University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi
The Premier Dominican University of Bicol
The Premier Dominican University of Bicol
What started as a dream ended as a reality. Last February 2, 2022, history was made – UST-Legazpi ISO 9001:2015 Certified.
LEGAZPI CITY – In the spirit of offering Thomasian Education, the University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi has been dedicating its years of service to provide a holistic Catholic and Dominican spiritual formation, instruction, research, creative work, governance, management, and community service. UST-Legazpi is also committed to excellence by setting quality objectives, based on national and international standards1 especially such criteria set by ISO – the International Organization for Standardization, an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 167 national standards bodies.2
With this, UST-Legazpi continuously endeavors to achieve quality through satisfied customers, efficient operations, a conducive work environment, identity and brand value, and stability and sustainability in a landscape that grows more diverse and competitive over the years.3
THE ISO JOURNEY
The voyage towards ISO Certification began through an Awareness Seminar in 2016 that branched out to a Quality Management System Workshop during the days of Aquinas University of Legazpi (AUL), the former name of the university.
When the university transitioned to UST-Legazpi, another set of ISO Orientations in 2017 and 2018 were held. This was followed by a Documentation Training and Records Management Training in 2019.
Emerging through the pandemic, the university continued its ISO journey through an Internal Quality Audit Training and Mock Audit in May 2021 and the Quality Management System Orientation, an on-boarding event for all employees of the university in August 2021.
The first Internal Quality Audit of the established quality management system was then conducted towards the end of September through the first two weeks of October 2021. Meanwhile, Stage 1 of the External Audit, with SGS Philippines as the auditing body, commenced in November of the same year. The university was evaluated with zero critical findings.
In January 2022, the university subjected its quality management system to Stage 2 of the External Audit. This served as the make-or-break phase of UST-Legazpi towards the much-awaited certification. Giving their one last stretch of efforts, Legazpi Thomasian employees were able to demonstrate the ability of the management system to systematically achieve requirements of the audit standards.
Thus, UST-Legazpi was recommended for certification and finally awarded the ISO 9001:2015 certification in February 2022.
EXCELLENCE AS A DOMINICAN WAY OF LIFE
After passing the rigors of Stage 2 External Audit with ZERO Non-conformity (minor or major), the University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi secured its ISO 9001:2015 certification with arduous efforts exerted in the making.
“The engagement in quality management continues and will continue because quality is an indicator of excellence. And here at UST-Legazpi, we want excellence not simply as an initiative but as a way of life. UST-Legazpi sees this ISO recommendation as an indicator of our hard work to give nothing but quality service, and our commitment for education to transform, to Christianize, and to evangelize. In doing so, we look at our founder St. Dominic de Guzman and our patron St. Thomas Aquinas who have been known to be excellent preachers, teachers, and evangelizers all because they subscribed to the only excellent teacher and master – our Lord Jesus Christ,” Rev. Fr. Edwin A. Lao, OP, MM, Vice President for Administration and Finance stated during the Closing Meeting of the last leg of External Audit.
INTO THE FUTURE
Since the beginning, UST-Legazpi has always been positioned to serve its valued Legazpi Thomasians with a complete package that nurtures the mind, forms the heart, and enriches the spirit.
With the ISO 9001:2015 certification, UST-Legazpi further commits itself to Quality Service for Legazpi Thomasians as its way of giving back.
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1 University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi (2020). Quality Policy Statement. Retrieved, February 21, 2022.
2 ISO – About US. (2020). International Organization for Standardization. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://www.iso.org/about-us.html
3 University of Santo Tomas-Legazpi [Office of Planning and Development]. (2021, August 26). UST-Legazpi QMS Onboarding Video.mp4 [Video]. Google Drive. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A6CElJmRELXyXmzSqFitxGP903-ehKH4/view?ts=613ae500