USM-VPAF Reflects on a Decade of Accomplishments at Pag-uulat 2024

Dr. Eimer M. Estilloso, the Vice President for Administration and Finance (VPAF) of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) reported the breakthroughs and challenges faced by the General Administrative and Support Services (GASS) for ten years through the Pag-uulat 2024 on December 03, 2024, at the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) Psychosocial Research & Psychological Testing Center, USM, Kabacan, Cotabato.

In his report, he highlighted that for 10 years, the finance division has allocated ₱763,913,514.25 for the capital outlay under Fund 01, facilitating the implementation of seventy-eight (78) projects from 2014-2024. Out of the 78 projects, 2 are under the Advance Education, 6 from Research, 34 from Higher Education, and 36 projects from General Administration and Support Services-forming 46% of the totality of the implemented projects.

The VPAF also emphasized that the scope of GASS operations have widened through hiring of additional employees to assist in the delivery of academic and administrative services. Since 2014, a total of 244 original appointments, 662 promotions, and 534 reclassifications for our teaching personnel were processed while 230 original appointments and 224 promotions for the non-teaching personnel were facilitated.

Further, a segment of his report also involved the university’s initiative in driving to digital transformation with the goal of enhancing its operations.  These include the acquisition of interactive and LED television for document tracking, and announcements, laptops for faculty, and desktops for administrative, frontline services and for Flexible Learning Hub. Not only that, the new systems and tools for ease of entrance examination registration, enrolment, virtual learning, USM Voting System, Faculty Evaluation, and the Interactive Locator Map, to name a few. 

Moreover, also embedded in his report was the Prime-HRM Bronze Award for USM-HRM systems, as recognized by the CSC, the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, and the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) and USM being the only higher education institution in Region XII to receive the Internationalization Champion of Nation-building and Sustainability (ICONS) Awards in both 2022 and 2024. Additionally, he proudly reported that USM became one of only 20 State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) nationwide to achieve SUC Level IV status and have a high percentage of accredited programs as well as its transition to ISO 9001:2015 certification and achieving Philippine Quality Award (PQA) Level II for quality management. 

In the end, Vice President Estilloso assured to continue its support for digitalization of administrative and financial processes, research, development and extension initiative, innovative curriculum, teaching and learning, vigorous infrastructure development, enabling resource-generation projects, and need-based professional development programs.