By Edmar Delos Santos
With reports from Chessa Pae Faustino, STRATCOM Correspondent

Mariano Marcos State University brought together top officials from 22 state universities and colleges (SUCs) across the Philippines on January 21 at Teatro Ilocandia to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the quality of tertiary education in the country.

Dubbed ACHIEVE Consortium, MMSU leads the collaboration which aims to elevate academic excellence, research and development, and internationalization initiatives in higher education, particularly with the 22 SUCs, across eight regions, under the jurisdiction of Commission on Higher Education Commissioner Shirley C. Agrupis, immediate past MMSU president. 

Through the MoU, the tertiary education institutions are poised to jointly conduct conferences, research activities, and capacity-building programs. They also also look forward to academic materials sharing, and faculty and student exchange programs. The SUCs will also develop transnational education and short-term courses, and promote the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Present at the signing ceremony were MMSU officials, faculty, and students, as well as presidents, vice presidents, board secretaries, officers-in-charge, directors, and other high-ranking officials from Negros Oriental State University, Cebu Technological University, Bohol Island State University, Cebu Normal University, Siquijor State College, Eastern Visayas State University, Palompon Institute of Technology, Camiguin Polytechnic State College, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Central Mindanao University, Davao Oriental State University, Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology, University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao del Norte State College, Adiong Memorial State College, Caraga State University, Surigao del Norte State University, North Eastern Mindanao State University, Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, Nueva Vizcaya State University,  Cagayan State University, and Quirino State University.

SUC representatives also attended CHED Commisioner Agrupis’ ACHIEVE Journey event, featuring her previous administration’s milestones in realizing her seven-point agenda for the MMSU from 2017 to 2024.

Following the MoU, the SUCs benchmark MMSU’s instruction, research, and extension engagements on January 22 at the Center for Flexible Learning. The visit included a tour of facilities such as the Coastal Engineering Research Center, Food Innovation Center, National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center, Probiotics Laboratory, and the College of Medicine. 

A discussion forum was also conducted to address various topics, such as the university’s Smart Campus Development, internationalization efforts, human resource development, and financial management services.

MMSU OIC-President Prima Fe R. Franco expressed her excitement over the new collaboration, describing it as a significant step towards achieving excellence across different indicators of quality education. “I know that the 22 SUCs who visited the university are also at the forefront of advancing tertiary education in their respective regions. This collaboration manifests how important it is to work together to develop the nation’s future human capital.”