The ACADEMIC DEANS
Each college or school is headed by a dean who hails from the roster of the faculty with the rank of Assistant Professor or higher. He acts as the chief academic and administrative officer of the unit who has overall supervision over all matters pertaining to the college that affect its faculty, staff and students. The Dean of the college is expected to create the environment in the college that is conducive to optimum learning and to set the tone of leadership in creating the character or culture unique to the college.

Candidates for the position of the Dean of a college or a professional/graduate school are nominated by the University President, in consulatation with the Executive Vice President, from the roster of faculty of the particular college. Pursuant to the mandate of the University Charter, the Board of Regents elects the dean from the nominations submitted by the University President. By virtue of BOR Res. No. 2760, the Dean is designated for an initial period of two (2) years which may be renewed for an extended term of three (3) years based on performance, or a total of five (5) years. The initial term of two (2) years is an assurance granted upon the designee to enable him the elbow room and ample time to chart out his plans and programs for the college and to implement and pursue the same without an interruption. Though the Deans do not enjoy a permanent tenure like their administrative counterparts, they enjoy a guaranteed full-term of two (2) years and a possible extension of three (3) years. This arrangement on a specific tenured-service engenders an empowered environment for the deans to perform their functions along the larger context of the fulfillment of the vision-mission-objective of the University.

The deans of the colleges, professional schools and graduate schools report administratively to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. This traditional practice was prevalent until it was cut short in 2004, when administrative supervision over the deans was provisionally transferred to the University President, and later, to the Executive Vice President when said position was re-created in October 2005 under BOR Res. No. 2824. Starting late 2010, the traditional practice (where the deans report to the VPAA) have become apparent as the de-facto yet official arrangement, with their designations explicitly stating so. On 03 Dec 2012, the Executive Vice President granted a provisional approval on the PLM Organizational Chart v.2012 (as subsequently approved under BOR Res. No. 3535 on 29 Jan 2013 based on the recommendation of the Acting President on 06 Dec 2012), formalizing the earlier reversion of the line of authority of the deans to the VPAA in 2010, as had been the long-standing practice in the community of schools.