Section 7Sec./Art. 7

Powers and Duties of the Board of Regents. - 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 enact 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, to carry out the purpose and functions of the University;

c. To import duty-free economic, technical and cultural books and/or publications, upon certification by the CHED that such imported books and/or publications are for economic, technical, vocational, scientific, philosophical, historical or cultural purposes, in accordance with the provisions of the Tariff and Customs Code, as amended;

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 door, if any.

Such donations shall be exempt from the door's tax and the same shall be considered as allowable deductions from the gross income in the computation of the income tax of the honor, in accordance with the provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), as amended: Provided, That such donation shall not be disposed, transferred or sold;

e. 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 University, shall constitute special trust funds and shall be deposited in any authorized government depository bank, and all interests that shall accrue therefrom shall from 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 and land grants, shall be retained by the University, and may be disbursed by the Board for instructions, research, extension or other programs/projects of the University: Provided, That all fiduciary fees shall be disbursed for the specific purposes for which they are collected.

If, for reasons beyond its control, the University shall not be able to pursue any projects for which the 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 University;

f. To adopt and implement a socialized scheme of tuition and school fees for greater access to 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 recommendation of the president of the University, vice presidents, deans, directors and heads of campuses, faculty members, and other officials and employees of the University;

i. 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;

j. To approve the curricula, instructional programs and rules of discipline drawn by the administrative and academic councils as herein provided;

k. To set policies on admission and graduation of students;

l. To award honorary degrees upon persons in recognition of outstanding contribution in the fields of education, public service, arts, science and technology, agriculture, or in any field of specialization within the academic competence of the University; and to authorize the awarding of certificates of completion of non-degree and nontraditional courses;

m. To establish and absorb non-chartered tertiary institutions within the Province of Southern Leyte 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 access to education opportunities mandated by the Constitution;

n. To established research and extension centers of the University where such will promote the development of the latter;

o. To establish 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 for hereinabove to the president and/or other officials of the University as it may be deem appropriate, so as to expedite the administration of the affairs of the University;

q. To authorize an external management audit of the institution, to be financed by the CHED, subject to Commission on Audit (COA) rules and regulations; 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 the state colleges and universities within the Province of Southern Leyte or the Region, under the supervision of the CHED and in consultation with the DBM, and work towards the restructuring of the University to become more efficient, relevant, productive and competitive;

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

t. To develop consortia and other economic forms of linkages with local government units, institutions and agencies, both public and private, local and foreign, in the furtherance of the purpose and objectives of the University;

u. To develop academic arrangements for institution capability building with appropriate institutions and agencies, public and private, local or foreign, and to appoint experts/specialists as consultants, part-time or visiting or exchange professors, scholars or researchers as the case maybe;

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

w. To establish policy guidelines and procedures for participative decision-making and transparency within the University;

x. To privatize, where most advantageous to the University, management of non-academic services such as health, food, building or grounds or property maintenance and such other similar activities; and

y. To extend the term of the president of the University beyond the age of retirement but not later than the age of seventy (70), whose performance has been unanimously rated by the governing board as outstanding, after unanimous recommendation by the search committee.