The University of the Philippines on Thursday will hold the investiture of its president in Mindanao for the first time in its 115-year history, a watershed moment that will be marked by two UP-led initiatives that reaffirm the commitment of the country’s premier state university to serve the people.
The investiture on Thursday of the first UP president from Mindanao, Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, will be held in UP Mindanao—the sixth constituent university under the UP System and the only UP constituent university in Mindanao.
The investiture rites are set to coincide with the UP-Bangsamoro Development Program Summit and the 1st UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education—groundbreaking events that will address two pressing national issues: the development of the Bangsamoro and the future of public tertiary education in the country.
According to UP Vice President for Public Affairs Rolando B. Tolentino, “President Jimenez has stressed from his first day in office that the hallmark of UP in the next six years will be service to the nation, and this is reflected in the activities that will be held prior to and following the University president’s investiture rites.”
The UP-Bangsamoro Development Program Summit will be held on September 13 at the Dusit Thani Residence Davao. At the top of the agenda is the establishment of the UP-Bangsamoro Development Program, the first program of its kind in the country. It will involve UP, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao government and local government units, as well as non-government organizations and state universities and colleges in the region.
Among those attending the summit are BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, Al Haj; officials and representatives of various ministries and committees of the Bangsamoro Parliament; and representatives of LGUs, NGOs, and SUCs in the region. A memorandum of understanding between UP and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority will be signed at the end of the summit.
The program is intended to serve as an avenue of convergence between UP and the Bangsamoro for organizing opportunities and collaborative action to strengthen human capital and improve socio-economic conditions of the Bangsamoro.
On September 15, the day after the investiture of Jimenez, the 1st UP-SUC Summit on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education will be held at the Dusit Thani Grand Ballroom. The summit will bring together leaders of Philippine SUCs, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) officials, and stakeholders from Congress and private higher education institutions.
The summit is envisioned to promote engagement in transdisciplinary academic, research, and public service programs via co-designed projects.
The historic summit is a platform for SUCs to: (1) discuss strategies for overcoming challenges in establishing and maintaining linkages between universities; (2) share best practices and innovative approaches in academic, research, and public service collaboration; (3) identify opportunities for graduate education, student and faculty exchange, joint research, and sharing of educational resources and other academic and research activities; and (4) establish a framework for sustainable and effective collaboration between UP, CHED, and other SUCs by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the key points of agreement among the participants.
The summit includes the launch of four UP programs relevant to inter-SUC engagement: the UP Data Commons, Philippines Massive Open Online Courses (PHMOOCs), TVUP programs, and the UP Archipelagic and Ocean Virtual University (UPAOVU).
The summit is expected to close with the signing of the Mindanao Declaration on Excellence and Equity in Public Higher Education.
