51³Ô¹ÏÍø

51³Ô¹ÏÍø BOR holds 273rd meeting in Marawi, approves major 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT initiatives

by Office of the Campus Secretary  | Dec 09 2025

Key agenda items from 51³Ô¹ÏÍø (51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT), covering financial, academic, and administrative matters, were addressed during the 273rd meeting of the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Board of Regents (BOR) on December 9, 2025. In a surprising and notable decision, the Board chose to hold its en banc and sub-committee meetings at the mother campus in Marawi City.

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, who also chairs the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Board, attended the meeting via an online platform.

“Holding the meeting here at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-Marawi reflects the Board’s commitment to inclusivity and unity across the university system,” 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan said.

“It allows us to strengthen ties with the heart of our community and highlights the importance of collaborative governance in advancing our shared mission,” he added.

On academic matters, the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø BOR approved the promotion of 12 faculty members from various colleges of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT and the giving of final ranks to thirteen newly recruited faculty members. 

The Board also conferred the title of Professor Emeritus to retired Prof. Franco G. Teves from the Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics. 

Prof. Teves earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology/Molecular Genetics through a sandwich program between the University of the Philippines-Los Baños and Spain’s Universidad de León. He served as 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT’s Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs from 2018 to 2022 and was a longtime Director for Research.

To foster scholarly collaboration, the Board endorsed establishing a regular Faculty Research Hour, a department-led forum for presenting work-in-progress, discussing ideas, and encouraging informal academic dialogue. This initiative aims to cultivate a vibrant research culture where scholarly exchange becomes a valued university routine.

Further academic policies ratified include the renaming and scope realignment of the Asia Pacific Journal of Science, Mathematics, and Engineering to the Asia Pacific Journal of Engineering and Science. 

The Board also approved restructuring faculty workloads related to university-hosted journals, launching the CommunIITy F.E.A.S.T. food security program for students, adopting a new organizational staffing pattern for the Center for Advanced Education and Lifelong Learning, and endorsing 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT’s Research Integrity Framework to uphold ethical research conduct.

Another framework was endorsed by the Board to strengthen the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College of Law Extension campuses. The comprehensive system-wide framework authored by Chancellor Ditucalan responds to recommendations from the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) and addresses existing operational challenges faced by the College of Law’s extension campuses spread across Mindanao.

The Board also approved the following three major policy proposals:

1. 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT’s Policy on Establishing a Pre-Financing and Anticipatory Budgeting Mechanism for Externally Funded and Emergency-Responsive Programs, Projects, and Activities (PPAs);
   
2. 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT’s Comprehensive Policy on Toxic Substances, Hazardous and Biological Waste Management, and Third-Party Treatment; and
   
3. 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT’s Nature-Based Campus Greening and Climate Resiliency Program (NBCGCRP), superseding Board of Regents (BOR) Resolution No. 306, s. 2019 (Vehicle-Free Campus Policy).

In administration, the Board approved the creation of research and extension staff positions aligned with updated organizational standards, ratified various Memorandums of Agreement and Understanding with partner agencies, and confirmed special orders on academic and administrative affairs issued by the Office of the Chancellor.

Financial highlights included approval of budget utilization reports. Several locally-funded projects (LFPs) for fiscal year 2027 were also greenlit: rehabilitating instructional and academic facilities; infrastructure projects under the LUDIP; research and innovation initiatives; and various other academic projects. 

These comprehensive decisions strengthen 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-IIT’s institutional capacity in governance, research, infrastructure, and community service, positioning the university for sustainable growth and enhanced academic excellence in the years ahead.

The path to the Board’s approval started with the PAC meeting on December 4, followed by the Board’s Finance Committee session and Executive Committee meeting on December 5 and 8, respectively. All these preliminary meetings took place at the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø-Marawi campus.

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