Mariano Marcos
State University

MMSU forges partnership with UP to elevate tourism, hospitality education

By Benedict Jay Collado

Intending to elevate tourism and hospitality management studies amid the rapid changes in the industry, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) partnered with the University of the Philippines through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and a Lecture Series on September 23 at the MMSU Center for Teaching Excellence (CTEx) Hall. 

The pact joined the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management (DTHM) of the MMSU College of Business, Economics and Accountancy (CBEA) and UP’s Asian Institute of Tourism (AIT), creating a partnership that allows instruction and faculty development, research, student and faculty exchange, and extension 

This will allow the university to connect with UP’s strong academic expertise and wide tourism reach while leveraging the strong Ilokano heritage that helps shape the tourism industry in Ilocos Norte. This was also emphasized by UP Diliman Chancellor Atty. Edgardo Carlo Vistan II as he delivered his message after the signing. 

CBEA OIC Dean Emil James Tanagon expressed his anticipation of the success of the partnership, describing this as an opportunity for the college to upgrade its foundation to match the growth of the industry. 

Meanwhile, a two-part lecture series was also conducted to kickstart this partnership. Dr. Edieser Dela Santa tackled the lecture “Writing Publishable Papers,” while a visiting professor from the National University of Singapore, Dr. Hamzah Muzaini, focused his discussion on heritage and identity for the Tourism Month Special Lecture.

Both lectures allowed attendees to widen their perspective on the topic and gain insights from the distinguished speakers through an open forum where they asked several questions that opened a more valuable discussion.