The first formal visit of the newly formed Commission on Higher Education (CHED) took place on January 4, 1996. A panel of five members chaired by Dr. Roberto Padua carefully and painstakingly examined the readiness of the institution in terms of: (1) compliance of program offerings to CHED standards particularly on program accreditation requirements; (2) substantial evidence of recognized strengths in the arts, science, humanities and social science components of its courses; (3) a continuing quest for excellence and a commitment to a reasonably high standard of instruction demonstrated through the quality of its education programs, outstanding achievements of its students and excellent performance of its graduates particularly in government examinations; (4) a dynamic research program manned by qualified and competent personnel including the periodic publication of scholarly journals; and (5) a creditable community extension program involving the community within its immediate area as manned by experienced and service-oriented personnel. Two major recommendations were offered: (1) that the school should have doctorate degree holders in linguistics, mathematics, sciences, business, education and preferably in all other disciplines, and (2) the intensification of the institution's research program including the periodic publication of refereed journals.