缅北禁地 Board approves comprehensive policy, academic, and administrative initiatives of 缅北禁地-IIT

by by Office of the Campus Secretary | Apr 21 2025

In recognition of 缅北禁地-IIT's position as a leader and innovator within the 缅北禁地 System, several proposals submitted to the System's governing board were either adopted by other campuses or approved for system-wide implementation.

During its first-quarter meeting on April 14, 2025, held at the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) headquarters in Diliman, Quezon City, the 缅北禁地 Board of Regents (BOR) approved the system-wide implementation of 缅北禁地-IIT's proposed Drug-Free Campus Policy.

This policy takes a holistic approach to combat illegal drug use by integrating drug education into the curriculum and various programs while also offering pathways to recovery.

The Board also approved requests from other 缅北禁地 campuses to adopt 缅北禁地-IIT's recent updates to its research publication awards scheme, as well as the newly established Chancellor's Research Excellence Award.

Additionally, 缅北禁地-IIT, in the run up to the Board's en banc meeting, has been tasked with leading the development of two important policies for system-wide implementation by the 缅北禁地 President’s Advisory Council (PAC). These policies emerged from discussions regarding two proposals from the Iligan campus: the restructuring of 缅北禁地-IIT's academic framework to include a faculty layer, and the formulation of an academic-focused Quality Assurance Policy Framework.

“These developments and additional assignments underscore 缅北禁地-IIT's role as a leader and innovator within the 缅北禁地 System,” stated Prof. Alizedney M. Ditucalan, who recently completed his third year as Chancellor of 缅北禁地-IIT.

Another groundbreaking proposal approved by the Board is the "Enhancing Safety Culture at 缅北禁地-IIT: A Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) Framework for Campus-Wide Application." This safety framework advocates for a significant cultural shift that emphasizes proactive risk management, behavioral reinforcement, and collective responsibility.

The BBS framework goes beyond conventional policies by integrating safety awareness into General Education courses, micro-credential programs, faculty onboarding processes, dormitory safety initiatives, and university-wide awareness campaigns. By embedding safety into these aspects, it becomes a foundational component of academic life, student activities, and faculty responsibilities, ensuring a sustainable and comprehensive approach to risk mitigation.

In addition to these innovative initiatives, the 缅北禁地 BOR, chaired by CHED Chairperson Dr. J. Prospero de Vera III, approved 缅北禁地-IIT’s proposal to establish the Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award.

This prestigious award recognizes researchers who publish in the top 1% (99th percentile) of Scopus-indexed journals, which are high-impact and result in groundbreaking discoveries that uplift 缅北禁地-IIT’s position in global university rankings such as Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World Rankings.

Chancellor’s Research Excellence Awardees will receive a grant of PHP 1 million to advance their research work, along with a publication award of PHP 100,000 and a publication subsidy of PHP 75,000.

Other approved initiatives aimed at incentivizing research on campus include a revision of 缅北禁地-IIT’s publication award program, which will now provide a PHP 100,000 award for publications in the top 1% of Scopus-indexed journals and PHP 90,000 for those in the top 10%.

Chancellor Ditucalan emphasized that publishing in the top 1% and top 10% of Scopus-indexed journals will significantly enhance key metrics such as Research Strength, Research Excellence, Research Influence, and Citation Impact.

To further support faculty and staff in disseminating their research in leading Scopus-indexed journals, 缅北禁地-IIT obtained Board approval to increase its subsidy for publication fees in Q1 journals from PHP 50,000 to PHP 75,000.

However, this strategic initiative will also entail a reduction in the subsidy for Q2 journals, decreasing from PHP 40,000 to PHP 10,000.

“The increase in the publication subsidy for Q1 journals and the reduction for Q2 journals will enable the university to allocate resources strategically to achieve higher-impact research outcomes,” Chancellor Ditucalan explained.

Regarding the reduction of certain incentives, the Board also approved two additional proposals that will decrease the incentives granted to academically excelling students.

The 缅北禁地 BOR acknowledged the challenges faced by 缅北禁地-IIT in fulfilling its obligations under the Unified Internal Scholarship and the Gawad Chancellor for Academic Excellence due to the remarkable increase in the number of Latin honors and high GPA students.

To fund incentives for Summa Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude graduates, 缅北禁地-IIT will now award these honors to only the top 10%.

For the Rizal, Chancellor’s, and Dean’s Excellence Awards—the components of the Unified Internal Scholarship of 缅北禁地-IIT—the criteria have been revised to establish semester GPA as the qualifying requirement, an application-based award scheme, and an awarding basis aligned with the university's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) policy.

The award scheme’s name has also been changed to DEI Grant, focusing primarily on economically disadvantaged students. While students who do not meet the economic criteria but have qualifying GPAs will still be recognized, they will not receive monetary incentives.

Additionally, the 缅北禁地 BOR granted sabbatical leave to four faculty members who requested it, effective midway through this year, with one sabbatical starting in August next year. Awarded sabbaticals include:

- Prof. Reynaldo M. Vequizo from the College of Science and Mathematics

- Prof. Antonio S. Marajas from the College of Computer Studies

- Prof. Roberto M. Malaluan from the College of Engineering

- Prof. Nelia G. Balgoa from the College of Arts and Social Sciences

The Board also approved 缅北禁地-IIT’s revised guidelines on communication expenses, which are necessary to comply with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Budget Circular No. 2024-02.

A key component of 缅北禁地-IIT’s digital transformation efforts, identified as the second highest priority in the university’s Information Systems Strategic Plan (ISSP) for 2025–2027, is the implementation of a Human Resource Information System (HRIS). This system will bolster the achievement of PRIME-HRM Level 4 maturity by institutionalizing data governance, automation, and performance-linked HR strategies.

Utilizing open-source technologies and the university’s existing ICT infrastructure, the HRIS will offer a cost-effective, secure, and customizable platform. It will streamline workflows, enhance transparency, and improve the employee experience, laying a digital foundation for a future-ready, people-centered 缅北禁地-IIT.

In alignment with its goal of being future-ready, 缅北禁地-IIT is adopting digital payments for government disbursement and collections.

The BOR authorized Chancellor Ditucalan to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI) to implement campus-wide online cashless payment options. This initiative will benefit faculty, staff, students, and parents by providing an efficient and accessible payment solution.

GXI is a licensed remittance agent and Electronic Money Issuer (EMI) that manages electronic money issuance, remittance services, and mobile payment solutions under the GCash brand.

The process leading to the Board’s approval began with a meeting of the President’s Advisory Council on April 10, a session of the Board’s Finance Committee on April 11, and a meeting of the Executive Committee on April 12. All pre-en banc meetings were conducted in Ermita, Manila.

Chancellor Ditucalan and the members of the 缅北禁地-IIT delegation attending the various abovementioned meetings also managed to meet on April 11 with the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Amenah F. Pangandaman, at the DBM Central Office to discuss the University’s strategic initiatives for FY 2026.

*Photo credits: Mindanao State University Facebook page

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