By Daniel P. Tapaoan, Jr. 

Nurturing a fruitful collaboration, the University of Regina (U of R) in Canada and Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) have agreed to conduct an exchange program for their undergraduate students next year.  

U of R interim provost and vice president David Gregory and MMSU vice president for research and extension Nathaniel Alibuyog signed a student exchange program agreement at the Sheraton Manila Hotel in Pasay City on November 30. Dr. Alibuyog represented MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis during the agreement signing. 

To take effect in five years, the agreement allows both schools to provide an exchange for up to three undergraduate student semester units in each academic year. MMSU and U of R students who have completed at least one year of study or earned 30 credit hours of study are eligible to take the exchange program. 

President Agrupis said she is grateful to the Canadian university for committing to collaborate with MMSU, hoping the partnership will open other meaningful collaborations in the future. For his part, Dr. Gregory said they will strive to fulfill the requisites and contents of the reciprocal education exchange program. 

Dr. Mee Jay Domingo, director of MMSU internationalization, linkages and partnerships office, said U of R is now the eight Canadian partner-university of MMSU, following the Coast Mountain College, University of Saskatchewan, Dalhousie University, Evergreen College, Ryerson University, York University, and the AGA Academy. 

The U of R also signed a memorandum of understanding with seven Philippine universities, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines for the future development of the Philippine-Canada Universities Education Consortium for International Collaborative Partnerships (PhilCanEDUCON - Magic 7+). 

The consortium aims to foster academic and scholarly collaboration among Canadian universities and MMSU, Benguet State University, Central Luzon State University, Central Mindanao University, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, Mountain Province Polytechnic State College, and the University of Southeastern Philippines. 

In the five-year MOU, the tertiary schools will allow exchanges and internships for students, faculty and staff; conduct joint research and development projects, and knowledge publications; introduce new curricula; and, develop joint academic degree programs. 

The signing ceremony was witnessed by officials from the academic institutions. Attendees from MMSU were Dr. Marlowe Aquino, director for planning and head of the consortium’s Indigenous Knowledge System and Cultural Management (IKSCM) program; and Prof. Ryan Dean Sucgang, OIC-dean of College of Health Sciences and IKSCM project leader for indigenous health. (HLY/StratCom)