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STUDENT IUIS (Main Campus)

Category: Linkages

  • Philippine-European collaboration concludes at WVSU today

    By Hazel P. Villa and Antoniette D. Cortez

    ILOILO City — The Final Dissemination and Send-off of Project FORTH, a collaboration between Philippine and European universities that aims to empower teachers in challenged areas in the Philippines, concludes today, March 27, 2023, at the Cultural Center and Teleconference Room of the West Visayas State University (WVSU). This event is the second to the last leg of the project.

    Project FORTH was launched in WVSU in February 2019 and Iloilo was one of the pilot areas. It succeeded in obtaining the approval of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 2020 for the offering of the degree Master of Teaching in Challenged Areas (MAEd TCA) which is now available at WVSU, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Manila, and the University of St. La Salle (USLS) in Bacolod City.

    Today’s activities, which start at 8:30 a.m., will involve the WVSU College of Education students as the audience. The program will include a Walkthrough of Project FORTH, a presentation of the impact of Project FORTH in Philippine Higher Education, and speeches by two principals and a student who have taken up MAEd Teaching in Challenged Areas. They will talk about the Imprints of Project FORTH in

    Philippine Higher Education. WVSU President Joselito Villaruz will also deliver a speech entitled “Ways Forward for WVSU.”

    The European partner institutions will share their experiences with their Philippine counterparts, and Project FORTH Designer Julia Gonzales will speak on “Changing the Narrative: Project FORTH Vision and Beyond.”

    The second part of the Final Dissemination and Send-off will take place at the Teleconference Room of the WVSU, where the participants will share their experiences of DepEd and University Partners. They will also discuss the outputs of FORTH, such as infusion in the Bachelor of Arts Program, majoring in Teaching in Challenged Areas, and materials developed and publications.

    The afternoon session will feature European and WVSU partners speaking on Project FORTH and Beyond,

    FORTH’s impact, and “Visioning the Association for Teacher Educators and Teachers in Challenged Areas.” The program will end at 3 p.m., after which the Project FORTH Team will proceed to Davao City for the last leg of the Final Dissemination and Send-off.

    On March 23, 2023, implementers, representatives of partner schools, officials of the Department of Education and CHED gathered for the formal send-off at the Savoy Hotel in Pasay City. A series of activities followed, including visits on March 24 to Centro Escolar University and PUP and their Manila partner schools and communities, March 25 in USLS Bacolod, March 26 at an Aeta community in Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental, March 27 in WVSU, and March 28 and 29 in USeP Davao and its partner community for a project called “Education behind bars.”

  • PH-EU collab helping teachers in challenged areas close to good reviews

    By Hazel P. Villa, Rosemarie Felimon, Anne Cortez

    PASAY City – A major collaboration between Philippine and European universities ended on a positive note with good reviews given its various successes on March 23, 2023 at the Savoy Hotel here.

    The 4-year collaboration is Project FORTH (Formation of Teachers in Challenged Areas) which seeks to empower teachers who are working in challenging areas and contexts that are out of the ordinary.

    A major achievement of the said Project is the approval of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 2020 for the offering of the degree Master of Teaching in Challenged Areas (MAEd TCA) in the following universities: In Manila – the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP); and in Western Visayas – University of St. La Salle (USLS) and West Visayas State University (WVSU).

    In his speech, WVSU President Joselito Villaruz said, “Project Forth has widened the horizon of what higher institutions stand for and that is to give impetus to the sector that has been left behind so that the gains of development shall be shared to the marginalized sector of this society.”

    Also present at the Send Off were representatives of the three European universities leading in educational reform and international organizations in Europe. They are the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain, and the University of Bologna in Bologna, Italy together with the following institutions: Education for an Interdependent World in Brussels, Belgium which is the project co-coordinator and Fundacion Intered in Madrid, Spain that coordinates NGOs’ development work in different parts of the world.

