Written by Liezel M. Parreño
Western Mindanao State University formally inducted Dr. Ma. Carla A. Ochotorena as its 6th President in a fitting investiture ceremony last July 28, 2022 at the Dr. Juanito A. Bruno Gymnasium.
The investiture rites drew together various stakeholders as one academic community to formally welcome a new chapter of leadership in the University. The 6th president took the helm of the University in September 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic in September 2020 when large gatherings were strongly discouraged to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
The formal ceremony started with Prof. Alghani D. Mohammad, University and Board Secretary, reading the board resolution and appointment of Dr. Ochotorena as the 6th WMSU President. It was followed by the vesting of the academic regalia, hood, and cap by no less than Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the WMSU-Board of Regents Chairperson-designate Hon. Aldrin A. Darilag. He was assisted by the husband of the President, Dr. Ramon M. Ochotorena, and their children. Hon. Darilag, along with other members of the BOR, presented as well the medallion including the academic symbols of authority: the academic mace, the gavel, and the university banner. The academic mace represents the eminence of education and knowledge. It signifies the universal character of education and the role of the university involving men and women of the world. The eagle on the mace symbolizes the superiority of education in the formation of the young. It is the grand emblem of the university heritage and is carried in all formal academic processions. The gavel symbolizes authority and the right to act officially in the capacity of a president or a presiding officer while the university banner serves as the identity of WMSU and is the head of all college banners.
In his message of installation, Hon. Darilag acknowledge this investiture ceremony as a manifestation of WMSU’s honor of having a competent and compassionate leader. “President Carla maintains her stature of being the forerunner of University’s quest for global competitiveness and academic excellence,” Hon. Darilag said. The good Commissioner also congratulated the University President for her achievements during the first half of her term describing these as “an indication of a clear vision of bringing the University to greater heights.”
In her acceptance speech, Dr. Ochotorena expressed her gratitude to all individuals who have believed in and supported her life’s journey. Dr. Ochotorena said that the task of leading the University is exciting yet daunting “In the months I have served as president, I have been challenged and questioned, my patience and resolve tested,” said the fourth woman to be at the helm of the University. “I maintained my ground and lived by the principles I was brought up with and will stay true to my words that I will lead this university by and through example,” Dr. Ochotorena said. The president commits to do this for the remaining years of her presidency.
Dr. Ochotorena started as a Visiting Lecturer in the College of Nursing in 1987. She first served as the protocol officer of the university after getting a plantilla position. She then became the assistant director of the Research Utilization Publication and Information Dissemination (RUPID), after which, she was designated to head the Alumni Affairs and Placement Office for four (4) years. After this stint, she then took charge of the Office of the Dean of Admissions for 10 strong years. She later became the Vice President for Academic Affairs where her leadership contributed to significant changes in the academic landscape of the University. She pushed for strategic academic policies that benefitted the faculty and students.
