STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS

Dr. Luis María R. Calingo, University President

June 3, 2016

Good morning, and welcome to a new academic year at Holy Angel University! Welcome in

particular to our new faculty and staff, led by our new Vice President for Academic Affairs and

Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Dr. Alma S. Espartinez who comes to us from St.

Scholastica’s College—Manila. Today, we begin a tradition of the University President

delivering a State of the University Address to the General Assembly of faculty, staff, student

leaders, alumni representatives, and other stakeholders.

Like many of you, I have spent much of my summer catching up on backlogs, albeit

unsuccessfully, and a good part of my summer reading, reflecting on the past year, and planning

for the year ahead.

This summer, I read the latest book, entitled Accelerate, by the Harvard Business School’s expert

on organizational change, Professor John Kotter [Slide 1]. In his book, he explains how

traditional organizational hierarchies have evolved to meet the daily demands of running an

organization. For most organizations including Holy Angel, the hierarchy is the singular

operating system at the heart of the enterprise. However, the reality is that this system is not

built for an environment where change has become the norm. His advice is a new system—a

second, more agile, network-like structure that operates in concert with the hierarchy to create

what he calls a “dual operating system.” Such a dual operating system allows organizations to

capitalize on rapid-fire strategic challenges and still meet their goals. Exactly what Holy Angel

needs, in my opinion!

SY 2015/16 in Review

Before I share with you the plans for this academic year, please join me in reflecting on the

highlights of the past academic year.

Three Guiding Premises

The first six months of my presidency focused on building our three guiding premises for the

next five years. Following the lead of the eight presidents before me, we articulated our vision,

mission, and values into a new VMG or mission statement – our first and foundational guiding

premise [Slide 2] – approved by the Board of Trustees at its meeting of December 3, 2015. This

new VMG is the work product of a process that included a multi-stakeholder workshop at the

Oasis on September 4, 2015. We now recite and rededicate ourselves to the new mission

statement during our Monday morning flag ceremonies. “We, the academic community of Holy

Angel University, declare ourselves to be a Catholic University. We dedicate ourselves to our

core purpose, which is to provide accessible quality education that transforms students into

persons of conscience, competence, and compassion. We commit ourselves to our vision of the

University as a role-model catalyst for countryside development and one of the most influential,

best-managed Catholic universities in the Asia-Pacific region. We will be guided by our core

values of Christ-centeredness, integrity, excellence, community, and societal responsibility. All

these we shall do for the greater glory of God. LAUS DEO SEMPER!”

The second guiding premise is the operationalization of our mission statement into institutional

learning outcomes, a core values blueprint, and four strategic objectives. The Management Staff,

under the guidance of the Quality Assurance Office and the Academic Affairs Office, translated

into seven institutional-level student learning outcomes our core purpose of providing accessible

quality education that transforms students into persons of conscience, competence, and

compassion. Approved by the Board of Trustees at its December 2015 meeting, these seven

institutional-level student learning outcomes are Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking,

Applied and Collaborative Learning, Aesthetic Engagement, ICT Literacy, Civic and Global

Learning, and Valuing and Ethical Reasoning [Slide 3]. Academic units have been charged to

review their respective VMGO and program student learning outcomes to align them with the

institutional-level statements.

The second guiding premise included the translation of our core values of Christ-centeredness,

integrity, excellence, community, and societal responsibility into a Core Values Blueprint [Slide

4]. The Institute for Christian Formation and Social Integration led a process of identifying a set

of desired behaviors that demonstrate examples of how each of us might behave in accordance

with our core values. Among your leaders’ most important challenges this year is to deploy this

Core Values Blueprint throughout the university in order that we authentically live our mission

and values.

The second guiding premise also included taking the first step to putting into action our vision to

become a role-model catalyst for countryside development and one of the most influential, best-

managed Catholic universities in the Asia-Pacific region. We have done this by translating our

long-term vision into four strategic objectives for the medium term. These strategic objectives

are achieving academic quality and organizational excellence, an authentic instrument for

countryside development, a great university to work for, and a role model for Catholic mission

and identity. The plans of all our clusters and organizational units are aligned to these four

strategic objectives. To track our university’s progress in accomplishing these four strategic

objectives, we have identified a total of 24 performance measures that comprise our institutional-

level Balanced Scorecard [Slide 5].

