Introducing our Member: University of Southeastern Philippines (AUN-QA Member)

From 26-31 March 2023, the AUN Secretariat was honoured by its esteemed members and associate members for a courtesy visit in the beautiful city of Davao, the Philippines. In this series of articles, we are delighted to tell you more about our honourable members and what they are up to!

Previously, we have introduced you to the one and only constituent of the University of the Philippines System in the Mindanao region - University of the Philippines Mindanao (UP Mindanao). This week, let us take you to another leading public institute in the region - University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP). This University, which traced its origin to four public institutes, has been marching strong on its path to contribute to the development of the Mindanao region.

University of Southeastern Philippines was founded in 1978 through the Republic Act 12, which merged four public institutions of Davao into one entity. The four institutions that became the University of Southeastern Philippines included the Mindanao State University-Davao, the University of the Philippines-Master of Management Program in Davao, the Davao School of Arts and Trades, and the Davao National Regional Agricultural School.

The university now houses 12 colleges, offering undergraduate and graduate programmes in engineering, education, arts and sciences, economics, business, computing, governance, development, resource management, technology, agriculture, forestry, accountancy, law, and medicine. Students are also warmly welcomed to its three campuses: Obrero, Mintal, and Tagum-Mabini Campus.

University of Southeastern Philippines sets its eyes on becoming a premier university in the ASEAN region and the driving force behind the development of Region XI and Mindanao island. The university has engaged in various research and projects focusing on agriculture, forestry, fishery, teacher training, education, and community capacity building, especially toward Indigenous People.

Examples of such projects and research include:

Hospital-bound Education Programme - A programme developed by the College of Education that aims to bring the classroom experience to Long Staying Patients (children with cancer) and raise awareness about children’s right to education;

College Education Behind Bars (CEBB) - A programme that enables inmates of Davao City Jail to earn college degrees while serving their sentence;

Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples Education (PCIPE) at University of Southeastern Philippines Mintal, Davao City - PCIPE was established under a consortium of five foundations and USeP. The five foundations included the Assisi Development Foundation, Cartwheel Foundation, Ilawan Center for Volunteer and Leadership with the support of Sen.Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., and the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). The centre aims to provide culturally appropriate and relevant professional training for indigenous youth leaders. The centre has expanded beyond its initial offerings of elementary education, Agricultural Technology programme, Anthropology programme; and now offers other degree programmes relevant to the indigenous community;

Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AFMTC) - The centre; which was established under the collaboration of the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE), the Department of Agriculture - Regional Field Office (RFO) XI, and University of Southeastern Philippines; aims to serve as a tasting centre for agricultural and fisheries machinery manufacturers, dealers, fabricators, and distributors in Mindanao region.

Apart from regional initiatives and cooperations, University of Southeastern Philippines also forges ties with various international partners such as AUN-QA, World Bank, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and many more in its quest to bring forth development in the Mindanao region.

Thus, concluded our series on the introduction to AUN members and AUN associate members in Davao City, the Philippines.