“In all the responsibilities afforded to me, I always put first the fact that public office is a public trust. I serve with accountability, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency. I employ transformational leadership to drive positive change and growth among my colleagues, and learn when to be firm and when to listen to the perspective of others.” 

Dr. Jude A. Duarte is the 4th and the current University President of Southern Leyte State University. His four-year term started on January 24, 2023, serving after former President Dr. Prose Ivy G. Yepes.

With his experiences, skills, and accomplishments as an administrator and faculty throughout the years, Dr. Duarte has devoted majority of his professional life to higher education. After his stint as the University President of Leyte Normal University (LNU) from 2013 to 2021, he still finds passion and motivation in coming back to the folds of service with his dedication to return to his roots and serve SLSU, the institution where he first started his career in the academe, and help the university achieve its vision, mission, and goals. 

Dr. Duarte graduated from Colegio de San Jose Recoletos in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. He then took his Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in Accounting at Saint Joseph College. He received his Master in Management major in Public Management in 1993 from the University of the Philippines-Tacloban. Ten years after, he graduated with his doctorate degree in Public Administration from Cebu Normal University.

Dr. Duarte rose from the ranks of his administrative career, proving that he is the epitome of hard work and dedication. Before becoming the steward of SLSU, he handled several high administrative positions in the university such as Officer-In-Charge of the then Tomas Oppus Normal College, now SLSU-Tomas Oppus Campus; Dean of the Graduate School; Campus Administrator in SLSU-Bontoc Campus and SLSU-Tomas Oppus Campus, and; Vice President for Administration and Finance, among others. 

Dr. Duarte received numerous international and local awards from partner institutions here and abroad. He was recognized by Tra Vinh University in Vietnam, the University of Victoria in Canada, and New York University in USA. He was also awarded Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, and Australian Fellow by the Australian Awards and Research Partnership in Tertiary Leadership. During his term at LNU, he was named by the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) as one of the University Presidents in the region with outstanding service.

Under his stewardship, Dr. Duarte aims for the university to commit to being accultured with research and innovation geared towards resilience and sustainability for glocal (global + local) recognition. 

With his vision to make SLSU a university of the future, Dr. Duarte firmly believes it is the ultimate direction of any higher education in the world defined by competitiveness and relevance, where competitiveness is gauged by global recognition and relevance as a manifestation of the university's resiliency and sustainable mechanism.