Curricular offerings and laboratory school
- TSU shall offer undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate courses within its competency and areas of specialization.
- TSU shall cover the following fields of study: science and technology, medicine and allied medical professions, law, business, arts and humanities, education, sports and human kinetics, and programs on public administration, public works, human services, social work, and other relevant fields.
- The Board of Regents (the Board) may determine additional offerings necessary for TSU objectives and offerings that respond to human resource development needs of the Province of Tarlac and Region III.
- The existing reasonably-sized laboratory school for early childhood, primary, junior and senior high school, and special education shall continue to operate under the supervision of the College of Education of TSU to serve in-campus requirements of TSU students.
Board composition and selection
- TSU’s governing body is the Board.
- The Board is chaired by the Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and co-chaired by the President of TSU.
- The Board has the following members:
- (a) Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education
- (b) Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education
- (c) Regional Director of the National Economic and Development Authority
- (d) Regional Director of the Department of Science and Technology
- (e) President of the federation of faculty associations of TSU
- (f) President of the federation of student councils of TSU
- (g) President of the federation of alumni associations of TSU
- (h) Representatives of the nonteaching personnel association of TSU
- (i) Two (2) prominent citizens from the private sector who distinguished themselves in their professions or fields of specialization
- The Board shall appoint two (2) prominent citizens selected from a list of at least five (5) qualified persons in the Province of Tarlac, based on standards and qualifications set by the Board, as recommended by a search committee constituted by the President of TSU in consultation with the Chairperson of CHED and other Board members.
- The two (2) prominent citizens appointed serve for a term of two (2) years from the date of appointment.
- The membership of the:
- President of the federation of faculty associations,
- President of the federation of student councils,
- President of the federation of alumni associations, and
- Representative of the nonteaching personnel
is coterminous with their terms of office under their constitutions and bylaws.
Board powers, duties, and financial rules
- The Board has powers of administration and the powers granted to board of directors of a corporation under existing laws, and it also has the following specific powers and duties:
- (a) Promulgate and implement policies aligned with Constitutional education policies, agriculture, science and technology, CHED policies, standards and thrusts under Republic Act No. 7722, and TESDA policies under Republic Act No. 7796.
- (b) Approve curricula, instructional programs, and student discipline rules drawn by the Administrative and Academic Councils.
- (c) Appoint, upon the recommendation of the President of TSU, the vice presidents, deans, directors, heads of campuses, faculty members, and other officials and employees.
- (d) Fix and adjust salaries of faculty and administrative officials/employees, subject to the Revised Compensation and Position Classification System and other budget and compensation laws; grant leaves of absence under Board regulations; and remove for cause with due process of law.
- (e) Fix and adjust tuition fees and other school charges (matriculation fees, graduation fees, laboratory fees) after due consultation with concerned sectors.
- Tuition fees and other charges, including government subsidies and other TSU income, constitute special trust funds deposited in any authorized government depository bank; accrued interests form part of the same funds for TSU use.
- TSU retains income generated from tuition fees and other charges, and from operations of auxiliary services and land grants, and the Board may disburse such income for instruction, research, extension services, or other TSU programs and projects.
- Fiduciary fees must be disbursed only for the specific purposes for which collected.
- If TSU cannot pursue a project funded under its approved program of expenditures for reasons beyond its control, the Board may authorize use of those funds for any reasonable purpose necessary and urgent to attain TSU objectives and goals.
- The Board must adopt and implement a socialized scheme of tuition and other school fees for greater access of poor but deserving students in accordance with Republic Act No. 10931.
- The Board shall establish professional chairs, provide fellowships for qualified faculty members, and grant scholarships to deserving students.
- The Board shall receive and appropriate all sums for TSU support in the manner it determines to carry out TSU purposes and functions.
- The Board shall set policies on admission and graduation.
- The Board may award honorary degrees for outstanding contribution in education, public service, arts, science and technology, agriculture, or any field of specialization within TSU academic competency, and it may authorize certificates of completion of nondegree and nontraditional courses.
- The Board shall establish research and extension centers.
- The Board shall develop academic arrangements for institutional capability building with appropriate institutions/agencies, public/private, local/foreign, and appoint experts/specialists as consultants, part-time or visiting/exchange professors, scholars, or researchers.
