Southern Luzon State University (SLSU; ), formerly known as Southern Luzon Polytechnic College (SLPC), is the premier, state-funded higher education institution in Quezon Province in the Philippines operating by virtue of Republic Act 9395. It is composed of 11 campuses in the province of Quezon, with the main campus situated in the Municipality of Lucban. SLSU is mandated to provide advanced education, professional, technological instruction in the fields of allied medicine, education, engineering, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, environment, arts and sciences, accountancy, cooperative, business and entrepreneurship, technology and other relevant fields of study in the Province of Quezon and in Region IV-A CALABARZON. It is also mandated to undertake research and extension services and provide progressive leadership in its areas of specialization. By virtue of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, SLSU will no longer be collecting tuition fees from its local, first degree undergraduate students.

History

Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) started as Lucban Municipal Junior High School by virtue of Municipal Resolution No. 5 passed in April 1964. Through the initiative of its founding president, Dr. Angelo Peña, a letter signed by 257 petitioners seeking the establishment of a Municipal Junior High School was favorably received and recommended by the Municipal Council and then Mayor Hobart Dator. The permit to operate was bestowed by Assistant Secretary of Education, Hon. Miguel Gaffud in July 1964. Since then, the Municipal Council allocated funds for its operations. Due to its expanding student population, Municipal Resolution No. 18 series of 1966 effectively expropriated about 4.9 ha of land in Barrio Kulapi - a site which the Council initially allocated for the establishment of a public market - in favor of the Municipal High School. This would then become the present site of the main campus of the university. In May 1965, Municipal Resolution No. 86 was passed requesting the change of name to Lucban Municipal High School to accommodate students into the third and fourth year levels. The Director of Public Schools at the time approved the resolution in August 1965. On June 14, 1968, the Lucban Community College was created and was made part of Lucban Municipal Junior School as an adjunct institution for its School of Education, despite resistance from then Municipal and Provincial Councils for the school to operate as a college. The Municipal and Provincial Councils deemed it to be outside their authority to enact a law that would ensure the continued operation of the Community College. The Lucban School for Philippine Craftsmen formally started in July 1970. By virtue of Republic Act 4345 also known as the merger law, the Lucban Municipal High School and Lucban School of Philippine Craftsmen became the Lucban National High School in July 1972 (with the continuous operation of Lucban Community College). On August 30, 1977, President Ferdinand Marcos approved the conversion of the Lucban National High School and Lucban Community College into Lucban National College (LNC). This was in line with his administration's approach to countryside development by bringing Colleges and Universities to the provinces and rural areas. At the time, the LNC was the only government-run and funded College in the Southern Tagalog region. In 1981, 20 Assemblymen of the Southern Tagalog Region sponsored the Parliamentary Bill No. 173 for the conversion of Lucban National College into Southern Luzon Polytechnic College (SLPC). The bill was approved in December 1981 and was signed into law known as Batas Pambansa No. 145 by President Marcos. Since then, SLPC grew to establish seven satellite campuses located in various parts of the province of Quezon. The first satellite campus was inaugurated in Alabat in July 1991. In 1991, SLPC-Polilio was created by virtue of Board Resolution No. 19, Series of 1992. In the following year, two additional campuses were established: SLPC-Sampaloc in Brgy. Caldong, Sampaloc, Quezon (BOT Res. No. 33, series of 1993) and SLPC-Infanta. In 1996, another campus, the SLPC-Lucena Dual Training and Livelihood Center, was established under Board Resolution No. 130, series of 1996. Judge Guillermo Eleazar Polytechnic College was integrated in February 2002 under Board Resolution No. 352, series of 2002.

Judge Guillermo Eleazar Polytechnic College

Judge Guillermo Eleazar Polytechnic College was the former name of the college's satellite campus in Tagkawayan, Quezon. The satellite started as the Tagkawayan School of Fisheries under the Commission on Fisheries by virtue of Republic Act No. 4290 passed by the legislature on June 19, 1965. After 12 years, the school name was changed to Judge Guillermo Eleazar Memorial School of Fisheries by Presidential Decree No. 1273 issued by then president Ferdinand E. Marcos on December 27, 1977. Eventually, with the passage of Republic Act No. 8728, the school was converted into a state college known as Judge Guillermo Eleazar Polytechnic College. On March 17, 2007, through Republic Act No. 9395, it became part of the Southern Luzon State University.

