IIT | Quality Education for a better Mindanao

The Chancellor's 2007 Report

Marcelo P. Salazar, D.M. Former Chancellor

» Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance's 2007 Report

Relentless in its efforts to be a world-renowned HEI both for excellence in science and technology and for its commitment to the holistic development of the individual and society, MSU-IIT has once again proven that it is going in the right direction. The year 2007 saw the Institute quite successful in protecting its gains and at the same time bringing the Institute to newer and greater heights in academics, research and extension, administration and finance, as well as in income generation.

The Institute was able to sustain its Centers of Excellence, Centers of Development and its being the Zonal Research Center for Regions IX, XII and ARMM. It continued, as well, to be DOST’s ICT Learning Hub for Northern Mindanao and Virtual Center for Technology Innovation, the National Computer Center’s Training Arm in Mindanao and HARIBON’s Academic Center of Excellence in Biodiversity.  Four out of the seven colleges in the Institute had its academic programs granted 2nd Level re-accreditation by the AACCUP.  

In June 2007, four new programs started to be offered, including Doctor of Engineering, which readily drew 15 students. The average enrollment in all levels for the first and second semesters posted at 10, 233, showing an increase of about 10% from the previous year’s 9, 274.  Furthermore, compared to the 1,275 graduates in 2006-07, there were 1, 364 in 2007-08, which means an increase of about 7%.  The Institute’s engineering graduates continued to emerge as topnotchers in the PRC board exams, with four of them garnering 1st, 2nd, 6th and 10th places, respectively.  The Institute was in fact declared Top Performing School in the May 2007 Civil Engineering Licensure Exam, then in the October 2007 Mechanical Engineering Exam, and again in the November 2007 Electronics and Communications Engineering Licensure Exam.  It likewise figured prominently in the Licensure Exam for Teachers earning for the MSU-IIT the title Top Performing School in Secondary Teachers Education in 2007.

In several competitions where they participated, both national and international, our students also garnered top awards and distinctions, e.g.1st in the 6th National Bridge Building Competition for Civil Engineering, 1st place in the 4th Siemens PLC Programming Contest and in the 2007 National Mechatronics Skills Competition for Industrial Automation, 3rd place in the Search for Outstanding Accounting Students of the Philippines for Accountancy and 3rd place in the 2007 International Junior High School Math Olympiad held in China for our High School Math.                         

As to the faculty, MSU-IIT remained to have one of the best in the country, as proven by their outstanding achievements in their fields of expertise.  One, Dr. Ephraim Metillo, was named Outstanding Young Scientist (OYS) in the field of Zoology.   A total of 64 papers and 32 posters made by our faculty were presented in national and international fora, many of which won for them Best Poster, Best Paper and Best Research Paper awards. A number also served as resource speakers in various regional, national and even international trainings, conferences and seminars.

To sustain an excellent faculty force, the Institute maintained a strong academic personnel development program. As of 2007, there were about 41 grantees with internal or external scholarships and either starting or finishing their advanced studies in the Institute, as well as in other reputable national and international HEIs like UP, ADMU, and DLSU in the Philippines, Niigata U, Nagoya IT and Osaka U in Japan, and U of Virginia in the USA.  A total of seven faculty members returned from their studies to resume their teaching duties, 6 of them armed with their PhDs (4 earned from Japan and 2 from the Institute) and one with a master’s degree from UP.

Performance in research and extension reflected the continuing efforts to cultivate a culture of research and to have impact in the development of the community. The year 2007 saw a more vibrant research environment with a total of 65 researches, out which 17 were completed, 39 on going and 9 newly started. A total of 6 big studies were externally funded.  Research results and papers delivered by faculty members in national and international fora were published in journals and monographs for wide dissemination.  There were a total of 113 different extension projects conducted by the different schools and colleges, as well as by the Department of Extension, in communities not only in Iligan City but also in the province of Lanao del Norte.  Among these were the CAP 2015 project funded by UNDP in collaboration with PATTLEPAM and IIT on Seaweed Production Technology Training and the Community-based Bio-energy Plantation and Municipal Bio-fuel Plant Project, both in Lanao del Norte. 

ICT improvements continued to be a priority. Contract with INNOVE as the provider of two full E1 (2x2.048 Mbps) Internet gateway was renewed to optimize bandwidth utilization and improve the average latency and speed of the internet access to less than 200 millisecond. On top of this, MSU-IIT,  became the first wireless campus in Mindanao with several WiFi spots to the advantage of our students and faculty. Also, in an effort to minimize power consumption, all the new PCs acquired during the year were already with LCD monitors.         

Managing the financial resources of the Institute remained to be participatory and transparent. Two structures which are very much in place allowed these to happen – the Fiscal Planning Board and the Financial Management Information System.  Institute constituents were aware that last year our GAA funds amounted to Php306,105,000.00, which compared to the other year’s Php291,276,000.00 had an increase of Php14,829,000.00 constituting 5%. The increase accounted for the 10% across the board salary increase of government employees and the increase in the MOOE allocation as a result of the Institute’s having academic programs that are recognized as Centers of Excellence and granted top-level AACCUP accreditation.  The Institute’s income increased from P43.941M to P57.545M, which was a feat in itself. 

Our success in human resource management could be best seen by our being declared finalist in the 2007 Kapatiran sa Industriya Award by the Employees Confederation of the Philippines. Worth noting is the fact that MSU-IIT was the only SUC, or for that matter the only public institution, to have been so recognized. This could perhaps be the best testimony that “industrial peace” reigned in IIT.