Visayas State University officials, staff visit Ateneo for institutional benchmarking

Last August 22, 2022, around 50 administrators and staff of the Visayas State University (VSU), led by Dr Edgardo E Tulin, VSU President, visited Ateneo de Manila University for a benchmarking session on university rankings and international program implementation.

Dr Maria Luz Vilches, Vice President of the Loyola Schools, welcomed the delegation at Faber Hall and opened the session with an insightful message on establishing a strong team of administrators dedicated to a clear university vision fulfilled through the continuous development of its unique strengths.

Ma Rosario Banzon, Director of the Strategy and Quality Management Office (SQMO), delivered a presentation focused on the Times Higher Education Impact rankings where Ateneo is the highest ranked university in the category. Emphasis on creating an efficient method for data collection was made in Banzon’s presentation. VSU’s queries on strengthening the research activity of faculty as a means to increase university rankings were also explored.

Karen Sunico, Director of the Office of International Relations (OIR), expounded on the mobility opportunities and other internationalization programs for students, faculty, administrators, and staff. The segment concluded with a discussion on increasing internationalization activity through inclusive and discipline-based opportunities for university  stakeholders.

After the benchmarking session, the VSU delegation visited the Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG) at Areté and the guided tour was given by Eldrick Los Baños, Joseph Caligner, and Lester Tebangin. The highlight of the visit was the opening of the exhibition “Weaving Women’s Words on Wounds of War” on the third floor of the Soledad V Pangilinan Arts Wing. The exhibition features artworks co-created by communities of women who experienced different forms of human rights abuse during the Martial Law period.

The benchmarking event for VSU was coordinated by the Office of International Relations on behalf of the Office of the President.