The Commission on Higher Education – Caraga Regional Office organized a series of Plenary Talks on Internationalization in Higher Education during the conduct of the Regional Conference on Internationalization (IZN) 2023. Held on September 19, 2023 at Balanghai Hotel and Convention Center, Butuan City, the conference was part of the line-up of activities organized in celebration of the 56th Founding Anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The conference was attended by various key officials, faculty, and personnel of Caraga Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with designations and positions relating to internationalization, culture, and student affairs.
Welcoming the participants, OIC Regional Director Ms. Alma S. Patron emphasized the valuable returns that internationalization efforts can impart on the potentials for success for the students and their families. “Quality tertiary education and internationalization are some of the interventions we can pursue to improve the quality of life of our studentry.” she stated.
The conference featured three (3) resource speakers whose respective plenary talks covered a wide variety of subjects relevant to internationalization in higher education that maximized the learning benefits of the attending HEI representatives. The following topics were discussed by the resource speakers:
- Background on Internationalization in Higher Education – Mr. Amy C. Saavedra, Education Supervisor II, CHED Caraga
- Internationalization Linkage Modalities and Mobility Programs – Dr. Vivian C. Peligro, Associate Professor IV and Director for International Relations and Linkages Affairs, Agusan Del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology (ASSCAT)
- Cybersecurity and Privacy in Higher Education: The ASEAN Context – Mr. Miko Nuñez, Manager, Head of Threat Intelligence at CyTech International. Certified in Cybersecurity (ISC2)
- ASEAN Experience: Processes and Policies – Dr. Mark Bon Basadre, Assistant Professor and Chairperson of the Arts and Sciences Program, Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU)
Following the plenary talks, a workshop was held where participants exchanged knowledge and best practices regarding their existing initiatives relating to internationalization. The outcome of the workshop was to use the data gathered to create a baseline and landscape of the IZN initiatives of HEIs within the region. Possible collaborations and opportunities for networking were also positive results of the conference.