National University’s presence especially in the provinces allows professors and students to access quality education and employment without leaving their hometown.
Home to more than 84,000 students, National University’s (NU)
presence in seven cities outside of Metro Manila has not only expanded
access to higher quality education but also access to professional
opportunities.
These seven provincial areas include NU Bacolod,
the university’s first campus in the Visayas, which has 96 percent local
employees and the remaining are from other campuses who moved to
Bacolod. NU Laguna has 99 percent; NU Baliwag in Bulacan has 98 percent;
NU Dasmarinas in Cavite has 96 percent with four percent transferees;
NU Lipa in Batangas has 98 percent; and NU Clark in Pampanga has 97
percent. NU Cebu, which opened this academic year, has 100 percent local
hires.
NU’s presence especially in the provinces allows
professors and students to access quality education and employment
without leaving their hometown. The university’s standardized
compensation package across its campuses attracts talent while helping
address brain drain in the provinces.
“We bring talent back to the
provinces. NU offers a standardized salary matrix applicable to all our
employees across the country. This approach has helped NU make our
recruitment more appealing to applicants in provincial regions,” NU
president and CEO Renato Carlos Ermita said.
Strengthening local
ecosystems for work and enterprise by aligning education, labor, and
development policies is necessary in combating the deepening inequality
between urban and rural areas.
SM’s expanding social footprint, in
which most NU campuses are located, helps local communities retain
their education talent, reinforcing access and contribution to the
social economy. This underscores SM’s vision of responsible development
of its host communities.
“NU is part of SM’s corporate social
responsibility. By allowing the campus to be a part of the SM community,
accessibility is achieved and affordability is maintained.
Transportation hubs are also located near most of the mall-based
campuses, allowing safety and convenience for the students and
employees,” Ermita said.
Back home
In NU
Cebu, one of Cebu’s returning locals is the campus’ executive director
Johanna Minglana who shared, “We have all local hires, with three of us
returnees from NU Manila where we were based when NU Cebu was not yet
opened. NU Cebu gave me the opportunity to come full circle in my
birthplace after decades of growing up in Manila while continuing my
academic career.”
According to Minglana, her sentiment also
resonates with the faculty and employees as “they shared how working at
NU Cebu has allowed them to pursue meaningful careers without having to
leave their families or communities.”
“They speak of a better
sense of purpose – being able to contribute to nation-building through
education while remaining rooted in the culture and values of their
hometown. Our stories are not isolated – they reflect a broader impact
of NU Cebu’s commitment to regional development and talent retention,”
Minglana said.
The Cebu campus, Minglana noted, is a testament to how NU embodies SM’s vision of being a catalyst for community development.
“Having
been in the NU system since 2012, I’ve seen how our goals align with
SM’s broader purpose. What keeps me here is the opportunity to make a
difference in the lives of our students and to contribute meaningfully
to the development of my hometown. It’s a privilege to be part of a
transformative journey that uplifts not just individuals, but entire
communities.”
For Minglana, NU Cebu’s presence in a local
community like Cebu goes beyond education. “It stimulates the local
economy by creating jobs – not only within the university but also in
surrounding businesses such as food establishments, boarding houses,
transportation services, and retail.
“Our students, faculty, and
employees contribute to the vibrancy of the local economy through their
daily needs and activities in a fun, safe, and secure place,” she said.
As
the university celebrated its 125th founding anniversary, its
quasquicentennial year, recently at the SM MOA Sky, thousands of NU
alumni attended the event. This, as NU aims to continue providing its
students, eventually graduates, with world class and life-ready
education to enable them to be competitive in whatever arena they are
in, provincial or otherwise.
