President Orden Delivers State of University Address

University President Edgar A. Orden delivered the annual State of the University Address (SUA) during the Special Joint Session of the Program Councils wherein he presented the journey of Central Luzon State University (CLSU) towards becoming a world-class national research university, held on April 12, 2023, at the CLSU Auditorium. In his speech, President Orden highlighted the achievements of the core programs – Administrative, Academic Affairs, Research and Extension, and Business Affairs, categorized into borderless, transformative, and visionary leadership in higher education. As one of the renowned institutions in the country, he upheld CLSU’s excellence by presenting the awards received by the university including the recognitions given by the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Science and Technology, and the Freedom of Information. Moreso, he also commended and presented to the audience the names of faculty members with exemplary performance in their respective fields. While he also honored the CLSU “golden grains” for their commendable feat in the different licensure examinations with highlights on the topnotchers. “This is the extent of what we have accomplished. You can just imagine how at the start of my presidency; we were hit by a curveball-- the pandemic. Back then I thought, how we will be able to bounce back from this? But in all ways, in all aspects, WE survived and WE stood up!” said President Orden as he transitioned to the first category - borderless. With a goal to make CLSU world-known, President Orden stood proud as he mentioned the achievements of the university in different world rankings and international memberships including the Times Higher Education, Quacquarelli Symonds, Southeast Asian University Consortium, and the ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) among others. In addition, he also mentioned a good number of faculty and students with international engagements, which led to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding/Agreement in universities abroad. He also emphasized that through the collective efforts of the faculty and staff researchers, the university garnered a total of 987 million pesos worth of R&D funds for the implementation of projects prompting the university to transform its programs.  With the goal to improve the lives of the people in nearby communities, he highlighted the different extension modalities implemented including the Technology Village Program, eFARM Academy, AgriATM (Aral Tekno Mobil), and KAMALIG Agritourism Site. Furthermore, he also mentioned that CLSU became a learning hub in precision and digital agriculture and agro-technology where the university was visited by companies including Jollibee Group Foundation, and different Provincial and Local Government Units; and the CHED Central Office to learn the basics of urban farming. Moreover, he shared that the university is now able and capable of keeping up with the digital world or Industry 4.0 with the development of different management information systems on R&D, procurement, and executive information. “This is the new face of CLSU – progressive and cutting edge” President Orden proudly added.  On the other hand, President Orden stressed the initiatives of the university to strengthen partnerships with the industry which enables CLSU to generate millions of revenues. As he moved to the last parts, President Orden laid down his vision and plans for CLSU which he intends to attain before the year ends, this includes the establishment of a smart classroom in every college. He also posed a challenge to the next leader of CLSU to continue the legacy to higher ground and remain steadfast in pursuit of excellence. The speech was strongly concluded with these words: “This is CLSU. Establishing a sustainable environment for the future, generating knowledge and technology, creating an impact on the community, and striving as a world-class national research university. We are borderless, transformative, and visionary. WE ARE CLSU!” The SUA was attended to and watched by more than 1,000 faculty, staff, students, and invited guests including the head of agencies in Munoz.