Section 17Sec./Art. 17

Powers and Duties of the Board. - The Board shall, in addition to its general powers of administration and the exercise of all the powers granted to a board of directors of a corporation under Section 36 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 68, exercise the following powers and duties:

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

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

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

(d) 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 University and subject to the limitations, directions, and instructions of the donor, if any;

(e) To fix the tuition fees and other necessary school charges such as matriculation fees, graduation fees, and laboratory fees, as the Board may deem proper to impose, after due consultation with the involved sectors.

Such fees and charges, including government subsidies and other income generated by the University, 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 University.

Any provision of existing laws, rules and regulations to the contrary notwithstanding, any income generated by the University from tuition fees and other charges, as well as from the operation of auxiliary services, land grants and other income-generating activities, shall be retained by the University. The disbursement of such income shall be decided solely by the Board for the attainment of the goals and objectives of the University: Provided, That all fiduciary fees shall be disbursed for the specific purposes for which these are collected.

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

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

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

(h) To appoint, upon the recommendation of the President of the University, chancellors, vice chancellors, vice presidents, deans, directors, heads of campuses, faculty members, and other officials and employees of the University;

(i) To fix and adjust the 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 and civil service 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;

(j) To approve the curricula, instructional programs, and rides of discipline drawn by the Administrative and Academic Councds, as herein provided, to determine the curricular offerings of the University based on the needs for globalization and internationalization. The policies and standards established by the CHED may be used as guides and bases for curriculum designs; Provided, However, That such policies and standards shall not be a delimiting factor in the design of the academic programs of the University;

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

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

(m) To establish and absorb non-chartered tertiary institutions within the Philippines as branches and centers in coordination with the CHED, and in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), to carry out the constitutional mandate to provide and promote equal access to educational opportunities;

(n) To establish research and extension centers to promote the development of the University;

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

(p) To delegate any of its powers and duties provided herein to the President and/or other officials of the University as it may deem appropriate, so as to expedite the administration of the affairs of the University;

(q) To authorize an external management audit of the University, 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;

(r) To collaborate with other governing boards of SUCs in the Philippines in consultation with the DBM, and work towards the restructuring of the University, including the amalgamation of such SUCs, to ensure its efficiency and productivity, achieve relevance as a tool of development, and remain competitive as an educational institution;

(s) To develop mechanisms for the efficient adoption of public-private partnerships (PPP) in the areas of research, instruction, extension and in the acquisition of facilities and structures of the University, such as:

(1) Joint curriculum ventures: sandwich programs for students in specialized science and technology courses, faculty development curriculum in collaboration with partner industries, staff development of the industries to be run by the University and other such similar projects; and

(2) Joint research ventures: outsourcing of the research components of the industries to the academes graduate programs; product/service research and similar research endeavors;

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

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

(v) To develop academic arrangements for institutional capability building with appropriate institutions and agencies, public and private, local and foreign;

(w) To appoint experts/specialists as consultants, part-time or visiting or exchange professors, scholars or researchers, as the case may be, particularly focused in strengthening the general mandate of the University;

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

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

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

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