Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman is a professor at the College of Business Administration at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She made history not only as UP’s Centennial president but also as its first woman president. Aside from having been chancellor of the UP Diliman campus (1991-1993 and 1999-2004), Dr Roman’s experience in university administration includes former positions as vice chancellor for administration, secretary of the university and of the Board of Regents, vice president for administration, and member of the Board of Regents representing the faculty. She also holds important positions in several foundations, most notably as president of the UP Diliman Foundation, Inc.
Dr Emerlinda R. Roman is the first woman to have been elected as President of the University of the Philippines. Dr Roman served as the President of UP Foundation, Inc., NEC Foundation, Inc. and UP Foundation in America. Dr Roman served as U.P. President from February 10, 2005, to February 9, 2011. She is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Rice Research Institute, Angara Center for Law and Economics, and the Board of Advisers of Manila Tytana Colleges, Inc. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Naga College Foundation and Board of Advisers of the Development Center for Finance. Prior to becoming the President of UP, she served as the Chancellor of the UP Diliman Campus from 1999 to 2005 and from 1991 to 1993. She also held positions in different foundations. From 2005 to 2011, she served as the Chair of the UP Provident Fund, Inc. She has been an Independent Director of Philex Petroleum Corporation since August 4, 2011. She also serves as Independent Director of SMART Communications, Inc. and of Digital Telecommunications Philippines, Inc. Dr Roman is also a Director of Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc. and of One Meralco Foundation.
Dr Roman obtained her BS in agriculture from UPLB in 1972 and her master of agribusiness management and PhD in business administration from UP Diliman in 1977 and 1989, respectively. She held various positions at the UP College of Business Administration before being tapped to serve the university in various other capacities. She has received several awards, including Outstanding Professor (1995), Outstanding Alumnus for Public Service, UP College of Business Administration, and UPLB Outstanding Alumnus for Academic Administration.
Dr. Roman’s most recent awards include the following: Lingkod Bayan Award, a recognition of her outstanding work in government service in 2007 conferred by the Civil Service Commission and the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines; Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur, au grade de Chevaliere conferred by the President of the Republic of France through the French Embassy in Manila in 2009; CEO EXCEL Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) conferred by the International Association of Business Communicators in 2011; and The Outstanding Filipino Award (TOFIL) in Education in 2011 sponsored by the JCI Senate Philippines and Insular Life. This award was presented at Malacañang by President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino.
It was during Dr Roman’s presidency when the University, after almost a quarter of a century of negotiations with the Philippine Congress, succeeded in having the University Charter amended. This now gives UP the flexibility it needs to deal with the challenges of the 21st century. Dr Roman’s term also saw the rise of the National Science Complex and the launch of the Engineering Research and Development for Technology Program in UP Diliman, both multibillion peso programs supported by the National Government. These two programs were part of Dr Roman’s Science and Technology thrust which is one of her ten-point agenda when she assumed the UP presidency. Faculty and staff benefits were upgraded significantly during her term – a result of the successful centennial fundraising Dr Roman set out to do during her incumbency.
Dr. Roman has produced several publications and research papers on management control, human resource management, administrative policy, and organizational behavior. She has also attended numerous conferences and programs on higher education, and has been a consultant to government agencies and international organizations.
