all Board members holding office at the time, with the chairperson of the Board or the president of the University present.
- Section 8 provides representation rules for CHED if the CHED chairperson is absent: a duly designated CHED commissioner represents CHED with all rights and responsibilities of a regular member.
- Section 8 provides that when a meeting is chaired under absence-designation rules, the president of the University as vice chairperson presides, subject to an authorization allowing the CHED chairperson to designate a commissioner as regular chair acting as presiding officer.
- Section 8 allows chairpersons of the congressional education committees to designate representatives if they cannot attend, with the same rights and responsibilities as regular Board members.
- Section 8 provides that Board members receive no salary but are entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in meeting attendance or other authorized official business, subject to existing laws and regulations.
- Section 13 requires the Board to appoint a Secretary who serves for both Board and University, keeps all Board records and proceedings, and gives each Board member notices of meetings.
- Section 14 designates the Treasurer of the Philippines as the ex officio treasurer of the University.
University President, campus directors, councils
- Section 9 requires the University to be headed by a president who renders full-time service.
- Section 9 requires the Board to appoint the president subject to Board guidelines/qualifications/standards upon recommendation of a duly constituted search committee.
- Section 9 sets the president’s term at four (4) years and makes the president eligible for reappointment for another term.
- Section 9 provides a transition rule: the incumbent president of the SLPC, if qualified, serves as the first president of the University.
- Section 9 requires the Board to constitute the Search Committee for the Presidency (SCP) within six months before the expiration of the incumbent president’s term.
- Section 9 authorizes the Board to designate an officer-in-charge pending appointment of a new president in case of vacancy due to death, compulsory retirement, resignation, removal for cause, or incapacity.
- Section 9 provides that the successor or officer-in-charge serves only the unexpired portion of the term.
- Section 9 states that in addition to this Act’s specific provisions, the president’s powers and duties include those usually pertaining to presidents of similar universities and those delegated by the Board.
- Section 9 provides that the president’s salary follows the Revised Compensation and Position Classification System and is comparable to presidents of similar educational institutions.
- Section 9 requires the president to be assisted by three vice presidents: vice president for academic affairs, vice president for administrative and financial affairs, and vice president for planning, research, extension, production and development, appointed by the Board upon the president’s recommendation.
- Section 10 requires campus directors to head University campuses, render full-time service, and be appointed by the Board upon the recommendation of the search committee and the University president, subject to Board guidelines/qualifications/standards.
- Section 10 requires incumbent college administrators of the extension campuses to serve as campus directors of their respective campuses.
- Section 11 establishes an Administrative Council chaired by the president and composed of vice presidents, deans, directors, and other officials of equal rank; it must review and recommend policies on University administration, management, and development planning to the Board.
- Section 12 establishes an Academic Council chaired by the president and composed of all academic staff with rank of at least assistant professor.
- Section 12 grants the Academic Council power to review and recommend curricular offerings and rules of discipline subject to Board approval, fix requirements for admission and graduation and conferment of degrees subject to Board review/approval through the president, and formulate academic policies and student discipline rules subject to Board approval.
Faculty appointment rules and student access
- Section 15 prohibits political beliefs, gender preference, cultural or community affiliation or ethnic origin, and religious opinion or affiliation from being a matter of inquiry in appointing faculty members.
- Section 15 makes faculty appointment subject to Board-set guidelines, qualifications, and/or standards.
- Section 15 prohibits faculty members from teaching for or against any particular church or religious sect.
- Section 16 requires the University to provide a scholarship program and other affirmative action programs to assist poor but deserving students who qualify for admission.
- Section 16 prohibits denial of admission based on sex, religion, cultural or community affiliation, or ethnic origin.
- Section 17 recognizes the University’s academic freedom and institutional autonomy pursuant to paragraph 2, Section 5 of Article XIV of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.
Personnel and property transfer; appropriations; reports
- Section 18 authorizes heads of national government bureaus and offices, upon request of the president, to loan or transfer needed apparatus, equipment, or supplies, and to detail employees when such resources can be spared without serious detriment to public service.
- Section 18 requires detailed employees to perform duties required by the president of the University and provides that the time employed counts as part of their regular services.
- Section 19 transfers to the University all assets, real and personal, personnel and records of the SLPC, and all liabilities or obligations.
- Section 19 requires respect for faculty members’ and personnel’s positions, rights and security of tenure under existing laws prior to conversion.
- Section 19 declares government parcels of land occupied by the SLPC to be property of the University and requires titling in the University’s name.
- Section 19 provides that if the University ceases to exist or is abolished, or if the land is no longer needed, the parcels revert to the LGUs concerned.
- Section 20 charges the amount necessary to carry out the Act against the current year’s appropriations of the SLPC, except sums needed to continue operations of existing high schools.
- Section 20 requires that thereafter, sums necessary for continued operation and maintenance of the University be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
- Section 21 requires the University, within one hundred twenty (120) days after approval of the Act, to:
- submit a five-year development plan with corresponding program budgets to CHED for recommendation to DBM;
- undergo a management audit in cooperation with CHED;
- set up its organizational, administrative, and academic structure, including appointment of key officials.
- Section 22 requires that on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of the second month after opening of regular classes each year, the Board file with the Office of the President of the Philippines through the chairperson of CHED and with both Houses of Congress a detailed report on the University’s progress, conditions, and needs.
Implementation rules; parity; separability; repeal; effectivity
- Section 23 makes Republic Act No. 8292 (Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997) an integral part of the Act and part of the University’s governing charter.
- Section 24 provides a parity clause: all other powers, functions, privileges, responsibilities, and limitations under existing laws applicable to state universities and/or their officials are deemed granted to or imposed upon the University and/or its officials whenever appropriate.
- Section 25 requires the Board, in consultation with CHED, to formulate guidelines to fully implement the Act.
- Section 26 provides separability: if any part is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts not affected remain in full force and effect.
- Section 27 repeals or modifies inconsistent laws: all laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules, and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the Act are repealed or modified accordingly.
- Section 28 provides effectivity: the Act takes effect fifteen (15) days after publication in two newspapers of general circulation.
- Republic Act No. 9395 is approved March 17, 2007.