During my first academic assembly around this time last year and also at my investiture earlier

this year, I articulated my philosophy of leadership. Many of you have heard for the first time

the metaphor for the journey that Holy Angel would be undertaking under my guidance as your

servant leader. We are climbing Mount Everest [Slide 6] … yes, Mount Everest, neither Mount

Arayat nor Mount Pinatubo! The third guiding premise is the translation of my philosophy of

leadership into a leadership system and into an accompanying approach to continuous

improvement.

The Leadership System outlines my expectations of the role that the leaders of this university, at

all levels, play [Slide 7]. All members of the Management Staff, by virtue of their being

members of the leadership team, have five shared roles: set direction, give everybody their part,

perform to plan, thank the people who made it happen, and learn and improve. All members of

the Management Staff have five shared expected behaviors: be role models, empower teams,

analyze performance, motivate employees, and continuously improve. These comprise the

accountabilities of every administrator not only to the University President but also to the

colleagues who they serve. We ended the year with a self-assessment of the President’s Council

to determine our strengths and opportunities for improvement.

Accompanying the Leadership System is our Continuous Improvement Cycle [Slide 8]. I have

inherited rather well developed processes for strategic planning, deployment of strategic plans

into annual unit plans, and translation of these plans into individual goal commitments. This

diagram illustrates a graphic model of those processes. This Continuous Improvement Cycle

needs to be ingrained in the operating system of every cluster and organizational unit at Holy

Angel. The world around us is changing. We cannot rest on our laurels. We need to keep on

improving and innovating not only because we need to be competitive but more importantly

because our good work manifests our love of God who is the source of all our gifts and talents.

We express our love of God not only by giving Him the worship which is His due, but

embracing Him in every aspect of our life, and our love of God should have many

manifestations. We love God through doing our work well, through faithfully fulfilling our

duties towards our family, our work, and society. The ultimate aim of all of our actions, even

those that can seem most ordinary: whether you teach, you clean the campus, record our

financial transactions, or serve others in different ways, do all to the glory of God. This is the

rectitude of intention that should characterize our actions.

In summary, the three guiding premises that we developed last year include: first, our VMGO

statement; second, its translation into student learning outcomes, core values blueprint, strategic

objectives, and balanced scorecard; and third, our leadership philosophy and its accompanying

continuous improvement cycle.

Highlights of SY 2015/16 Accomplishments

What have we accomplished during this past year? Please allow me to summarize these

accomplishments in terms of the highlights of what we have achieved in each of our four

strategic objectives (SOs).

SO1: Academic Quality and Organizational Excellence

In the strategic objective of Academic Quality and Organizational Excellence, let me start with

our Board passing rates. HAU graduates’ average passing rates have had favorable performance

levels (passing rates exceeding the national average) in all professional licensure examinations.

Over the past three-year period when all HAU degree programs had Board passers, all

performance levels have had general improvement trends, with nearly all of them sustained and

demonstrating very good relative performance, with a few indicating education sector and

benchmark leadership. Please allow me to share with you the historical trend for three of our

mature degree programs--Accountancy, Electronics Engineering, and Elementary Education—

which comprise about 40 percent of our college student population in Board programs [Slide 9].

In all three, you will see that our students have performed beyond the 75th

percentile or the top

quartile of all examinees nationwide and have actually reached or exceeded the 90th

percentile or

top decile. If these performance records do not qualify for Center of Excellence designation, I do

not know what will.

One of the measures of organizational excellence is the satisfaction of our students in the

educational programs and services that we offer. Last year, we developed, tested, and

administered for the first time our HAU Student Satisfaction Survey. The results show that our

students are more satisfied than less satisfied in the 13 areas of evaluation. Compared to

potential benchmarks, Admission and Selection Effectiveness (thanks to our colleagues in the

Registrar’s Office) and Safety and Security (thank to our colleagues in the Campus Services and

Development Office) are two areas in which we have performed particularly well. The results

also show the three most significant areas for improvement: Campus Support Services, Student

Centeredness, and Registration and Enrollment Effectiveness. I would like to add that, within

the area of Campus Support Services, our students have been most satisfied with the Library

(thanks to all our librarians).

