FULL TEXT: Mirasol’s 3rd State of the University Address

To our Board of Regents, especially, the Chair, CHED Commissioner Desiderio E. Apag III, our faculty, staff, partners and distinguished guests, Maayad Ha Aldaw, Maayong Buntag.

Three years ago, we set a direction and called it Smart BukSU.

Today, it defines who we are.

If I were to use one word to describe what has emerged in Bukidnon State University over the past three years, it would be a word that in Cebuano means courage, energy, and the will to move forward together.

A word that speaks of a community that does not stand still, but advances with purpose and discipline.

That word is dasig.

Smart BukSU is our direction.

Dasig is the spirit that carries it forward.

And that spirit is most visible where transformation begins.

D stands for Dynamic Learning through Smart Education.

Three years ago, we began our transformation by strengthening the heart of the university, the learning experience.

Smart Education reshaped our curriculum and made outcomes visible.

Our licensure performance reached 82.62 percent and exceeded the target.

Our graduate employability rose to 55 percent. 64.79% of our students are now enrolled in programs aligned with national priorities. 100% of graduate students are enrolled in research degree programs, strengthening our research culture.

We welcomed new lawyers, new CPAs, and newly licensed professionals across disciplines. We produced topnotchers in Nursing, Education, and Law.

Accreditation expanded in the main and satellite campuses. Digital assessment, LMS integration, and AI-enabled teaching are now part of everyday instruction.

And of course, BukSU has been granted the Government Permit to offer the Doctor of Medicine program, pursuant to the Commission on Higher Education Commission en banc Resolution No. 856-2025. We are the first state university in Bukidnon authorized to offer the Doctor of Medicine program starting Academic Year 2026-2027.

Smart Education is no longer a plan.

It is a working system that delivers results.

A stands for Advancing Research, Development, and Extension.

Our research is no longer measured only by output.

It is measured by impact.

We completed forty-six research outputs and published thirty indexed articles in one year. Our publication rate in Web of Science and Scopus-indexed journals reached 13.27%, higher than the 10% target.  BukSU recorded 107 Scopus-indexed publication documents and 91 Scopus-indexed authors, with research citations reaching 150 nationally and internationally as of December 2025. Graduate faculty research engagement reached almost eighty percent. Through forty-four extension programs, we trained 6,674 beneficiaries and reached a satisfaction rating of 99.71 percent.

Knowledge now transforms communities. Scholarship now changes lives.

S stands for Smart Campus and Smart Systems that serve our people.

Through Smart Campus, the University also strengthened its quality assurance systems and academic standards.

14 infrastructure projects were completed across the main and satellite campuses, including multi-story academic buildings, covered courts, laboratory upgrades, and solar-powered lighting systems.  These investments significantly improved learning environments, increased operational efficiency, and reinforced campus safety and sustainability. Solar-powered systems, modern laboratories, and safe academic buildings support our daily work. We also received our  Environmental Compliance Certificate for the Main Campus. This confirms that our growth follows sustainability and environmental responsibility.

The launch of the Executive Dashboard stands as one of the University’s most significant advancements under the Smart BukSU Helix Framework, serving as a central platform for real-time, data-driven decision-making.

We have approved six New Policy Issuances for 2025, including Carpooling of Vehicles, Stray Animal Management, and Campus Safety.

ISO surveillance affirmed our culture of quality, and the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines has awarded Level II Institutional Accreditation to BukSU Main Campus and Level I for the BukSU EduHub Campus. This is BukSU’s first attempt at institutional accreditation.

Smart Campus, therefore, means responsible expansion, growth that is deliberate, compliant, and environmentally conscious.

I stands for Institutional Governance and Internationalization

Client satisfaction reached 4.80 and reflects efficient and responsive services. The University also earned a perfect score for public service performance in 2025 from the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center (CCC), resolving all concerns filed with the University. The recognition highlights BukSU’s strong complaint-handling systems, effective case monitoring, and inter-office coordination, reinforcing its commitment to transparent, responsive, and citizen-centered service under Executive Order No. 6, s. 2016.

The University achieved a high Budget Utilization Rate of 99.08% for the Regular Agency Fund. The University also achieves a consolidated Budget Utilization Rate of 75.25% for Internally Generated Income and a Budget Utilization Rate of 80.09% for Business-Type Income.

And the world has begun to take notice of our good governance practices.

In 2025, BukSU ranked 161st globally in the World University Rankings for Innovation, 241st in Asia in the AppliedHE Public University Ranking, 358th globally in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, and entered the 801–1000 global band of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.

These are not merely numbers. They are affirmations that a university in Bukidnon can stand among global institutions when vision is matched with execution.

G stands for Grounded in Excellence or our people

At the center of our transformation are our people.

We invested in our people. Faculty participated in international collaborations through Collaborative Online International Learning programs with institutions in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, and Canada. In one initiative alone, 185 international students and 150 BukSU students engaged in joint online classes.

Our faculty hosted international conferences such as the 1st Asian Biennial Conference on Forensic and Legal Linguistics, strengthening BukSU’s academic footprint in Asia. Workforce development included AI upskilling, digital pedagogy training, research mentoring, and competency certifications such as the 100% passing rate of 16 participants in the Safety Officer 1 certification.

In 2025, BukSU reaffirmed its commitment to world-class leadership and continuous professional development through strategic global upskilling. As part of the Commission on Higher Education’s HUSAY Program, several university leaders completed advanced training programs at the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. These accomplishments reflect BukSU’s investment in a Smart Workforce that is globally competitive, strategically adept, and capable of steering the university into the future.

Smart Workforce means empowered educators, globally connected scholars, and administrators equipped to lead transformation.

For our Smart Students, they have demonstrated excellence beyond the classroom.

In 2025, our students demonstrated excellence beyond the classroom. IT students secured 1st Runner-Up in Hack4Gov 2025 and earned national-level wildcard qualification. In DIGI-MC 2025, they placed 3rd in the Student Category and produced a Professional Category Champion.  Nursing students earned national leadership recognitions at the Philippines I Transform! Leaders Convention. A BSEd student became National Champion in the Human Rights Poster-Making Contest.  Our Development Communication students won 3rd Best Film at the DAR-10 PelikulAgraryo Film Festival.

Laboratory School students earned academic, cultural, and athletic recognitions, including national quiz competitions and Batang Pinoy representation. These accomplishments show that Smart Students are emerging as innovators, advocates, creators, and leaders.

The university administered 1,510 psychological assessments, provided 100% online counseling referrals, and conducted seven major student support programs.

What we have presented today is Smart BukSU at work.

Dynamic in the way we teach and learn.

Advancing in the way our research and extension create impact.

Systematic in the way our campuses and services support our mission.

Intentional in the way we govern and engage the world.  Grounded in the excellence of our students and our workforce.

Taken together, these are no longer individual accomplishments.

They show a university moving with one direction and one standard.

To our faculty and staff who carried the reforms into their classrooms and offices, to our students who turned opportunities into achievements, to our alumni, partners, and stakeholders who walked with us in every milestone, you made Smart BukSU real.

I stand before you not only as your President, but as a witness to what shared commitment can accomplish.

The journey continues, and we will sustain this momentum with the same discipline, the same clarity, and the same shared purpose.

Padayon BukSU. DASIG BuksU!

Madakel ha salamat!