    The Final Dissemination and Send Off lasts until March 29, 2023 with key implementers and module coordinators visiting partner schools and communities on the following dates: March 24 in CEU and PUP and their Manila partner schools and communities highlighting their outputs as program in-charge, March 25 in USLS Bacolod, March 26 at an Aeta community in Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental, March 27 in WVSU, March 28 and 29 in USeP Davao and its partner community for a project called “Education behind bars.”

    Discussed in the March 23 Send Off were the project’s outputs, the impact of the FORTH partnership with Europe, the envisioning of the project’s future, the Department of Education’s experiences with the participating universities, outreach to the other universities, and “visioning” the Association for Teacher Educators and Teachers in Challenged Areas.

  • WVSU-Mohawk meet to activate collab priorities for 2023

    WVSU-Mohawk meet to activate collab priorities for 2023

    Mohawk College, Canada, has recently visited West Visayas State University to discuss the specific priorities of their partnership. Represented by Nathan (Nam) Tran-Business Development Manager for China, East Asia, Southeast Asia; Katie Burrows-Vice President for Students, International and Alumni; Thea Laidman-Director for International Recruitment; and, Jelson Sales – in-market recruiter for the Philippines, Mohawk also toured the main campus and had a taste of Filipino hospitality with treats of Ilonggo delicacies and glimpses of Iloilo City.
     
    WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz acknowledged the sincerity of Mohawk College for they constantly kept contact through the International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO) of the University after ILLO Director Edel Carmela S. Subong-Csoka attended the EduCanada Networking Session in mid-2021. Dr. Villaruz also stressed that WVSU is in full support of the activities with Mohawk College, which will commence in the first quarter of 2023.

  • WVSU Contingent Attends Project FORTH in Europe

    by Leo Almonte

    West Visayas State University representatives are participating in Project FORTH meetings in Europe. As of this writing, WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz is attending a dissemination session at the University of Bologna, Italy.

    Project FORTH, or Formation of Teachers in Emerging Challenged Areas in the Philippines, aims to develop a network of Higher Education Institutions, associations, and stakeholders, creating a system of quality, motivation, and support to teacher training in a number of emerging challenged areas in the Philippines that could serve as a model of teachers training for similar contexts in the world (www.projectforth.org).

    “For WVSU, Project FORTH is FOR educating the future through Trailblazing innovations and Honing champions,”  said WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz during his presentation at the University of Bologna. 

    Also in attendance are College of Education Secretary Dr. Rosemarie Felimon, Ms. Joyce Tondo, and Jessica Gegantoca, MAEd major in Teaching in Challenged Areas students and Department of Education project partners. They are scheduled to share action research results in the meeting.

    VPAA Dr. Ma. Asuncion Christine Dequilla, Dr. Purita Bilbao, COE Undergraduate Associate Dean Dr. Amabel Siason; COE Graduate School Associate Dean Dr. Baby Rose Robles; and Ms. Rosalie Quicoy are attending FORTH activities in Groningen, Netherlands. Dr. Antoniette Cortez (Program Adviser, MAEd TCA) and Ruby Blando (DepEd teacher) are in Bilbao, Spain, attending the dissemination of the project.

    All participants will be in Brussels, Belgium, to meet with the European Commission, which co-funded the project. Project FORTH dissemination meetings in Europe are slated from November 1 to 6, 2022.

  • US Embassy visits WVSU

    The Embassy of the United States, represented by Ms Pauline Anderson, Deputy Public Engagement Attache and Ms Jennifer Pascua, American Spaces Program Coordinator, Public Affairs Section, visited West Visayas State University for a courtesy visit and to discuss possible collaborations.
    International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO) Director, Edel Carmela Subong-Csoka, was able to keep in touch with the U.S. Embassy during the Commission on Higher Education International Conference and Networking last May and expressed WVSU’s interest in partnering with them. This is to strengthen existing partnerships with the US institutions and for WVSU expansion, especially in student and faculty exchange/mobility.
     
    Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz and the Vice Presidents, unit heads, and US scholars are also there to join the discussions.#

  • FAB Project equipment, supplies turned over to CBM

    The supplies and equipment to be used to teach Master of Science in Family Business Management (FAB) were turned over to the College of Business and Management (CBM).
    FAB is a new postgraduate course in 2023 as an output of the FAB project, which is cofunded by the Erasmus+ of the European Union.
     
