
It seemed as if the Universe intended for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to release the list of higher educational institutions granted autonomous status just days before the opening of STI West Negros University’s Kasadyahan Season 11 and 11th anniversary. There are plenty of reasons to celebrate!
CHED Regional Office 6 published the official list of 92 autonomous and deregulated HEIs in the Philippines on its website in September, announcing the exciting news that STIWNU had attained autonomous status on September 23.
The 11-year-old university is now among the 77 HEIs that passed CHED’s comprehensive evaluation for 2019-2023, which focused on institutional effectiveness, including student performance in professional board examinations, employability rates, and the alignment of curricula with industry demands.


CHED Secretary Popoy De Vera stated on his social media account, ‘HEIs with autonomous status offer top-quality education, consistently deliver excellent program results, and often have many accredited programs. They are recognized for their leadership in education.’ Autonomous institutions enjoy the greatest freedom to manage and innovate their academic programs.
“The new guidelines include global partnerships and international engagement and international engagement with top universities all over the world. As the landscape of higher education continues to evolve, CHED will ensure that Philippine HEIs remain competitive on both national and global scales,” emphasized Secretary De Vera
In its official statement, CHEDRO 6 announced that autonomous HEIs are exempt from regular CHED monitoring and evaluation and from the requirement of obtaining a Special Order for their graduates. Furthermore, autonomous institutions can open new programs without needing prior CHED approval.
“The 77 autonomous private universities represent the best of the best among our higher educational institutions, producing world-class graduates and appearing in international rankings. I urge other private universities to benchmark and emulate the programs and practices of these top universities,” De Vera added.
During the anniversary dinner on October 5, Atty. Monico Jacob, Chief Executive Officer and President of STI Education Systems Holdings, Inc., thanked the STIWNU workforce for bringing the university to greater heights.
“We cannot thank you enough for what you are doing for the university. Now that we are autonomous, we shall continue to work on our goals: to promote academic excellence by establishing centers of excellence and development, be the preferred school for basic education, develop better professionals through exceptional continuing education, establish visibility in Asia and create a research-driven academic community,” said Atty. Jacob.
In his speech, Dr. Ryan Mark Molina, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, took everyone back to 2015 during the university’s strategic planning when STIWNU was envisioned to be a leading university in Negros Island in 2025.
“The strategy employed was to aim for academic excellence, building volume and building the brand. It is because of these objectives that the university has been very proactive in subjecting its programs to accreditation and ISO audits. It has also poured investments on facilities, research and community engagement programs. But we would have not reached our goal without the men and women of STIWNU. It is the people that we have, the ones who work with us who helped us realize the dream,” added Molina.
KS11
Kasadyahan, STIWNU’s unique way of developing students’ skills in sports, culture, academics, and leadership, is something eagerly anticipated on campus every year. This annual tradition, also known as the Battle of Colors, features seven colleges, each assigned a specific color, competing in various sports, academic, literary, and musical competitions. One of the highlights of Kasadyahan is the annual Christmas Festival of Lights, where students carry colorful lanterns and Christmas floats in a parade from the campus to the Bacolod City Government Center.


The university football field burst into a vibrant display of colors on October 4 as students and teachers from the College of Business Management and Accountancy (Yellow Tycoons), College of Information and Communications Technology (Red Sentinels), College of Education (Blue Guardians), College of Hospitality and Tourism Management (Pink Vikings), College of Criminal Justice Education (Purple Wizards), College of Arts & Sciences (Green Titans), and College of Engineering (Orange Erudites) returned to the ‘battlefield’ to compete for the coveted championship title.”
It was the perfect time for fellowship: the university had just attained autonomous status, and we were approaching the Season of Advent. There were many reasons to be grateful and to celebrate with the community and the family that everyone had found in STIWNU.
The first day of KS11 kicked off with a vibrant parade of colors, each representing a participating college. Teachers and students opened the program with a Mardi Gras-themed production number. The Mr. and Miss STIWNU titles were awarded to Mark Anthony Panganiban and Nicole Abby Arnaiz, both from the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the day continued with competitions in vocal solo, vocal duet, pop dance, and more.
That weekend of events was more than just a celebration of talent and competition; it was a time to celebrate big and small wins and express gratitude for the community that STIWNU has become. As students, faculty, staff and management came together, they strengthened their bonds, working toward common goals.
Indeed, it is teamwork that makes the dream work. And, in every achievement, the journey is made meaningful by the support of one another.*