Category: Linkages

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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.

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Visitors Enjoy Food-Tasting During ASEAN Exhibit

By Ciarra Mae G. Imbang and Mary Angel Lou S. Tribiano

To fully showcase the countries they represented, participating colleges and universities prepared free food for their booth visitors, during the ASEAN Exhibit at Robinsons Mall, Jaro, Iloilo City.

West Visayas State University, representing Indonesia, prepared Indonesian delicacies such as chicken satay and pandan sponge.

Capiz State University, representing Malaysia, served kakanins such as aripahol or puto-lanson, cassava cake, and baye-baye. Aside from the kakanins, they also prepared native darag chicken, bamboo shoot, and lemongrass tea.

Iloilo Science and Technology University, representing Cambodia, gave away Palawan chips.

Central Philippine University, representing the Philippines, transported visitors to their childhood days as they offered classic pinoy snacks like Happy, Haw-haw, and Nips.

Aklan State University, representing Laos, gave out pasalubong knick-knacks such as biscocho, galletas, and ugoy-ugoy.

Aside from the colorful spectacles and lively performances, the visitors also enjoyed the savory delicacies of various Southeast Asian cultures that surely gave them a memorable yet well informed tour on ASEAN countries, without leaving the country.

The five-day exhibit was spearheaded by the Commission on Higher Education.

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WVSU Represents Indonesia at the ASEAN 55th Founding Anniversary Exhibit

By Leo Almonte

West Visayas State University (WVSU) represents Indonesia during the week-long ASEAN Exhibit: A Showcase of ASEAN Culture and Education that started last September 26, 2022, at Robinsons Mall, Jaro, Iloilo City. 

ASEAN, a regional body, composed of 10 member states founded in 1967, is committed to promoting intergovernmental cooperation in economic development, security, military, politics, and education. 

CHED Region VI and Western Visayas Association of Higher Education Institutions (WVAHEI) organized the event in collaboration with WVAHEI members to celebrate the 55th Founding Anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Higher Education Institutions participating in the event stand-in for an ASEAN member state through booths showcasing its culture. Assigned to represent Indonesia, WVSU’s International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO) booth featured its culture through Indonesian-inspired decorations, visuals, and symbols. 

WVSU’s Janiuay and Lambunao Campuses put their culinary skills into high gear by preparing Indonesian cuisines like Beef Rendang, Ayam Goreng, Chicken Satay, Cilor, and Klepon. Mall goers swarmed the booths for free food tasting and a closer look at the display. ILLO staff and interns manning the booth donned  Indonesian-themed outfits. 

The ASEAN Exhibit became an opportunity for the different WVSU campuses to work as a team and contribute to the event’s success. The other units that contributed to cultural production, logistics, booth set-up, concept development, theme, design and promotion were the Dance Cultural Affairs Office, College of Business and Management, Pototan Campus, MIS, PAMCO, WVSU Artist Guild, ILLO and PAMCO interns, and the General Service Office.  

Like in all the booths, WVSU’s corner garnered visitors for selfies, food-tasting, and small talks with staff about their “adopted” country. The ASEAN Exhibit is open to the public until September 30, 2022 at  Robinsons Mall, Jaro, Iloilo City. 

 

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CHED hosts ASEAN’s 55th founding anniversary kickoff

by Gian Kyra A. Morones / ILLO

August 8, 2022 – CHED hosts their first hybrid virtual kick-off ceremony for ASEAN’s 55th founding anniversary. This year, ASEAN carries Cambodia’s chairmanship 2022 theme, ASEAN A.C.T. Addressing Challenges Together.

The Assistant Secretary of ASEAN Affairs, Daniel Ramos Espiritu, opened the ceremony with his welcome remarks. In his speech, Daniel Espiritu highlighted how school closures due to the pandemic interrupted the development of education. With the sudden shift in traditional learning to online education, there had been a growing digital divide among students. By October of 2020, ASEAN leaders and experts created measures to promote digital literacy and development of transferable skills among youths and children. This is to ensure that education in the region is “equitable, inclusive and future ready”. Along with distance learning strategies, maximize e-learning platforms, open educational resources, and virtual peer exchanges in order to further improve the quality of education. He noticed that, “ASEAN remains united and strong even in the face of hardships”.

“ASEAN remains united and strong even in the face of hardships.”

The event’s guest speaker, Senator Loren Legarda, mentioned her first bill in the 19th Congress, the ‘One Tablet, One Student Program’ seek to provide public schools, universities and colleges a tablet for each student for the purpose of helping them cope with the changes in their education. In coordination with CHED, Senator Legarda helped in assisting students’ education through developing laws that provide financial assistance to their education like UniFast, Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act and the Enhanced Basic Education Program. She stressed that, “Filipinos, especially from lower income families, should know that they have such opportunities”. She also stated a problem concerning the young population as they face a disproportionate level of unemployment and under employment in which she hopes to address if given the chance. “It is imperative that we build a more resilient educational ecosystem”. She proposed to ramp up the skills development in education, sustainable development, gender equality and inclusivity.

SEAMEO Director, Dr. Ethel Agnes Pascua Valenzuela stated that “we must strengthen the implementation of open, flexible and distance learning” and provide more importance to distance learning. The new normal education paved the way to a reimagined new normal and hybrid higher education. This new development in learning and education must be valued and acknowledged in order to adjust and move forward with ease towards new learning modalities.

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WVSU, Florida State University conduct ABC+ project

by Gian Kyra A. Morones and Shanea Mae A. Nalaunan / ILLO

 

West Visayas State University – College of Education (WVSU-COE) held the Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Workshop in preparation for pre-service teachers on August 8, 2022.