But our crowning achievement in the strategic objective of Academic Quality and Organizational

Excellence is that, a few weeks ago, the Commission on Higher Education conferred its highest

award of distinction – Autonomous Status – to Holy Angel University [Slide 10]. Only 59 of the

country’s 1,643 private higher education institutions enjoy this seal of academic quality, and this

is the outcome of your collective hard work. Further, CHED has identified our university as one

of 139 delivering higher education institutions for its faculty development programs during the

K-12 transition.

SO2: Authentic Instrument for Countryside Development

In the strategic objective of Authentic Instrument for Countryside Development, CHED recently

conferred Center of Development (COD) status for Teacher Education, Business Administration,

and Industrial Engineering. I regret that a few programs lost COD status and that our new COD

applications were not accepted. The respective college deans and program chairs have been

challenged to renew their bids in the next solicitation round and they know what to do to achieve

COD or Center of Excellence (COE) status. The deans are aware of my expectation that, at the

next solicitation cycle, all CODs, past and present, will become COEs and all other eligible

degree programs for COD status will become our new CODs. The deans are also aware of

commitment at the highest institutional levels to provide the resources to achieve these quality

levels.

Our university is a servant of society and, in particular, the Central Luzon region. We are

applying for patent protection of two technologies – the foam shredder and the bamboo splitter –

that our STEM faculty colleagues have invented.

As our contribution to the implementation of the Philippine Basic Education Reform, we have

launched the Senior High School Program. The development of HAU’s Senior High School

demonstrates how the integrated implementation of systematic, data-driven approaches involving

key stakeholders – Basic Education, College Deans, Information Technology, Registrar,

Business Office, and industry partners – results in enrollment performance that exceeds our

target. As a result of our planning approaches, we generated 2,857 applications for admission to

1,600 Grade 11 slots and started making admission offers last January. After examining our

capacity constraints, we increased the Grade 11 student enrollment limit to 1,800. After

examining past yield data, we extended admission offers to 1,989 (with required nonrefundable

tuition deposits) and expect to enroll between 1,600 and 1,800 Grade 11 students. We completed

the recruitment and training of more than 40 Senior High School teachers well ahead of

DEPED’s own schedule.

SO3: Great University to Work For

In the strategic objective of Great University to Work, my first presidential action during my

second week in office was to resolve our dispute with the Union and that was finalized last

September.

An early recent review of the employee benefits plan led to the introduction of the Doctoral

Forgivable Loan Program wherein faculty members admitted to doctoral degree programs in

fields not covered by CHED funding may receive university loans, which are forgiven at the rate

of 20% per year of service upon completion of doctoral studies.

Earlier this year, we participated in the Great Colleges to Work For Survey of the US-based

Chronicle of Higher Education, which was administered by ModernThink. Half of you

participated in this survey. The results indicate that HAU scores compare very favorably with

those of US Catholic colleges, US colleges with comparable missions and sizes, and the colleges

on the 2015 Honor Roll of the US Great Colleges to Work For. We rated highest in terms of

Pride in the Institution. The survey found that faculty satisfaction by college is significantly

correlated with student satisfaction by college, providing evidence to the dictum that satisfied

and engaged faculty lead to satisfied students. The survey also indicates four major

opportunities for improvement, which are the dimensions in which HAU has not met or

exceeded the 2015 Honor Roll: teaching environment; compensation, benefits, and work-life

balance; communication; and fairness. Your leadership team will address these gaps this year.

The survey administration also unearthed one inherent problem in our workplace: not every

employee has an email address and some who do have do not use them. We will also address

this barrier to effective communication within the university.