Awards and Recognitions

SLSU is the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Center of Development in Teacher Education and Forestry. It is also an accredited "Dark Green School", which means that SLSU's instruction, research, and extension activities are geared towards environmental awareness and protection. In 2018, the university is assessed as a Level III State University by the CHED, a level higher than in the 2007 evaluation. Based on the CHED-Department of Budget and Management Joint Circular, a Level III SUC is "very good in undertaking the functions of a state university/college", that is, instruction, research, and extension. In 2018, the AACCUP recognized SLSU as a top ranking SUC in the Philippines in terms of number of degree programs accredited. The university has also been recognized by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) of the Philippines for top performance in licensure examinations and for producing topnotchers in board examinations in the fields of Nursing, Midwifery, Teacher Education, Forestry, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Technician, Mechanical Engineering, and Accountancy. In fact, in 2015, FindUniversity.PH ranks SLSU as the 17th best performing University in the Philippines, and the 2nd best performing State University in Region IV-A CALABARZON among Philippine Universities with at least 15 PRC Board Examinations.

Quality Assurance

As a State University, SLSU is mandated to submit its programs and services to external audit for quality assurance. In terms of instruction, research, and extension services, periodic survey visits are conducted by the Accrediting Agency for Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP). In terms of its management, it has been evaluated and granted the ISO 9001-2015 Certification for Quality Management System. The university is the first State University in the Southern Tagalog region to be ISO certified for Quality Management System in 2015. The Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines, on the other hand, conducts its in-house Institutional Sustainability Assessment (ISA). As of May, 2017, 97% of all curricular programs both from the undergraduate and graduate levels in the main campus have been accredited by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP). Curricular programs in its satellite campuses in Tagkawayan and Tiaong have likewise been subjected to accreditation visits.

Colleges, Campuses and degree programs

The Lucban main campus is home to five colleges: (1) Allied Medicine, (2) Teacher Education, (3) Arts and Sciences, (4) Administration, Business, Hospitality Management, and Accountancy, (5) Engineering and (6) Agriculture; one institute, the Institute of Human Kinetics, and various research centers for agricultural and environmental research. Starting A.Y. 2020–2021, the College of Industrial Technology will return to operations offering BS in Industrial Technology programs. SLSU has satellite campuses in: Lucena, Tagkawayan, Alabat, Polillo, Tiaong, and Infanta. New satellite campuses have been/ will be opened in Gumaca, Catanauan, Tayabas, and Calauag. The university also has key partner educational institutions in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Malaysia, and the United States. The partnerships allow educational exchange opportunities among the students and faculty of both parties. The university, together with the International School of Thai Nguyen University in Vietnam offers Joint academic programs in Business Administration, Environmental Science, and English language teaching. The following lists the academic programs offered by the university in the different colleges in the Lucban main campus and satellite campuses: Graduate school Administered by the College of Teacher Education Administered by the College of Arts and Sciences Administered by the College of Administration, Business, Hospitality Management and Accountancy Administered by the College of Agriculture Administered by the College of Allied Medicine International programs Doctoral programs Master's programs Undergraduate programs Short courses College of Agriculture (CHED Center of Development in Forestry) Major in: Animal Science, Crop Science, Organic Agriculture College of Administration, Business, Hospitality, and Accountancy Major in: Marketing Management, Human Resource & Development Management, Financial Management College of Allied Medicine College of Engineering College of Arts and Sciences College of Teacher Education (CHED Center of Development in Teacher Education) Major in: English, Filipino, Mathematics, MAPEH (Music, Arts, Physical Ed., Health), Physical Science, Social Studies Major in: Industrial Arts, Information and Communication Technology, Home Economics Institute of Human Kinetics Laboratory Schools College of Industrial Technology (to return to full operations starting A.Y. 2020–2021) Alabat Campus Calauag Campus Catanauan Campus Gumaca Campus Infanta Campus Judge Guillermo Eleazar Polytechnic College - Tagkawayan Campus Major in: Marketing Management, Financial Management Major in: English, Mathematics, Science Lucena City Campus Major in: Computer Programming, Food & Service Management Polillo Campus Tayabas City Campus Tiaong Campus Major in: Crop Science, Organic Agriculture

Facilities