- The Board shall adopt modern knowledge-transmission modes such as information technology, dual training system, open distance learning, and community laboratory.
- The Board may collaborate with governing boards of other colleges within the Province of Tarlac and Region III under CHED supervision and in consultation with DBM, to restructure TSU to be more efficient, relevant, productive, and competitive.
- The Board may absorb non-chartered tertiary institutions within the Province of Tarlac and Region III as branches, extension, or external centers in coordination with CHED and in consultation with DBM, and offer programs/courses to fulfill the constitutional mandate of equal access to educational opportunities.
- The Board shall authorize an external management audit of TSU financed by CHED, subject to Commission on Audit rules, and shall institute reforms including academic and structural changes based on audit results and recommendations.
- The Board shall develop consortia and economic forms of linkages with LGUs, and with public/private/local/foreign institutions and agencies, to further TSU purposes.
- The Board may import economic, technical, and cultural books and publications.
- The Board may enter into joint ventures with business and industry for profitable development and management of economic assets, with proceeds used for TSU development and strengthening.
- The Board may receive in trust legacies, gifts, and donations of real and personal properties and administer and dispose them for TSU benefit subject to donor limitations/directions if any.
- The Board may extend the term of the TSU President beyond the age of retirement, but not beyond seventy (70), based on Board guidelines/qualifications/standards, provided the President’s performance is rated outstanding and the search committee makes a unanimous recommendation.
- The Board may delegate any of its powers and duties to the President and other TSU officials to expedite TSU administration.
- The Board shall establish policy guidelines and procedures for participative decision-making and transparency.
- The Board may privatize management of nonacademic services such as health, food, building or grounds or property maintenance, and similar activities where privatization is most advantageous to TSU.
- The Board may authorize construction or repair of buildings, machinery, equipment, and other facilities, and purchase/acquisition of real property and necessary supplies/materials/equipment.
- The Board shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out TSU purposes and functions.
Board meetings and quorum rules
- The Board shall regularly convene once every three (3) months.
- The Chairperson may call a special meeting whenever necessary.
- Written notice of at least three (3) days before a special meeting is required to members.
- Quorum consists of the majority of all Board members holding office at the time of the meeting.
- The Chairperson of the Board or the President of TSU must be present for quorum.
- If the CHED Chairperson cannot attend, a duly designated CHED Commissioner representative has all rights and responsibilities of a regular member.
- During the meeting, the President of TSU, as Vice Chairperson, is the presiding officer.
- The CHED Chairperson may designate a CHED Commissioner as regular Chairperson of the Board; in that case, the CHED Commissioner acts as presiding officer.
- If the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education and the Chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education cannot attend, they may designate representatives with the same rights and responsibilities as regular members.
- Board members receive no salary, but they are entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred for attendance at Board meetings or other official business authorized by Board resolutions, subject to existing laws and regulations.
University President and key officers
- The TSU is headed by a President appointed by the Board subject to Board guidelines on qualifications and standards, based on the recommendation of a search committee constituted for selecting the President.
- The President serves full-time, for a term of four (4) years, and may be reappointed to another term.
- The appointment/reappointment structure does not adversely affect the term of the incumbent President.
- Within six (6) months before the expiration of the incumbent President’s term, the Board shall constitute the Search Committee for the Presidency.
- The President’s powers and duties include those usually pertaining to the office of university president and those delegated by the Board.
- The President’s salary must be in accordance with Republic Act No. 11466 (Salary Standardization Law of 2019) and amendatory laws, and must be comparable to salaries of presidents of similar educational institutions.
- Upon a vacancy in the President’s office due to death, compulsory retirement, resignation, removal for cause, or incapacity, the Board shall designate an Officer-in-Charge pending appointment of a new President.
- The Officer-in-Charge serves only during the unexpired portion of the term.
- The President is assisted by:
- a Vice President for Academic Affairs,
- a Vice President for Administration, and
- a Vice President for Research, Development and Extension,
all appointed by the Board upon the recommendation of the President.
