In preparation for the Academic Year 2025-2026, Saint Louis University convened its heads of offices for the Calendar Summit and Structural Reorganization Presentation on 16 June 2025 at the Fr. Francis Gevers Hall, Diego Silang Building, SLU Main Campus. The event aimed to streamline institutional planning by aligning academic schedules and priorities to ensure efficient implementation of key programs and initiatives.
Atty. Shellah Yzanne P. Merced, Vice President for Administration, set the direction in her opening, emphasizing that the summit “ensures transparency, seamlessness, and efficiency.” Shortly after, University Registrar, Andrew Macalma, PhD, presented the overview of the drafted academic calendar as well as the scheduling guide. The different clusters then had breakout sessions to discuss, decide on, and map out their respective university-wide, cluster, and unit-level activities.
In the afternoon, the updated organizational structure was presented to further reinforce institutional accountability and alignment. “Reorganization is crucial for us, as an organization, to adapt to changing circumstances, improve efficiency, and ensure long-term viability. It allows us to streamline operations, to ensure greater alignment between SLU and its stakeholders, and even manage internal issues like inefficiencies or redundancies. It empowers us to operate more efficiently, foster innovation, and enhance employee satisfaction,” Atty. Merced said.
To provide a clearer understanding of SLU’s organizational structure, Felerina Ellamil, PhD, Job Analysis Project Consultant, gave a walk through of the pivotal movements and shifts in the leadership structure. The presentation showed how all units are aligned with the university’s strategic direction and are equipped with a solid grasp of the changes, enabling heads to effectively cascade information and updates to their respective teams. It also clarified how the reorganization impacts each office’s mandate and operations in relation to the University’s overall structure, ensuring that plans are supported by the appropriate systems and resources. Furthermore, the presentation highlighted the importance of coordination and collaboration across units to ensure streamlined operations, seamless processes, and efficiency.
After some clarifications from unit heads on the revised organization structure, Vice President for Finance Roberto Arguelles, PhD discussed how re-organization impacts the University’s strategic direction, highlighting that an organization’s structure should be designed to effectively implement its strategic goals. “A well-aligned structure facilitates communication, coordination, collaboration, and the efficient allocation of resources to achieve those goals,” he said. The new structure encourages a culture that embraces change, values community, and builds leadership based on respect — not on rules or position, he explained.
As SLU sets its course for the coming academic year, the summit reaffirmed the university’s commitment to shared leadership and organizational agility. Such undertakings are aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education), 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
