OSA welcomes new director

The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) officially welcomed Dr. Nina M. Cadiz as its 17th director on June 1, 2015 at the Makiling Hall, Student Union Building.

Dr. Leticia E. Afuang, the outgoing director, formally passed on the responsibilities to Cadiz, and expressed her confidence in her during the welcome remarks. "I would not have done it without your support," says Afuang as she commended the OSA staff members for their service.

Dr. Portia G. Lapitan, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, expressed her confidence in Afuang's management of OSA. However, according to her, no matter how excellent a director is, there is a need to bring in new leaders who will bring in new ideas.

Lapitan stressed the role of OSA to manage and monitor the student population. She explained how the expertise of the outgoing and incoming director are beneficial to the students. Since both of them are biologists, they study how living organisms cope under a given environment. Thus, it helps them better understand students who come from different environments.

Cadiz formally accepted the directorship of OSA during the ceremony. She said that the students are the clienteles of the university, and OSA is its heart. "Being the heart of the institution, our heart should beat for them," she added.

The new OSA director emphasized that the activities of OSA will be in line with the vision of the chancellor and told the staff that she needs their support. "No director can work by herself/himself. We have to work harmoniously together to achieve collective success," she said.

Prior to becoming the OSA director, Cadiz was the director of the Institute of Biological Sciences (IBS) from 2012-2015. She is also currently a Professor of Botany (Plant Physiology) at the Plant Biology Division of IBS. Some of her research interests are in tolerance mechanisms of plants to abiotic stresses; phytoremediation; mineral nutrition; hormonal regulation; and plant-water relations.