Dr. Don Vicente Real yesterday assumed as second president of the Negros Oriental State University in Dumaguete City after turnover rites prepared by his predecessor, Dr. Henry Sojor.

Real got the nod of majority of the members of the NORSU Board of Regents when he said “I will be filling up very big shoes left behind by Dr. Sojor but with all sincerity and humility, I will try my best to fill in the shoes if given the position.”

Sojor said the Board was also impressed by Real's answer on NORSU's contribution to the K to 12 program of the Department of Education.

Real reportedly said he will obey directives from his superiors if ordered to teach the senior high school or grades 11 and 12 in NORSU, considering the possibility of no enrolment by 2016 to 2017 as a result of the K to 12 program implementation.

Sojor said this is possible because the budget has been prepared, and that instructors are available in NORSU and the government might as well make use of them.

“But this will create a lot of problems that has to be ironed out. First, teaching in high school is different in college and so instructors need to acquire licensure exams to be able to teach,” he added.

Real came from campus 2 of NORSU in Bais City, Negros Oriental, and was trained by Sojor. He used to be an instructor of the then Genaro Goñi Memorial College in Bais, until he was absorbed by the state university.

He bested three other applicants for the position – Dr. Ma. Elsa Ilona Austria Bulado, NORSU vice president for administration and special concerns; Dr. Reynaldo Geronides Tan, a professional electrical and mechanical engineer and presently a lecturer at the graduate school; and Dr. Briccio Merced Jr., librarian of the University of the Philippines Mindanao.

The 11-member Board of Regents voted simultaneously by way of secret balloting to do away with the so-called parliamentary procedure where the chairman has to break the votes in case of a tie.

Real, who received seven votes, took his oath as NORSU's second president before the Board headed by Dr. Patricia Licuanan, for a four-year term (2012-2016), with a possibility of a reelection.*JG

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