The event was facilitated by Florida State University (FSU), as one of the technical assistants that provide one public university in each chosen region. West Visayas State University collaborated with international experts Dr. Ana Marty and Kate Schell, literacy specialists from FSU, on pre-service teacher education to develop syllabus and instructional modules for instructors and students, and train instructors who will deliver literacy courses. Its objective is  to create courses that focus on literacy development and beginning reading to be a part of the College of Education curricula for the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECE) and Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEE).

WVSU will receive technical assistance from ABC+ for these courses to be taught. This project is holding another event this August 11 and 12, 2022 aimed to  develop and improve the early literacy training for pre-service teachers.

The Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, in collaboration with West Visayas State University College of Education, held the activity as part of their agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines—a 5-year project that aims to improve literacy skills, math, and social and emotional learning skills for Kindergarten through Grade 3 in Regions V (Bicol) and VI (West Visayas).

Dr. Joselito P. Villaruz, WVSU President, handing the certificates to Dr. Ana Marty (left) and Kate Schell (right)

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The WVSU – College of Law’s Project E-Hustisya

West Visayas State University – College of Law (WVSU-COL) implemented a project that focuses on legally assisting the marginalized sectors of Iloilo City.

The WVSU – College of Law’s Center for Law Advocacy is a legal clinic that provides legal assistance for marginalized sectors. However, what sets E-Hustisya apart is that it specifically focuses on abused women and children.

In Rule 138 – Law Student Practice Rule by the Supreme Court, students can act as lawyers and handle cases as long as a supervising lawyer is present. Thus, Project E-Hustisya is a student-driven legal clinic with Atty. Ian Thomas M. Besana acting as their supervising lawyer. The cases of victims will be facilitated by the College of Law student lawyers through interviewing clients, preparations of documents to be filed in court, assisting a negotiation, and other legal assistance necessary.

According to Atty. Ian Thomas M. Besana, also the college’s Associate Dean, the project had already begun conducting training for two barangays that are nearest the vicinity of the University campus—Brgy. Magsaysay and Brgy. Montinola. They are trained to carefully handle sensitive and pervasive cases regarding women and children victims. He said, “Sa barangay level pa lang kung ma resolve na siya hindi na mag file case… kay ang courts ta puno na sang cases”. However, it is essential to note that the College of Law’s Center for Law Advocacy also caters to other cases such as disputes, crimes, etc. Atty. Ian Thomas M. Besana mentioned that the College of Law aims to apply for Level 2 Training for the purpose of allowing law student practitioners to appear in courts.

The project is led by the College of Law, in partnership with the Gender and Development Office (GAD) and the Women and Children Protection Unit (WCPU). In addition, the United Nations and European Union granted two (2) million pesos to fund the project thus, an amount of one thousand five hundred (1,500) pesos will be given to consulting victims to be utilized as financial assistance if they decide to file a case.

Currently, the Center for Law Advocacy is open for people around Iloilo City, and even for the people around the University campus, though it is a mission to expand the project. Project E-Hustisya can be accessed through email, social media channels, and available hotlines to be provided along with booklets to be distributed by the Center for Law Advocacy called Pakigbato 101.

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WVSU explores collab with KMUTT in Thailand

West Visayas State University continues to expand its reach in the fulfillment of its mandates in instruction, research, and extension.
 
With its International and Local Linkages Offie (ILLO) Director Prof. Edel Subong-Csoka , VP for Research, Innovation, and Extension Dr. Greta Gallo Gabinete, campus administrators Dr. Dominador Lisao of the College of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF) and Dr. Mary Josephine Bautista (Lambunao), and CAF Internationalization focal person Prof. Rod Reynan Gallego Laspiñas, WVSU had a discussion with King Mungkot’s University Of Technology Thonburi in Thailand regarding possible collaborations between the two institutions.
 
The WVSU delegation was welcomed by KMUTT led by Dr. Julapot Chiravachradej.
The vision for a sustainable society is shared by both schools. #
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WVSU eyeing expansion with Kasetsart University

Expanding the horizon of WVSU has always been a vision for its institutional internationalization. And a vision coming true is a milestone worth sharing with the rest of Taga-West.
 
Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz, WVSU president, has always pushed for full force internationalization. With the International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO) headed by Director Ms. Edel Carmela Subong-Csoka, a visit to Kasetsart University in Thailand was made to foster collaborations, most especially in the fields of agriculture and forestry, and forensics.
 
With the study visit and institutional expansion were VP for Research, Innovation, and Extension Dr. @Greta G. Gabinete, Campus Administrators Dr. @Dominador Lisao (College of Agriculture and Forestry-CAF) and Dr. Mary Josephine Bautista (Lambunao), and Internationalization Focal Person of CAF Prof. Rod Reynan Las Pinas. #
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WVSU ILLO goes to Thailand for collabs

Recently, West Visayas State University, through the International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO) headed by Director Ms. Edel Subong-Csoka, took the journey in #T3ThaiLab for #international #expansion and #collaborations.
 
Together with partners, University of Antique and Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology (now State University of Northern Negros) , WVSU visited the Kingdom of Thailand.
 
WVSU University President Dr. Joselito Villaruz Bebong Villaruz has always envisioned the University’s full force internationalization. This may be just “baby steps” but it’s meant to conquer. #padayonwvsu #WVSUexcels
 
First stop is Mahidol University International College.
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WVSU President attends Erasmus + Capacity Building Project Meeting

WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz and CBM Dean Dr. Ma. Corazon Samorin attending the Meeting for the Project FAB Master’s Programme in Family Business Management (Contract No 619264-EPP-1-2020-1-KH-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP).
 
FAB is one of the projects of the University under the Erasmus+ Capacity Building projects in the field of Higher Education (CBHE).
 
Present are partner representatives from Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal