In its 77th year of existence, Foundation University reaffirms a commitment that has guided it since its founding, that is, to provide education for all, regardless of social status, economic background, and creed.
This commitment, espoused by its founder, the illustrious constitutionalist and educator, Dr. Vicente Guzman Sinco, finds formal expression in the institution’s ISO 21001:2018 Certification with the current cycle starting in September 2026 until August 2029. The scope of certification covers the design, development, and delivery of curricula for early childhood, basic education, tertiary education, law school, non-baccalaureate programs, and graduate school, including the support units.
For Foundation University, the journey toward submitting itself to the international standards for Educational Organizations Management Systems (EOMS) emerged as a concerted effort with a conscious and disciplined review of how the university works.
“The administration and everyone concerned strengthened the policies and procedures that already existed, instead of creating new activities for the sake of an audit. Gaps were identified and connections between documents and actual implementation were reinforced,” University Chancellor Dr. Charlotte V. Carino expressed.
In the past nine months of intensive preparation, deans, directors, faculty, and staff engaged one another in mapping core educational processes – from admission and orientation, through curriculum design and delivery, assessment and feedback, to graduation and alumni engagement.
Support processes were likewise examined with equal importance. Records, procurement, facilities, student services, and human resource management were all brought into the fore. In every standardization procedure, the basic questions posed were: does a particular process serve the learner, and can your office prove it?
Because management of documented information is what is essentially asked for in ISO Certification, this prompted the university to bolster a thorough review of its records management practices. This included generating, and eventually coding, enormous volumes of records like curricula, board actions, student files, research protocols, financial reports, and compliance submissions. The standard requires that these be controlled throughout their life cycle, starting from when these records were created to relegating them to the archives, or be disposed, as the case may be.
As ISO 21001:2018 is built around the learner, the university has reinforced existing efforts to make teaching one that is outcomes-based and learner-centered. Thus, course monitoring now includes a regular review of alignment between objectives, content, and assessment. The learning experience and its outcomes are systematically designed to further identify needs in pedagogy and technology.
Moreover, beyond internal operations, the ISO Certification augurs well for partnerships with foreign universities, industry partners, and government agencies that understandably require evidence of quality assurance. This came at a time when Foundation University has expanded its reach in its internationalization initiatives in exchange programs in partnership with universities in China, India, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam, Japan, and volunteerism among stakeholders and agencies that provide graduates with better preparation to make them globally competitive. This also ensures that the university’s programs remain relevant to community and industry needs.
The university is far from resting on its laurels as the certification carries a standard where continual improvement is embedded. It forges a commitment to make quality a habit, not a one-shot deal. The factors of stakeholder satisfaction and risk-based thinking matter as the university fulfills its educational purpose.
As Foundation University advances from its 77th year onwards, it does so with a management system designed to ensure that its forthcoming decades are as purposeful, responsive, and transparent.
“The ISO Certification is not an end in itself. It is an articulation of how a university chooses to govern, document, produce globally competitive graduates, and improve its standards in the academic arena,” articulates Foundation University President Victor Vicente G. Sinco. | NWI