Secretary, Treasurer, and councils
- The Board shall appoint a Secretary who serves for both the Board and TSU, keeps all records and proceedings of the Board, and provides each Board member with appropriate notice of Board meetings.
- The Treasurer of the Philippines serves as the ex officio Treasurer of TSU.
- An Administrative Council exists, chaired by the TSU President and composed of vice presidents, deans, directors, and other officials of equal rank; it reviews and recommends to the Board policies governing administration, management, and development planning of TSU.
- An Academic Council exists, composed of the TSU President (chairperson) and all academic staff with rank of at least an assistant.
- The Academic Council may review and recommend curricular offerings and student discipline rules, subject to Board approval.
- The Academic Council fixes admission requirements, graduation requirements, and requirements for conferment of degrees, subject to Board review and approval through the President.
- The Academic Council exercises disciplinary power over students of TSU and issues student discipline rules and regulations subject to Board approval.
Faculty rights and autonomy guarantees
- No political belief, gender preference, cultural or community affiliation, ethnic origin, or religious opinion or affiliation shall be a matter of inquiry in appointment of TSU faculty.
- Faculty appointments must follow Board-set guidelines, qualifications, and standards.
- No faculty member shall teach for or against any particular church or religious sect.
- TSU enjoys academic freedom and institutional autonomy pursuant to Paragraph 2, Section 5 of Article XIV of the Constitution.
Scholarships and student non-discrimination
- TSU shall provide scholarship and other affirmative action programs to assist poor but deserving students who qualify for admission.
- No student shall be denied admission to TSU by reason of gender, religion, cultural or community affiliation, physical disability, or ethnic origin.
Lending government equipment and personnel
- Upon request of the TSU President, heads of bureaus and offices of the national government shall loan or transfer to TSU needed apparatus, equipment, or supplies and may detail employees for duty in TSU if, in the head’s judgment, the items/service can be spared without serious detriment to public service.
- Detailed employees shall perform duties required by the TSU President.
- The time served by detailed employees counts as part of their regular service.
Transfer of assets, tenure protection, land ownership
- All TSU assets (real and personal), personnel, records, and liabilities or obligations are transferred to TSU, subject to protections for faculty and personnel positions, rights, and security of tenure employed under existing laws before conversion into a university.
- Incumbents retain their same status until the Board provides otherwise.
- TSU may upgrade or increase its human resource components as the Board deems appropriate.
- Parcels of land belonging to the government occupied by TSU are declared TSU property and must be titled under TSU’s name.
- If TSU ceases to exist or is abolished, or the parcels are no longer needed by TSU, the lands revert to the concerned LGU or to the Republic of the Philippines, as applicable.
Tax exemptions for imports and donations
- TSU importation of economic, technical, and cultural books or publications for economic, technical, vocational, specific, philosophical, historical or cultural purposes is exempt from customs duties upon CHED certification, in accordance with Republic Act No. 10863 (Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA)).
- Grants, bequests, endowments, donations, and contributions made to and used actually, directly and exclusively by TSU are exempt from donor’s tax, and are considered allowable deductions from the donor’s gross income under the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.
Reporting and governance rules
- The Board shall file, on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of the second (2nd) month after the opening of regular classes each year, a detailed report on TSU’s progress, condition, and needs:
- with the Office of the President of the Philippines through the CHED Chairperson, and
- with both Houses of Congress through the Chairperson of CHED.
- Republic Act No. 8292 forms an integral part of this Act and serves as part of TSU’s governing charter.
Transitory, appropriations, and implementation
- Upon effectivity, all TSU employees are retained in present positions, and no one is adversely affected by approval of amendments to the original charter.
- Funds necessary to carry out this Act must be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
- Within sixty (60) days from approval, the Board, in consultation with CHED, shall issue rules and regulations to fully implement the Act.
Separability, repeal, and effectivity timing
- If any part or provision of the Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts not affected remain in force and effect.
- Republic Act No. 6764, the “Tarlac State University Charter,” and all laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, and rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with this Act are amended, repealed, or modified accordingly.
- The Act takes effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
- The Act is April 11, 2022 and was lapsed into law on APR 11 2022 without the signature of the President, consistent with Article VI, Section 27 (1) of the Constitution.