12 April 2023

Madayaw Davao!: New Relationships Forged and Partnerships Reaffirmed in AUN’s First Visit to Davao, the Philippines

By
Ninnart Ratanasukhon
AUN Programme Officer;

26-31 March 2023 marked the first time the AUN Secretariat got the chance to pay a courtesy visit to our esteemed members in the beautiful city of Davao, the Philippines. This opportune occasion means new relationships were forged, and continuing partnerships were reaffirmed as the AUN delegation was honoured by the fruitful meeting with honourable members, faculties, and personnel of our member universities and the Commission of Higher Education, Regional Office XI.

The 6-day visit brought the delegation to our AUN and AUN-QA Member Universities and the Commission of Higher Education, Regional Office XI. Such valuable opportunities offered the delegation many insights into the potential of higher education institutions in this largest city of the Mindanao Region. 

More information about our generous hosts below! 

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1. University of the Immaculate Conception

The oldest Catholic educational institution in Davao City, the history of the University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC) can be dated back to 1905 when the three sisters of the Congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM) started catechizing children in Davao. 118 years after, the University of the Immaculate Conception is now an autonomous university offering degrees in Computer Studies, Engineering and Architecture, Human Environmental Sciences and Food Studies, Medical and Biological Sciences, Nursing, Pharmacy and Chemistry, and more.

The university is vigorous in standardising its courses and has been accredited by many respectable institutions such as PAASCU, ISO9001:2015, and AUN-QA. Four of their programmes; Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science, Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology; were recently assessed in the 323rd AUN-QA Programme Assessment as well.

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2. University of the Philippines Mindanao

The only constituent of the University of the Philippines System in Mindanao. University of the Philippines Mindanao (UP Mindanao) was founded in 1995 through the Republic Act 7889 "An Act Creating the University of the Philippines Mindanao," the only UP to be founded so. UP Mindanao now provides various undergraduate and graduate degrees via its three colleges: the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, the College of Science & Mathematics, and the School of Management.

One of its degree programmes, Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Economics, is also one of its kind. Based on the Mindanao region’s status as the ‘Fruit Basket’ of the Philippines, this programme is designed to deliver an economics degree that is applicable to agribusiness. Their Bachelor of Science in Architecture also boasted a 100% pass rate in the national architecture board exam.

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3. University of Southeastern Philippines

Founded in 1978, the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) could date its history back to four public institutions in Davao. 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 were merged under the Republic Act 12 to create this first public university of Davao Region.

USeP now offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees through its 12 colleges, including the College of Law and the College of Medicine. USeP also actively engages in the development of the Mindanao Region through its many capacity-building and research programmes such as Hospital-bound Education Program, College Education Behind Bars (CEBB), Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples Education (PCIPE), Agricultural and Fisheries Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center(AFMTC), and more. 

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4. Commission of Higher Education, Regional Office XI

During the visit, the delegation of the AUN Secretariat also received the honour of meeting with Dr. Luis D. Perez, Chief Education Program Specialist of the Commission of Higher Education, Regional Office XI. The meeting offered the AUN valuable insights into the potential of higher education in Region XI (Davao Region), and the AUN is confident that more collaboration with higher education institutions in Region XI will be possible in the future.

Our delegation still has much more to tell about our lovely members in Davao. Stay tuned to our e-newsletter and website, and you will not miss a single thing!