Section 7Sec./Art. 7

Powers and Duties of the Board of Trustees. The Board shall have the following specific powers and duties, in addition to its general powers of administration and the exercise of all the powers granted to the board of directors of a corporation under existing laws:

(a) To promulgate and implement policies in accordance with the declared State policies and the provisions of the Philippine Constitution on education, agriculture, science and technology, as well as the policies, standards and thrusts of the CHED under Republic Act No. 7722, otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of 1994″;

(b) To promulgate rules and regulations not contrary to law as may be necessary to carry out the purposes and functions of the College;

(c) To receive and appropriate ail sums as may be provided for the support of the College in the manner it may determine in its discretion, in order to carry out the purposes and functions of the College;

(d) To import economic, technical and cultural books and/or publications;

(e) To receive in trust legacies, gifts and donations of real and personal properties of all kinds and to administer and dispose of the same when necessary for the benefit of the College, and subject to the limitations, directions and instructions of the donor, if any;

(f) To fix the tuition fees and other necessary school charges such as, but not limited to, matriculation fees, graduation fees and laboratory fees, as the Board may deem proper to impose, after due consultations with the involved sectors.

Such fees and charges, including government subsidies and other income generated by the College, shall constitute special trust funds and shall be deposited in any authorized government depository bank, and all interests that shall accrue therefrom shall form part of the same funds for the use of the College.

Any provision of existing laws, rules and regulations to the contrary notwithstanding, any income generated by the College from tuition fees and other charges, as well as from the operation of auxiliary services and land grants, shall be retained by the College and may be disbursed by the Board for instruction, research, extension or other programs/projects of the College: Provided, That all fiduciary fees shall be disbursed for the specific purposes for which these are collected.

If, for reason beyond its control, the College shall not be able to pursue any project for which funds have been appropriated and allocated under its approved program of expenditures, the Board may authorize the use of said funds for any reasonable purpose which, in its discretion, may be necessary and urgent for the attainment of the objectives and goals of the College;

(g) To adopt and implement a socialized scheme of tuition and other school fees for greater access to poor but deserving students;

(h) To authorize the construction or repair of its buildings, machinery, equipment and other facilities and the purchase and acquisition of real and personal properties, including necessary supplies, materials and equipment;

(i) To appoint, upon recommendation of the President of the College, Vice President/s, deans, directors, heads of departments, faculty members and other officials and employees of the College;

(j) To fix and adjust salaries of faculty members and administrative officials and employees, subject to the provisions of the Revised Compensation and Position Classification System and other pertinent budget and compensation laws governing hours of service and such other duties and conditions as it may deem proper; to grant them, at its discretion, leaves of absence under such regulations as it may promulgate, any provision of existing laws to the contrary notwithstanding; and to remove them for cause in accordance with the requirements of due process of law;

(k) To approve the curricula, instructional programs and rules of discipline drawn by the Administrative and Academic Councils as herein provided;

(l) To set policies on admission and graduation of students;

(m) To award honorary degrees upon persons in recognition of their outstanding contribution in the fields of agriculture, public service, arts, science and technology, education or in any field of specialization within the academic competence of the College; and to authorize the awarding of certificates of completion of nondegree and nontraditional courses:

(n) To establish and absorb nonchartered tertiary institutions within the Province of Camarines Sur as branches and centers, in coordination with the CHED and in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and to offer therein programs or courses to promote and carry out equal and greater access to educational opportunities as mandated by the Constitution;

(o) To establish research and extension centers of the College where such will promote the development of the latter;

(p) To establish professorial chairs in the College and to provide fellowships for qualified faculty members and scholarships to deserving students;

(q) To delegate any of its powers and duties provided for hereinabove to the President or Officer-in-Charge and/or other officials of the College as it may deem appropriate, so as to expedite the administration of the affairs of the College;

(r) To authorize an external management audit of the College, to be financed by the CHED, subject to the rules and regulations of the Commission on Audit (COA); and to institute reforms, including academic and structural changes, on the basis of the audit results and recommendations;

(s) To collaborate with other governing boards of state universities and colleges within the Province of Camarines Sur or the Bicol Region, under the supervision of the CHED and in consultation with the DBM, and work towards the restructuring of the College to become more efficient, relevant, productive and competitive;

(t) To enter into joint ventures with business and industry for the profitable development and management of the economic assets of the College, the proceeds from which shall be used for the development and strengthening of the same;

(u) To develop consortia and other forms of linkages with local government units (LGUs), institutions and agencies, both public and private, local and foreign, in furtherance of the purposes and objectives of the College;

(v) To develop academic arrangements for institutional capability building with appropriate institutions and agencies, public and private, local and foreign, and to appoint experts/specialists as consultants, part-time or visiting or exchange professors, scholars or researchers, as the case may be;

(w) To set up the adoption of modern and innovative modes of transmitting knowledge such as the use of information technology, the dual learning system, open learning or distance education and community laboratory for the promotion of greater access to education;

(x) To establish policy guidelines and procedures for participative decision-making and transparency within the College;

(y) To privatize, where most advantageous to the College, the management of nonacademic services such as health, food, building, grounds, or property maintenance and such other similar activities; and

(z) To extend the term of the President of the College beyond the age of retirement, but not beyond the age of seventy (70), whose performance has been unanimously rated by the Board as outstanding, based on the guidelines, qualifications and/or standards set by the Board, after unanimous recommendation by the search committee.