The internationalization efforts of the Center for Professional Development and Academic Partnerships (CPDAP) are accelerating as it secured yet another phenomenal feat with Indonesian delegates from the Universitas Muhammadiyah Magelang (UNIMMA) who personally reaffirmed their strengthened partnership with Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU).
Three representatives from UNIMMA namely Dr. Dyah Adriantini Sintha Dewi, Dean of the College of Law; Dr. Nurul, Head of International Cooperation Affairs; and Hary Abdul Hakim, Head of the Bachelor Law Study Program, accepted the invitation of OLFU to an academic benchmarking and a community immersion led by the Social Orientation and Community Involvement (SOCI) on 28 September 2023.
An intimate program at the RISE Tower formally welcomed the Indonesian guests wherein key people from OLFU’s College of Nursing (CoN), College of Pharmacy (CoP), and the College of Criminal Justice (CCJ) responded to the call of CPDAP.
In an opening talk rendered by CCJ Dean Dr. John David expressed his hope to translate benchmarking into actual operational activities in terms of student and faculty development, research, curriculum enhancement, and instructional delivery.
“We are very glad that UNIMMA considered OLFU as one of its international partners. Your choice of OLFU will not go to waste. We are very confident that our partnership will be very fruitful and, at the same time, thrilling and exciting,” affirmed the CCJ dean.
There is no better proponent to introduce the ever-growing OLFU internationalization program than CPDAP Manager Dr. Rodehlia Macaspac who proudly laid out the sealed partnerships across Asia and beyond.
According to Macaspac, the IZN traces of OLFU have since penetrated academic institutions in South Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Israel, Netherlands, Australia, the United States of America (USA), among many others.
The CPDAP head also flexed the international recognitions of OLFU including its inclusion in the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) under the Fourth Industrial Revolution Category (Top 50) and the Global Top Innovative Universities (Top 101-200), and the impressive 2023 Four-Star Rating conferred on OLFU by the imminent QS Stars operated by the QS Intelligence Unit.
To showcase the wealth of contributions of OLFU in executing academic excellence across disciplines, Macaspac presented the high-yielding conferences that OLFU has hosted with its international partners. This included the successful Synergizing Partnerships in Advancing Research, Knowledge, and Service (SPARKS) in November 2022, the Interprofessional Collaborative Practice for Better Health Outcomes in June 2023, the International Conference on Nursing Excellence in August 2023, and the Sustainable Technology, Engineering, and Maritime (STEAM) Conference in September 2023.
The partnership authority also took pride in the holistic transformation of Fatimanians abroad through the Student Exchange Program Outbound which has since become an avenue that champions academic development and cross-border understanding. Equally, Macaspac also reiterated the reliable academic and cultural training of the Student Exchange Program Inbound at OLFU.
Flexing the best practices of the College of Nursing (CoN) was the Dean, Dr. Maria Luisa Uayan, who shared with the Indonesian delegates the Level IV Accreditation of the college, the highest in the country, and the prestigious Philippine Quality Award (PQA) that was conferred on OLFU in 2020. The nursing leader also cited OLFU’s ISO 9001:2015 certification attesting to its adherence to global quality management norms.
“Based on these experiences of accreditation, we believe that based on standards, based on quality and also based on government alignment, we are offering more than what is expected,” said Uayan while also mentioning how OLFU demonstrated agility when it was among the first institutions to deliver face-to-face classes during the height of the pandemic.
For the College of Pharmacy (CoP), Associate Dean Anbel Bautista shared the rationale of the four-year curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy based on the Commission on Education’s (CHED) Memorandum Order for the Pharmacy Program (CMO 25 Series 21).
The college sees this latest adoption to rationalize pharmacy education in the country “with the goal of keeping abreast with the demands of national relevance and global responsiveness.”
Bautista did not miss in flexing their board topnotchers over the years, where consequently, OLFU has been named as a Top Performing School by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for 23 times already.
COP’s research works in areas such as holistic approaches to health and wellness, health resiliency, and innovation in health also exhibited OLFU’s dedication to contribute to the existing discussion and body of knowledge in the pharmacy industry.
To maintain the caliber of the College of Criminal Justice, Dean David highlighted stringent faculty qualifications including the attainment of a Master’s and/or Doctor’s degree in Criminology or Criminal Justice among members.
Moreover, CCJ brings on-board active and retired elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies to deliver various capacities – honing areas in investigation, forensics, patrolling, and special operations.
For law and jurisprudence courses, litigation lawyers and prosecutors are also working with OLFU in ensuring pedagogical delivery is not only accurate but, most importantly, up-to-date.
Sustaining the exchange of expertise was UNIMMA’s Dr. Nurul who presented their updated profile covering the vibrant history, and the academic legacy of UNIMMA that continues to offer 22 study programs today.
Through Nurul, the Islamic university proudly underscored their Faculty of Islamic Study that specializes in Islamic science in the field of education, and Islamic jurisprudence muamalat.
The sharing of curricular expertise segued to an open forum where UNIMMA delegates and the OLFU leaders explored how to enhance each other’s program offerings. For instance, OLFU’s College of Nursing and College of Pharmacy offered to align UNIMMA’s curricula that currently requires additional professional programs on top of the four-year bachelor’s degree in order to practice clinical jobs.
With the plan of CCJ to introduce Bachelor of Legal and Criminal Justice Studies at OLFU, Dean David also initiated a discussion with the Indonesian delegates especially in establishing legal education.
Cultural understanding embedded in benchmarking
In a sit-down interview with the Head of International Cooperation Affairs Dr. Nurul, the UNIMMA leader conveyed her confidence to strengthen the standard of education in the region through benchmarking.
Equally, Nurul also emphasized the role of cultural understanding in attaining cross-border relationships.
“In my opinion, [the] cultural part has the main role in the exchange benchmarking of a university because like [what] I said between Philippines and Indonesia, even [if] we are [the same] Asian countries, we have different cultures. [I] think that culture is important,” stated Nurul as she shared how their international office continuously offers language and cultural programs.
Finally, the Indonesian linkages expert expressed hopes to expand its collaboration with OLFU from one college to another.
To visually present the academic practices at OLFU, CoP Associate Dean Bautista toured the Indonesian delegates at the RISE Tower where they witnessed and experienced state-of-the-art facilities that refine education delivery at OLFU.
OLFU college leaders headed Dexter Basunillo, Director of the Social Orientation and Community Involvement (SOCI), also accommodated UNIMMA representatives at Sta. Brigida, Karuhatan, an adopted community of OLFU where a community immersion was hosted.
The benchmarking affair concluded through a brief program with an emphasis that education should have a foundation at the grassroots. – Raymond Lumagsao
