President’s Notes: Daghang salamat sa among quality assurance champion

Details: Written by Edgardo E. Tulin; Published: 10 October 2023

Dr. Editha Gundaya Cagasan is one of my most dependable generals here on campus. No matter how difficult and challenging the situation is, I did not see her wasting her time complaining about a problem but would rather focus more on delivering results.

She has been our Director of the Quality Assurance Center (QAC), which is indeed a very tough position to fill in because this work involves keenness in terms of details and an eye for standards.

In her job as QAC Director, she facilitated the completion of numerous accreditations for both institutional and curricular evaluations that brought us national prominence in the Accrediting Agency for Chartered Universities and Colleges of the Philippines (AACCUP). In fact, for the last few years, we have been adjudged by this organization as the Top 1 performing state university in the Philippines for having the most number of Level IV accredited programs.

On top of that, Dr Cagasan was instrumental in obtaining the Level IV institutional accreditation in AACCUP—a coveted distinction that VSU got in 2022 making us the first university in both Visayas and Mindanao to be rated as such by this 37-year old national accrediting body.

Despite her busy work schedule, never did you see her become grumpy about the assignments that she gets to be assigned in. For many colleagues who have collaborated with her, they all know that Dr. Cagasan was always known for her iconic smile that radiates hope and positivity no matter how challenging and stressful the situation is.

She has served in many units in the university including being Head of the Department of Development Communication (DDC), the Multimedia Development Center (MMDC), the VSU Printing Press, and even led our Online Programs Office that we currently push to become a full-fledge Open University in the very near future.

When she was head of DDC, the Department got its first Center of Development (COD) Award in 2012 from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). For a time, she also became the OIC-Dean of the VSU Graduate School where she provided leadership in strengthening our graduate degree programs and preparing it for global comparability to attract domestic and international students.

As an outstanding academician and a social science researcher, she completed many research projects that allowed her to publish in reputable academic journals. This propelled her to obtain an academic rank of Professor VI and was supposed to be evaluated this year for the University Professor position.

She graduated valedictorian of her class in 2007 being the Top PhD graduate of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).

Despite her innate brilliance, for her students in development communication, they will always remember her as the compassionate and dependable thesis adviser who will exhaust all means for them to complete their college degrees.

Because of this, Dr. Cagasan was able to help many undergraduate and graduate students who continue to be grateful to her because she made their social science research journey equally fulfilling and memorable.

While she was juggling her many administrative roles in the university, she also found the time to be active in our community parish by becoming one of the dependable pillars in implementing various religious activities led by Polyphonics (a church choir), Couples for Christ (CFC), Missionary Families of Christ (MFC), and Daughters of Mary Immaculate (DMI), among others.

In the Catholic community here at VSU, Dr. Cagasan has provided motherly counsel to religious youth organizations by providing spiritual guidance to young people who would later become active church leaders in the Holy Spirit Parish (HSP).

For her family, Edith did not miss spending quality time with them by being present in all the important family gatherings despite her very busy academic and administrative schedules.

Clearly, Dr. Cagasan remained humble and meek despite her numerous achievements. She was a silent worker who continued to deliver quality results while also prioritizing the needs of her family and providing leadership in her church community—a thing that only a Superwoman can only accomplish.

We will all miss her. The Tulin family extends our heartfelt condolences to the Gundaya and Cagasan families and to the VSU Department of Development Communication for this massive loss.

Dr. Cagasan lived such a wonderful and very meaningful life. Her memories and contributions to VSU will always be cherished and remembered by all #ProudViscans. We will continue to offer prayers for the eternal repose of her soul and for extra strength for the family she leaves behind.

Personally speaking, Edith is very dear to me because she, Ulysses, and their children remained one of our dearest family friends here in VSU who were genuinely there for us in our toughest times.