 |
| (Image Source: The Manila Times/Batangas State University) |
The Philippines has taken a leap into higher educational excellence and as a global force in the Fourth Industrial Revolution with the proclamation of Batangas State University (BatStateU) as "The National Engineering University". The ceremonial declaration of BatStateU as the National Engineering University by virtue of Republic Act No. 11694 (RA 11694) was held on July 11, 2022 at the Pablo Borbon campus in Batangas City and officially recognizes BatStateU as the premier center of excellence for engineering education to advance the directions for engineering education and rapid industrialization in the country.
The historic event assembled high-ranking officials from the local and national government including 18th Congress Secretary General of the House of Representatives and former Batangas congresman Mark Llandro Mendoza who presented the title and declaration of policy of RA 11694; 18th Congress House of Representatives Committee on Higher and Technical Education Chairman Mark Go who facilitated the presentation of the purpose of BatStateU as the National Engineering University; and 18th Congress Senate President Pro Tempore of the Senate of the Philippines, current Lipa City representative and 19th Congress House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto who officially declared BatStateU as the National Engineering University. "Being conferred not just as a national engineering university but as The National Engineering University is a blessing and a burden – with conferment, comes challenges. I believe, however, that under the competent leadership of the visionary Dr. Tirso Ronquillo, what is expected of this university will be met with flying colors," Recto said as he pointed out the responsibilities of BatStateU as the National Engineering University.
As the National Engineering University, BatStateU will further strengthen and expand its current 46 engineering degree programs to include a wide range of fields in engineering in both graduate and undergraduate levels. It will intensify efforts on producing a corps of advanced trained engineers and other professionals who can create leading-edge solutions to the country's challenges in energy, infrastructure, environment, information and communications, construction, manufacturing, transportation and other domains of everyday life. It will lead in creating the environment that engenders the Filipino engineering experts and professionals of tomorrow while enabling the Philippines to swiftly take its place as a global knowledge center and developed economy. Leading to its recognition as the National Engineering University, BatStateU has built an impressive and robust infrastructure for learning, research and development, product development and product commercialization. Its eleven campuses currently serve and provide quality tertiary education to over 60,000 students from more than 40 provinces all over the country and a growing influx of international students. Almost half (43 percent) of its students belong to Engineering, Architecture and Fine Arts, Computing Sciences and Industrial Technology.
"The university aims to build on our strong foundations and attain our vision through our world-class Centers of Excellence," BatStateU President Tirso Ronquillo, under whose leadership the institution began its rapid transformation into a knowledge powerhouse, said. These Centers of Excellence are Center for Innovation in Engineering Education (CIEE), Knowledge, Innovation and Science Technology (KIST) Park, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Environment Research (STEER) Hub. As the National Engineering University, BatStateU shall fortify its vision of being a 'premier national university that develops leaders in the global knowledge economy' guided by its new service motto, "Leading Innovations, Transforming Lives, Building the Nation". With this new preeminent role in the Philippine higher education stage, it shall gear up to prepare a new five-year development plan that will actualize its vision as the National Engineering University.
