THE MINDANAO State University (MSU) Board of Regents has conferred the rank of Professor Emeritus on a retired scientist in recognition of more than four decades of distinguished service to the university.

The appointment of Franco Teves was approved during the Board’s en banc meeting on December 9, 2025, in MSU–Marawi, following a comprehensive evaluation by the MSU–Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) Campus Academic Promotion Panel.

Teves, a longtime faculty member of the Department of Biological Sciences, surpassed the required standards for emeritus status after earning one of the highest evaluation scores under the panel’s assessment matrix.

Throughout his career, he held key leadership roles at MSU-IIT, including vice chancellor for academic affairs and director of research, and spearheaded major institutional initiatives such as campus-wide biorisk management and the pandemic response.

He is also widely recognized for his research and teaching excellence, having produced numerous internationally indexed publications, delivered invited lectures locally and abroad, and consistently earned outstanding student and peer evaluations.

MSU-IIT Chancellor Alizedney Ditucalan said the conferment honors Teves’s enduring contributions to science education and research, describing him as a cornerstone of the university’s academic legacy.