Istanbul, Turkey – On its second day, MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis (PSCA) joins Prof Popoy  De Vera as panelists at the 9th Annual Eurasia Higher Education Summit (EURIE 2024) on February 28.

In her speech, PSCA highlighted that Philippine universities have taken bolder steps to ensure that the quality of education enables graduates to realize their full potential as members of the global community. 

With the leadership of Prof Popoy De Vera , the internationalization strategy of the Commission on Higher Education was realized for Philippine HEIs.

As a QS Stars-rated institution and one of the top universities in the Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, she emphasized MMSU’s internationalization efforts in making MMSU graduates more competitive and developing global citizens among staff and students.

Joining PSCA and Prof Popoy De Vera as panelists, were Dr. Mee Jay Domingo, director of internationalization, linkages, and partnerships, and Prof. Jeanette Dials, chief of international faculty and student mobility, who shared their insights and testaments of MMSU’s commitment to sustaining internationalization efforts. 

Under PSCA’s leadership, the university has developed the MMSU CARES Framework for Global Citizenship, emanating from the Strategic Internationalization Plan and anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals. CARES stands for Create and enhance consciousness about the world; Acknowledge diverse world views; Report global trends; Execute actions addressing global issues; and Sustain global competence. 

PSCA highlighted the university’s efforts to expose faculty and students to diverse world views. Faculty and students attended exchange programs on sustainable agriculture, tourism, cultural education, and leadership. 

The university's global citizenship programs encourage students to think more deeply about the impact of their decisions and activities on other parts of the world. He shared that MMSU has created programs that allow students to discuss the community's pressing concerns while instilling in them the values of knowledge, inclusiveness, professionalism, spirituality, and social responsibility.

Furthermore, MMSU has spearheaded the creation of the JPT16 Consortium, which promotes education for sustainable development; the PhilCanEducon Magic+ with Canadian universities focused on indigenous knowledge management; and the Indigenous Food Research Consortium, composed of three universities in the Philippines, two in Thailand and four in Japan. These programs served as platforms to discuss global issues and create an impact on sustainable development.  

To ensure alignment with global standards, MMSU has established partnerships with international universities for research and advanced studies of faculty members. At present, MMSU has 120 partners internationally.