A service-oriented academic leader, an innovative institution builder, and a visionary resource mobilizer.

These attributes of MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis made her an outstanding public servant, thus, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) cited her as one of the 2020 Presidential Lingkod Bayan (PLB) Regional Awardees.

The PLB award is one of the three major awards of the CSC’s Search for Outstanding Government Officials and Employees under its Honor Awards Program (HAP). The other two are the CSC Pagasa and Dangal ng Bayan awards. 

Dr. Agrupis is one of the two Lingkod Bayan regional recipients and among the 12 HAP regional awardees this year. 

The PLB was one of the highlights in the celebration of the 120th Philippine Civil Service Anniversary. The citation was part of CSC’s advocacy of promoting excellence and recognizing public servants for outstanding performance, contribution and achievements, and consistent manifestation of exemplary ethical behavior in the civil service. 

Since assuming the MMSU presidency in August 2017, Dr. Agrupis has brought to the MMSU her 35 years of fruitful experience as a faculty member, researcher, and administrator.

She initiated innovative approaches toward improved service delivery for all MMSU stakeholders, with the end goal of achieving MMSU’s vision to become a premier Philippine university by 2028.

To attain this vision, she crafted her 7-point agenda dubbed ACHIEVE: Academic excellence; Creative, relevant and innovative research programs; High impact and transformative extension and outreach programs; Improved revenue generation and resource management; Expanded external linkages and partnerships; Vibrant and encouraging, culturally-focused university campus; and Effective and efficient management.

Under her three-year leadership, MMSU aggressively levels up and responds with the international standards and Industry 4.0 demands. As proofs, MMSU obtained the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 9001:2015) certification, garnered three stars under the prestigious Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Stars System, and sustained its status as Level IV university and its Center of Excellence (COE) and Centers of Development (COD).

Despite the demands of presidency, Dr. Agrupis dynamically involves herself in research, extension, and development (RDE) initiatives by leading the three big research projects of the university: Bioethanol Research and Extension Program; Tuklas Lunas Development Program; and Black Garlic Research Project. 

Having been raised in a family of smallholder farmers, her research goals are geared toward developing technologies that help bring inclusive and sustainable development in the communities.

Moreover, under her administration, MMSU has forged partnerships from various universities, agencies, and organizations here in the Philippines and in other countries. 

The numerous awards and citations she harvested include the William D. Dar Research Leadership Award given by the Philippine Association of Research Managers, Inc. in 2019, one of Laoag City’s 55 Inspiring Heroes in the time of Pandemic, and a Noteworthy Leader in times of crisis in 2020 by The Ilocos Times. 

Dr. Agrupis is also the concurrent president of the Association of State Colleges and Universities – Solid North (ASCU-SN), and a member of the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) Technical Working Group Platform for Innovating SUCs for Industry, and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Technical Panel for SUC Levelling.

Through her leadership, the MMSU’s National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center received last July the CSC Gantimpala Agad Award for its innovation efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. – by DP Tapaoan, Jr. (StratCom)