IN PHOTOS: DAN ROLA

Chancellor Dionisia "Dan" A. Rola

a visionary leader, a distinguished academic, a dedicated public servant

Dan Rola started teaching in UP Iloilo College (UPIC) shortly after its establishment in 1947. In the 70s she became Dean of UP College Iloilo (UPCI). She envisioned an autonomous University of the Philippines unit in the Visayas.

During her leadership, the groundwork for the new constituent university was laid. The site for the Miagao campus was acquired, infrastructure was built, and academic foundations were strengthened.

In 1980, Executive Order No. 628 formally operationalized the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, with Dr. Dionisia A. Rola appointed as its first Chancellor, becoming the first woman Chancellor in the whole UP System.