Professor Patricia M. Empleo, PhD, Dean of the UST-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy, was recognized as the 2021 Pillar of Accounting Education by the National Association of Certified Public Accountants in Education (NACPAE), at the conclusion of its three-day virtual conference on May 28, 2021.
Congratulatory poster for Dean Empleo during the NACPAE conference 
Dean Empleo delivering her acceptance speech
In an interview with the Communications Bureau, Empleo said that the recognition, using accounting parlance feels like a “psychological income” or a bonus to what teachers and administrators normally receive in return for their efforts. “It is rewarding and joyful to be recognized by peers whose achievements may be greater than mine,” said Empleo, dedicating her award with fellow accounting teachers and her colleagues in the University of Santo Tomas, as well as her family.
Under Empleo’s leadership, the BS Accountancy program was recognized both locally and abroad, becoming one of the first four programs in UST to be certified by the ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance group. Empleo has likewise been steering the college through the K-12 and flexible learning transitions, during which time the University offered the BS Accounting Information System program.
Talking about the pandemic, Empleo said that “accounting teachers will thrive regardless of the circumstances.” She likewise trained the spotlight on the opportunities provided by the pandemic, which provided the occasion “to upskill ourselves and embrace the use of technology in teaching, research, community service, and in further collaboration with other stakeholders, regardless of location.”
A respected educator in professional circles, she is an active leader in organizations like the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants and NACPAE, and in 2017 was inducted in the Global Accounting Hall of Fame by the Institute of Certified Management Accountants.