    CBM was led by Dean, Dr. Ma. Corazon Samorin with WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz, Director of Instruction Dr. Alona Belarga, and WVSU International and Local Linkages Office – ILLO Director Edel Carmela Subong-Csoka witnessing the event.
    Dr. Joselito Villaruz, WVSU President, stresses that FAB is one of the University’s contributions to the academe and the community.

  • WVSU joins EduCanada 2022

    West Visayas State University participated in the EduCanada Pathways to Partnership event at the Grand Hyatt, BGC, Taguig.  
    EduCanada Pathways to Partnerships provides a venue for Philippine Higher Educational Institutions to collaborate and create networks with Canadian colleges and universities.
     
    This year’s event was joined by different higher educational institutions from the Philippines and a record-high 66 Canadian institutions.
    WVSU was represented by Director of the International and Local Linkages Office, Ms Edel Carmela S. Subong-Csoka.
     

  • WVSU has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Korea University of Media Arts (KUMA) , represented by Ms. Park Yun-A, Director of International Education.

    Present in the signing ceremony were WVSU’s President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz, Vice Presidents Dr. Ma. Asuncion Christine Dequilla and Dr. Greta G. Gabinete, International and Local Linkages Office Director Edel Carmela Subong-Csoka, Calinog Campus Administrator Dr. Rosario Clarabel Contreras, Calinog Campus KUMA project coordinator Dr. Marie Candy Celeste, Calinog IZN focal person Dr Raymund Moreno, College of Communication Dean Dr. Ian Espada, and College of Information and Communications Technology Dr. Ma. Beth Concepcion.
     

  • Yeungman University Medical Center (YUMC), Korea visits WVSU College of Medicine

    Dr. Ho-woong Yoo (Researcher of YUMC & Visiting Professor of DSSID)and Ms. Young Sook Song (Researcher and Nurse, YUMC) discuss possible collaborations with the College of Medicine team led by Dean Dr. Victor Amantillo. WVSU’s VP for Academic Affairs Dr. Ma. Asuncion Christine Dequilla was also present.

  • WVSU Inks IZN Partnership with Mohawk College

    by Joseph Henry Nebres

    West Visayas State University (WVSU) and Mohawk College (MC) – Canada signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize partnerships for internationalization,  research, and program development last September 22, 2022, at the WVSU Teleconference Room.

    President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz and Dr. Greta G. Gabinete (VP for Research, Innovation and Extension) represented  WVSU, while Mohawk College Philippine representative Mr. Jelson Sales stood in for the Canada-based college.  Mohawk University’s Dr. Anuraj Bajwa (Dean for International and Partnerships) and Mr. Nathan Tran (Marketing and Development Manager) joined the event via Zoom.

    Dr. Ma. Asuncion Christine Dequilla (VP for Academic Affairs) and  Dr. Wilhelm P. Cerbo (Director for University Planning and Development Office), together with the college deans, witnessed the MOU signing.

     WVSU President Dr. Joselito Villaruz expressed his gratitude to Mohawk College for the fruition of the partnership that would open doors of opportunities for the university.

    “The programs offered by Mohawk College in the business, communication arts, community service, health, technology, graduate studies, and nursing are the best fit for West Visayas State University and its program priorities,” Dr. Villaruz said.

      The terms of collaboration include the participation of both institutions in exploring opportunities to share teaching resources and materials, training pathways, collaboration, faculty development, and exchange programs.

    “We also saw how Mohawk values diversity and supports inclusion in all aspects of academic and non-academic cooperations; therefore, Mohawk and West Visayas State University’s future together is as bright as the sun,” he added.

     

    This partnership was made possible through the leadership and initiative of Prof. Edel Carmela S. Subong-Csoka, Director of WVSU International and Local Linkages Office, and Mr. Nathan Tran Marketing and Development Manager Mohawk College (MC), Canada.