Category: International News

West Visayas State University (WVSU) bagged Excellence in Internationalization (IZN) Initiatives awards for two straight years, during the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Regional Quality Awards in celebration of its Founding Anniversary and 4th National Higher Education Day held at Urdaneta Hall, University of San Agustin on May 29, 2024.

The CHED Regional Quality Awards celebrates the outstanding efforts and initiatives of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in various categories such as instruction, research, and community extension, among many others.

President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz and International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO) Director, Prof. Edel Carmela S. Subong-Csoka, with Dr. Peter Ernie Paris, VP for Administration and Finance, received the award.

ILLO acknowledges the effort of the entire WVSU system in this achievement, to strengthen its internationalization efforts and widen its network of international partners for academic, research, and community engagement programs and activities.

Furthermore, WVSU excelled in various areas earning recognition across multiple categories. The university received the following awards:

• Multiple Outstanding Board Performance Awards for the Physician Licensure Examination (PLE), Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE), and Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET)
• Award for Excellence in Community Extension
• Award for Excellence in Research
• Award for Excellence in Internationalization Initiatives
• Award for Excellence in Peace Education
• Model Implementer: SIKAP
• Recognition for the Provision of Support to CHEDRO VI’s Endeavors

Key university officials, including Dr. Ma. Asuncion Christine Dequilla, VP for Academic Affairs; Dr. Greta G. Gabinete, VP for Research, Innovation and Extension; Dr. Peter Ernie D. Paris, VP for Administration and Finance; Dr. Reymund B. Flores, Director of University Planning and Development Office (UPDO); Dr. Celina C. Gellada, VP for Medical and Allied Sciences; Dr. Ma. Pilar S. Malata, Dean of the Office of Student Affairs; Dr. Rejie F. Palmos, Coordinator of Center for Peace Education; Dr. Ricky P. Becodo, Director of University Extension & Development Center, were also present to receive the various recognitions.

WVSU’s remarkable achievements in the CHED Regional Quality Awards serve as a testament to its dedication to excellence and its significant contributions to the advancement of higher education in the region and in the country.

West Visayas State University (WVSU) and Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on May 23, 2024, to enhance and fortify the university’s national volunteer service and community extension program.

The signing ceremony led by PNVSCA’s Executive Director, Donald James D. Gawe and WVSU’s President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz, solidifies both PNVSCA and WVSU’s commitment to advocate for volunteerism, deepening the sense of camaraderie and unity among faculty, staff, and students.

Dr. Villaruz said, “This partnership will open more doors for us to collaborate with established organizations and will accelerate the implementation of programs and enhance our systems and services.”

Present in the signing ceremony were Prof. Edel Carmela Subong-Csoka, Director of International and Local Linkages Office; Mr. Marlon Jinon, Chief EDS, NEDA VI; Dr. Ma. Pilar Malata, Dean of Students; Dr. Francis Pantino, Director of the National Service Training Program; Mr. Ian Sumagaysay, Director of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Unit WVSU; Dr. Isauro Sindol, IZN Coordinator of WVSU Lambunao; Dr. Lea Escantilla-Lebuna, Planning Officer of CAF, and the DagYoung Student Ambassadors from the different colleges and campuses.

The West Visayas State University – College of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF) Emergency Response Team (ERT) composed of student volunteers, also attended. They have been involved with volunteerism efforts in the CAF and with the local government of Lambunao. The CAF ERT is under the supervision of Dr. Escantilla-Lebuna.

The partnership allows both WVSU and PNVSCA to collaborate in mainstreaming volunteerism in the academe, implement volunteerism-related activities, promote and advocate volunteerism, build volunteerism statistics and, help in nation-building.

David Park-Project & Advancement Coordinator for International (Truro) in the Faculty of Agriculture; Lana Bos-VP for International, and Audrie-Jo McConkey-Faculty met with the WVSU College of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF) represented by Dr. Anthony Leal-Dean of the School of Agriculture, Mr. Leonie Consabo-Faculty, and Mr. Michael Victor Gonzales-Internationalization Coordinator for the campus.

WVSU International and Local Linkages Office – ILLO Director Ms. Edel Carmela Subong-Csoka was also there to moderate the meeting and guide the discussion. Dr. Greta Gabinete, VP for Research, Innovation, and Extension, who is also a faculty of CAF, was in full support of the endeavor.

Collaboration involving the Wildlife Conservation Park that the College of Agriculture and Forestry is taking care of, will possibly commence in 2025.

West Visayas State University (WVSU), through its representatives, participated in the Seventh General Meeting – GM7 of the CALOHEA (Measuring and Comparing Achievements of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Asia) last Dec. 13 to 15, 2023, in Porto, Portugal.

Dr. Lynette Alcala of the College of Medicine (COM) and Dr. Hilda Montaño of the College of Education (COE) represented WVSU, one of the 31 Higher Education Institutions across eight ASEAN countries, and five European states engaged in the CALOHEA Project. Dr. Alcala is with the Medicine Subject Area Group while Dr. Montaño is with the Teacher Education Subject Area Group.

The Project measures Competences and Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Asia, a Project of the Erasmus+ Programme. It is coordinated by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands with the ASEAN University Network (AUN) partner agency. It operates through three Subject Area Groups: Civil Engineering, Medicine, and Teacher Education.

“The initiatives of the University to conduct a system-wide Workload-Based Curriculum Planning and Development as well as the inclusion of authentic assessment and student workload in the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) and Teacher Integration Program are tangible outcomes of the CALOHEA project,” said Dr. Montaño, former Dean of the COE.

Welcoming the participants on the first day were Dr. Robert Wagenaar of the University of Groningen who is also the Director of the International Tuning Academy, Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti of the ASEAN University Network, and Mervin Bakker of the University of Groningen.

The 3-day event had the participants discussing the following:

On Day One, the “Creation and use of Regional Subject-Specific Qualifications and Assessment Reference Frameworks to permit greater comparability of institutional degree programme profiles”, and “Implementation of authentic assessment of internationally comparable learning outcomes in degree programmes”.

On Day Two, the participants discussed “Implementation of authentic assessment of internationally comparable learning outcomes in degree programmes”, and “Instalment of the culture of student workload measurement as an integral part of curriculum design”.

And finally on Day Three, discussions were by country-specific groups where they focused on the “Guidelines for bridging South East Asian Student Workload with other contexts” and “Dissemination and impact in country-specific groups”.

Dr. Alcala and Dr. Montaño returned to Iloilo City on December 19, 2023 and in relation to CALOHEA, will work to ensure the dissemination and sustainability of the three recognition mechanisms.