𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐒 | TAU prexy delivers final SUA; plugs 2023-2024 feats

With his 14-year term as president of the Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU) nearing to end, Dr. Max P. Guillermo delivered his final State of the University Address (SUA) at the Gilberto O. Teodoro Multipurpose Center, on 10 May, as part of the Convocation Program in the 8th Charter Day celebration with the theme, "Growth and Transformation: A Celebration of Milestones and Breakthroughs".

Speaking before an audience composed of students, faculty members, non-teaching staff, alumni members, retirees, and other guests, Dr. Guillermo reiterated the message he's been giving the TAU community for years: “we're in this together.”

"I humbly present to you our collective accomplishments for these are the fruits of our toil. No one person can claim these achievements. Collaboration has always been the key factor in realizing our institutional goals," he said. "Without your individual contributions no matter how small you think they are, we would have not stood where we are today."

Dr. Guillermo's address highlighted the significant milestones and breakthroughs the University has achieved for the past two years from its fourfold mandates, namely instruction, research, extension, and production, declaring that these are a "testament of our commitment to making our shared future prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable."

Initially, he reported about the more than 7,000 students who were welcomed by the University in 2023 across all academic programs, 18 of which have undergone accreditations. He also revealed that TAU has fulfilled its research and community development objectives, as it continuously trained and capacitated thousands of beneficiaries for underserved and marginalized communities.  

"In our desire to forge more partnerships, we signed agreements with 23 institutions whom we have been working closely with to ramp up the advancement of our university flagship services and commodities," he added.

In addition, Dr. Guillermo also acknowledged TAU as it maintained its ranks among other academic institutions in the national and global arena of internationally recognized assessment systems such as the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, the World's Universities with Real Impact rankings (WURI), United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), UI Green Metric World University Rankings, and the ISO 9001:2015.

Dr. Guillermo also highlighted in his speech the various achievements seized by TAUians in licensure examinations and different local and national competitions, one of which is the TAU - College of Education (CEd) graduates who made the College as the country’s Top 8th Teacher Education Institution (TEI) among 1,366 colleges and universities in Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers 2023 after posting 93.42% passing percentage (98.51% for first-time takers) in the elementary level compared to the National passing rate of 47.01%, and scoring 85.37% passing rate in secondary level (93.94% for first-timers) compared to the National passing rate of 56.28%.

Bren Noah M. Nieto, TAU alumnus, was also recognized after emerging as one of the ten awardees in the Huwarang Mag-Aaral ng Gitnang Luzon last year. In addition, Mr. Nieto and Ms. Gertrude H. Mordeno were lauded as their research entitled “When the knife is not sharp enough: Phenomenologizing the Lived Experiences of Select Male Suicide Attempt Survivors During Covid-19 Pandemic” won the first prize in the Undergraduate Thesis competition of the 37th Psychological Association of the Philippine (PAPJA) National Convention.

Other student-achievers who were acknowledged in Dr. Guillermo's speech included those who received recognition in the regional and national sporting events, ASEAN STARS (Sustainable, Transcultural, and Advanced Regional Society) Gala, and TAU team members who competed in 14th National Forestry Olympiad.

The TAU President also proudly revealed that TAU is now one of only 23 esteemed Niche Centers in the Regions for Research and Development (NICER) Universities across the country, and three in Central Luzon region, chosen by the Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) to offer scholarships in 133 selected graduate programs in science and technology.

He also proudly reported the University's successful hosting of different regional and national sports competitions such as the SUC III Olympics, the Association of State Colleges and Universities-Solid North (ASCU-SN) Midyear Festival, and the 2023 National SCUAA Games.

"In terms of human resource development, we were able to renew the temporary contracts of 49 faculty members, promote two (2) staff members to temporary status, and designate eight (8) more as permanent instructors. Sixty-eight faculty positions were reclassified while 141 COS were renewed including 26 faculty members," Dr. Guillermo declared. 

"Also, HRMO administered the oath-taking ceremony of 74 newly promoted faculty members at the Student and Alumni Center Amphitheater, following the release of the initial batch of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Joint Circular No. 3, s. 2022 (JC 3) results," he added.

Meanwhile, he also noted the long-term commitment of his administration to building and retrofitting more climate-resilient, adaptive, and modern structures that reflect the priorities of the national government to accelerate spending to stimulate economic growth and improve the quality of life. 

"The University upgrades its facilities to better cater to its employees, students, and clients. From academic hubs to production areas and medical services, TAU takes pride in bringing world-class infrastructure to its stakeholders- the public," he declared.

Before ending his last address, the longest-serving SUC president in the Philippines expressed his gratitude to the entire TAU community. 

"Now that I’m at the end of my term, I’m joyful and reminiscent of the years I spent as your president. Allow me to thank everyone who shared time and resources in this journey," he said.

As Dr. Guillermo passes the torch to his successor, he remains optimistic. "I fervently pray that the next TAU president will build upon whatever little accomplishments we have attained and will sincerely work in the interests of all TAUians much so for the greater glory of our Alma Mater."

The outgoing president drew a standing ovation at the conclusion of his final talk and was greeted with hugs and congratulatory handshakes as he stepped down the stage - a showing of gratitude for what he has done for the University and its stakeholders from the many diverse communities it serves and beyond.

#TAU #GreenandGlobal #8thCharterDay #StateoftheUniversityAddress

Article | Information Unit 

Photos | Planning and Development Office