But our crowning achievement last year in the strategic objective of Great University to Work

For is our successful conclusion of a Collective Bargaining Agreement to the year 2019 during

the first day of negotiation with the Holy Angel University Teachers and Employees Union

(HAUTEU). Please allow me to thank the two negotiating panels, headed by University

Registrar Jesus Panlilio and HAUTEU President Veronica Pangilinan for a job well done. The

CBA will be remembered for introducing a “first” in the Philippines. It is the employee

Catastrophic Leave Donation Program where an employee who accrues vacation or sick leave

credits may voluntarily donate either of those credits to any other employee, if the recipient

employee has exhausted all accrued leave credits, that is, sick leave and vacation leave due to a

catastrophic illness or injury. If we are to transform our students into persons of compassion, we

should be visible models of the change we would like to be.

SO4: Catholic Mission and Identity

In the strategic objective of Catholic Mission and Identity, as of this morning, Holy Angel

University is a Catholic college recommended by the Cardinal Newman Society for its visible

commitment to faithful Catholic education [Slide 11]. HAU is the largest Newman-

recommended college and is the only one in the Asia-Pacific region. The Society president, in

his site visit last January, was impressed not only by the fidelity of our Christian Living

Education faculty to Catholic teaching but also the infusion of visible signs of our faith on

campus and in the decorum of our students and employees. He added that the University nicely

integrates the local Catholic fervency—including public prayer, processions and presentations of

the life of Christ—with a commitment to preserving the native Kapampangan culture, all within

an American-style institution. We may now use this logo in all our publications [Slide 12].

Key Organizational Changes

As we begin a new academic year, please allow me to announce two important organizational

changes. First, the Board of Trustees has authorized the creation of a new cluster, the Office of

Institutional Effectiveness. This new office will be the umbrella organization for accreditation,

quality assurance—in both academic and nonacademic areas, institutional research and planning,

and the development of an institutional database for quality and accreditation maintenance. Dr.

Jim Cortez assumed his new position as vice president for institutional effectiveness last June 1.

The second organizational change is the phased implementation of vertical articulation in our

academic units. The College of Arts, Sciences, and Education is now split into the School of

Arts and Sciences headed by Dean Marga Carreon and the School of Education headed by Dean

Benita Bonus. The College of Business and Accountancy is now the School of Business and

Accountancy headed by Dean Joan Reyes. What is the difference between a college dean and a

school dean? A school dean is a dean who oversees both undergraduate and graduate programs,

while a college dean is a dean of an undergraduate college. Over time, all our colleges and

graduate schools will undergo a metamorphosis into schools, and the Graduate Studies Office

will cease to exist.

Goals for SY 2016/17 and Beyond

Let me now address the goals for this academic year 2016/17.

SO1: Academic Quality and Organizational Excellence

For the strategic objective of Academic Quality and Organizational Excellence, we will seek to

achieve the following by May 31, 2017:

Accreditation of the School of Business and Accountancy renewed by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), as a result of a memorable site visit

next month

Philippine Quality Award (PQA) Level 1 or 2 recognition, as a result of an equally memorable site visit this September

Level 3 accreditation granted by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU), as a result of a clean Level 2 visit this September

Level 1 initial accreditation for our graduate programs granted by the Philippine Association

of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCUA)

Initial accreditation of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA)

Gap analysis for international accreditation in other colleges completed

Reduction of the two most significant gaps in student satisfaction: Campus Support Services, Student Centeredness, and Registration and Enrollment Effectiveness

Resumption of our pursuit of ISO 9001 certification as a driver for improving processes.

If we succeed in the above, we significantly increase the likelihood of our achieving the

following vision for this strategic objective in 2020:

Institutional Accreditation and PAASCU Level 4 accreditation for most of our undergraduate programs

PACUCOA Level 2 accreditation for architecture and graduate programs

PQA Level 3 or 4 recognition

International accreditation in six schools: Business and Accountancy, Criminal Justice Education and Forensics, Engineering and Architecture, Hospitality and Tourism

Management, Information and Communications Technology, and Nursing and Applied

Medical Sciences

ISO Integrated Management Systems certification of our processes.

