USJ-R set to introduce new course programs

Despite the overall decline on the enrollment performance in universities and colleges in the Philippines, University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) is determined to pursue further academic level improvement and expand course offerings.

The 59-year-old university will be introducing academic changes through introducing more course programs, to expand the market's choices, these include; BS Mathematics, BS International Studies, among others.

The 5th president of the University and so far the youngest to sit on the highest position, Rev. Fr. Anthony A. Morillo, OAR said the school is fighting to stay afloat amid the tough competition, thus, aside from expanding its course choices, USJ-R will aggressively embark on different marketing and promotion strategies.

He said among dozens of priorities that will be considered for improvement within his term, is also assessing the University's networking, linkages, and extension programs.

Morillo, who is barely two-weeks as president of the University added that there are a lot of things that he has to do during his three-year term as president, not only some changes in the University's structure or physical framework, but also in the academic side.

The introduction of institutions offering crash-courses for different skills like call center, Information Technology, care-giving, medical transcription, among others, coupled with the economic difficulties, have affected the enrolment growth of the school, Morillo said in a press conference.

Instead of growth, the school has maintained its usual number of enrollees, some semesters it experienced plunge of enrollees in other courses.

Although there are courses which enrollees have decreased, however, the declined is offset by increased of new entrants in other courses.

Currently, the college population in the university reached to over 9,000, including the elementary and high-school registered enrollees would arrive at over 11,000 levels.

The university, is a post-liberation institution established in 1947, by the Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR), and is one of the top universities in Cebu.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has identified USJ-R as Center for Excellence in Teacher's College, Commerce (Accountancy), and it currently proposing to apply as Center for Excellence in Arts and Sciences.

In 2004, USJ-R opened its first medical course in nursing, mainly due to the strong demand for care giving skills both in the Philippines and abroad.

The school had converted its engineering drawing area at the sixth floor of the USJ-R building to construct a mini-hospital for its nursing students.

Meanwhile, Morillo said USJ-R all-priests-board has already approved the university's expansion plan in Ormoc, Leyte.

USJ-R has already bought a 20-hectare land as its expansion site, but implementation of this multi-million USJ-R expansion plan is still on the drawing board.

"I can't speak in behalf of the school's board. But, I know that the Ormoc expansion plan is still on the planning stage," Morillo said.