Mapúa MCL Strengthens Regional Cooperation Efforts with Universities in Malaysia and Indonesia
By: Ivana Ruth C. Vidal
Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna (Mapúa MCL) reconnects with universities in Malaysia to establish linkages with higher education institutions in the Southeast Asian region. Side-by-side with the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia Pacific Higher Education Summit 2023, key officers and students visited Taylor’s University, INTI International University, Asia Pacific University of Innovation and Technology, Sunway University, and University Kebangsaan Malaysia from November 6 to 8, 2023.
Joining the visits are: Engr. Maribel G. Songsong, Vice-President for Academic Affairs; Prof. James Ronald O. Mesina, Assistant Vice-President for External Relations and Global Linkages; Prof. Khristian G. Kikuchi, Dean of the College of Computer and Information Science; Ms. Pearl Stephanie DL. Ulep, Director of the Office for Strategic Partnerships and Global Engagement; Engr. Maribelle Pabiania, Program Chair of Computer Engineering; Prof. Donn Enrique Moreno, Program Chair of Business Administration; Ms. Ivana Ruth Vidal, Program Assistant for Strategic Partnerships and Global Engagement; and Business Administration Students, Mark Laurens Corales and Princess Sarah Casas.
Prof. James Ronald O. Mesina, Assistant Vice-President for External Relations and Global Linkages emphasized the need for inter-university collaboration to boost Mapúa MCL’s internationalization efforts. Universities in countries that are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are strategic partners, as regional cooperation can quickly be done with relaxed immigration requirements and flexible mobility program arrangements.
One of the strategic initiatives of Mapúa MCL is its entry into the alliance under Cintana Education, with more than 20 universities collaborating to improve teaching and learning, research, internationalization, and innovation programs. Sunway University, the newest member of the Cintana alliance, is expected to have cooperation activities with Mapúa MCL’s College of Health Sciences and the E.T. Yuchengco College of Business.
With the schools visited, Mapúa MCL has existing partnerships with a recently signed Memorandum of Agreement with INTI International University and Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU-IIT). Prof. Mesina mentioned that for 2024, Mapúa MCL and INTI are targeting engagements in organizing student mobility activities for the students and visiting scholar arrangements for the College of Computer and Information and Science. For APU-IIT, research collaboration is expected for the E.T. Yuchengco College of Business. These universities are reputable institutions as ranked in QS, Times Higher Education (THE), and World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI).
For inquiries on international linkages and global engagement, the Office for External Relations and Global Linkages (ERGL) may be reached via email: [email protected].