SO2: Authentic Instrument for Countryside Development

For the strategic objective of Authentic Instrument for Countryside Development, we will seek to

achieve the following by May 31, 2017:

Accountancy program prepared for Center of Development (COD) or Center of Excellence (COE) status

COD reapplications for Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology,

Hotel and Restaurant Management, and AB Communication prepared

Initial COD applications for Aeronautical Engineering, Criminology, and Architecture prepared for submission upon eligibility

Framework and design of HAU’s first online degree program prepared

New degrees programs for launching in SY 2018-19 identified

Strategic Academic Plan and Campus Master Plan for HAU’s additional site in Ayala

Alviera (a 2-year process) commenced

Patents for inventions secured.

If we succeed in the above, we significantly increase the likelihood of our achieving the

following vision for this strategic objective in 2020:

Seven COEs (Teacher Education, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Criminology, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and

Accountancy)

Five CODs (Information Technology, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Architecture, and

AB Communication)

Small business accelerator or incubator for the commercialization of appropriate technologies developed by faculty

Initial set of HAU’s educational programs thriving in Ayala Alviera [Slide 13].

SO3: Great University to Work For

For the strategic objective of Great University to Work For, we will seek to achieve the

following by May 31, 2017:

A thriving Labor Management Council that meets ever month not only to resolve emerging disputes but, more importantly, to brainstorm on actions that will create a truly engaged

workforce leading to a great university to work for

Implemented action plans for improvement in the areas of communication; fairness;

compensation, benefits, and work-life balance; and supervisor-employee relations

Achieved Investors in People accreditation at the Bronze level (or equivalent).

If we succeed in the above, we significantly increase the likelihood of our achieving the

following vision for this strategic objective in 2020:

Collective Bargaining Agreement starting 2019 signed

Results in the Modern Think’s Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey that meet or

exceed those of the 2019 Honor Roll of the Great Colleges to Work For of the Chronicle of

Higher Education

Achieved Investors in People accreditation at the Gold level (or equivalent)

Many private higher education institutions visiting HAU as a role-model benchmark of human resource development and management practices and outcomes.

SO4: Catholic Mission and Identity

For the strategic objective of Catholic Mission and Identity, we will seek to achieve the

following by May 31, 2017:

A thriving University Lecture Series on Catholic Mission and Identity that is attended not

only by HAU students and employees but by students and faculty from neighboring Catholic

schools

President’s Day converted into a Mission Day. In the morning of Friday, June 10, about 200 HAU employees will do community service in two sites: Santo Rosario Parish, Bulacus,

Masantol, Pampanga, and Gawad Kalinga in Sitio Santo Rosario, Santo Niño, Bamban,

Tarlac. An announcement will be forthcoming about how other employees might celebrate

Mission Day.

If we succeed in the above, we significantly increase the likelihood of our achieving the

following vision for this strategic objective in 2020:

HAU as an educational partner of choice of other Newman-recommended Catholic schools worldwide whose students plan to study abroad in the Philippines or Southeast Asia

A thriving program for developing educational leaders in Catholic schools committed to the implementation of Ex corde Ecclesiae (higher education) and Gravissimum Educationis

(basic education)

Many Catholic higher education institutions visiting HAU as a role-model benchmark in

defending and promoting faithful Catholic education.

In summary, if we succeed in meeting the stretch goals embodied in our plans for this year, these

are just some of the artifacts that we will see on campus that memorialize a successful 2016/17

school year [Slide 14].

Concluding Thoughts

In closing, I am reminded of one of the quotes attributed to the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. “All

great literature is one of two stories: a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.” Last

April, we set a new cohort of graduates off on their respective heroic quests. In the next two

weeks, a new crop of strangers—our new students, minus college freshmen—will start arriving

on campus. Let us begin their continuing quest to become persons of conscience, competence,

and compassion—all for the greater glory of God. Let us begin or reenergize their quest

together.

Laus Deo Semper!

Appendix – Presentation Slides

Slide 1 – Accelerate by John P. Kotter

VISION (BHAG)

To become a role-model catalyst for countryside development and one of the most influential, best-managed Catholic universities in the Asia Pacific region.

MISSION (CORE PURPOSE)

To offer accessible quality education that transforms students into persons of conscience, competence, and compassion. All these we shall do for the greater glory of God.

VALUES (CORE VALUES)

1. Christ-Centeredness. We strive to be witnesses of the person and example of Christ.

2. Integrity. We are fair, honest, and transparent in our personal and professional dealings.

3. Excellence. We produce outcomes with the greatest possible human competence. 4. Community. We animate the spirit of communion and solidarity. 5. Societal Responsibility. We work for economic efficiency, social justice, and

environmental stewardship.

Slide 2 – Mission, Vision, and Values

Slide 3 – Institutional-Level Student Learning Outcomes

Angelite

Communication

Critical and Creative Thinking

Applied and Collaborative

Learning

Aesthetic Engagement

ICT Literacy

Civic and Global Learning

Valuing & Ethical

Reasoning

HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY CORE VALUES BLUEPRINT Holy Angel University’s core values of Christ-centeredness, integrity, excellence, community and societal responsibility illumine who we are and who we strive to be in keeping with our lay founder’s legacy of excellence, tradition and service and our mission and identity as a Catholic Higher Education Institution.

CORE VALUES DEFINITION BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS

We embody Christ-Centeredness.

We strive to be witnesses of the person and example of Christ.

Knows and understands by heart the University’s mission and vision and shares in its operationalization;

Nurtures faith life through prayer, regular reception of the Sacraments and the Word of God, fellowship, spir-itual and human formation training and social action;

Makes full use of God-given talents and charisms in professional work, studies and voluntary work, and

Discerns, acts and evaluates with wisdom in the light of Catholic principles

We reflect Integrity. We are fair, honest and transparent in our personal and professional dealings.

Honors commitments in timely and honest means in all settings;

Practices transparency and accountability;

Takes into consideration institutional operating princi-ples rather than personal biases; promotes and does not compromise the good reputation of the University, and

• Supports words with concrete actions; practices what is taught; strives to be worthy of the trust of others

We exemplify Excellence. We produce outcomes with the greatest possible human competence.

Plans and shares in the execution of relevant and integral academic programs based on high technical and ethical standards;

Works passionately and shares innovative ideas and practices for operations improvement and creation of meaningful campus experiences for students;

Commits and engages in continuing improvement and innovation in learning, programs and services through regular training; continuing studies and quality assur-ance initiatives, and

Keeps an open and receptive mind for evaluation, feedback and learning

We are a Community. We animate the spirit of communion and solidarity.

Values and practices listening, open communication and dialogue, and respect for others;

Co-responsible with colleagues and students in their integral development as well as with the departments in the achievement of educational goals;

Contextualizes faith, culture and other dimensions of the human person in building small ecclesial communi-ties within the campus, and

Collaborates and partners with the alumni, parents, civic society, government, church, and other stakehold-ers for shared value in advancing responsive education that is beneficial to society

We engage in Societal Responsibility.

We work for economic efficiency, social justice and environmental stewardship.

Actively participates in sustainable community pro-grams for and with the poor;

Responsibly and efficiently uses and generates the University’s resources to achieve educational and societal goals;

Makes education equitably accessible to the poor, and

Practices and promotes environmental preservation starting with workplaces and extending to the whole campus and the community at large.

Slide 4 – Core Values Blueprint

Slide 5 – Institutional-Level Balanced Scorecard

Slide 6 – Mount Everest

Slide 7 – Leadership System

Slide 8 – Continuous Improvement Cycle

Slide 9 – Sample Professional Licensure Passing Rates

[WPR_HAU – HAU weighted average for all test-takers during the year,

WPR-NAT – National weighted average, WPR_75 – National 75th

percentile,

WPR_90 – National 90th

percentile, GOALS – HAU projection for the year]

Slide 10 – CHED Autonomous Status

Slide 11 – Holy Angel University, a Newman-Recommended Catholic College

Slide 12 – Additional Seal for HAU’s Publications

Slide 13 – Ayala Alviera

[Top Left – Current View; Top Right – Aerial View;

Center – Aerial View; Bottom – City Center]

Slide 14 – Some Envisioned Campus Artifacts After a Successful SY 2016/17