Delegates of the UC 37th Executive Board Meeting
The Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) celebrated a milestone during its 37th Executive Board Meeting on 23–24 September 2024. Hosted by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna, Philippines, the meeting was especially significant as the UC marked its 35th anniversary, commemorating three and a half decades of collaborative leadership in advancing agricultural and natural resources education across Southeast Asia and beyond.
Representatives from regular member institutions attended the meeting, including Kasetsart University (KU) and Maejo University (MJU) from Thailand; Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), IPB University (IPB), and Universitas Brawijaya (UB) from Indonesia; Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM); and Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Visayas State University (VSU), and UPLB from the Philippines. The event also welcomed the participation of UC associate members Tokyo University of Agriculture (Tokyo NODAI) from Japan and National Taiwan University (NTU). In addition, affiliate members Central Mindanao University (CMU) from the Philippines and the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada were present. The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), serving as the UC Secretariat, was represented by key officials led by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Center Director and UC Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Nur Azura Binti Adam, Deputy Director for Programs and UC Executive Officer; and Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma, Senior Program Head of the Education and Collective Learning Department and UC Coordinator.
(L-R) Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr., UPLB Chancellor and UC Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, SEARCA Center Director and UC Chief Executive Officer; and Dr. Nur Azura Binti Adam, SEARCA Deputy Director for Programs and UC Executive Officer
As part of its growth and global outreach, the UC launched its new website, and the Executive Board accepted two new affiliate members—Dalhousie University and the University of Alberta, both of Canada. This expansion elevated the UC to 17 premier universities worldwide, underscoring the consortium's increasing prominence in the international academic community.
The consortium was established on 19 September 1989 in response to a meeting convened by SEARCA with the deans of the graduate schools of five leading agricultural universities in Southeast Asia. This founding group, consisting of KU, IPB, UGM, UPM, and UPLB, laid the groundwork for a partnership based on strength in diversity. Since then, the UC has grown, accepting new regular, associate, and affiliate members, further extending its reach and impact. Over the years, the UC has remained dedicated to developing highly trained professionals in agriculture, environment, and natural resources, promoting collaborative research, and facilitating faculty and student exchange programs.
The UC was launched at the SEARCA headquarters on 19 September 1989 with representatives from the founding universities KU, UPLB, IPB, UGM, and UPM. SEARCA has been serving as the UC secretariat since 1989.
The UC members have collaborated on numerous impactful projects, highlighting their commitment to crossborder academic initiatives that address pressing global challenges. Notable among these are the ERASMUS+ funded projects, including the Joint Master's Program in Food Security and Climate Change (MS FSCC), which ran from 2016 to 2019, and the ongoing Postgraduate Micro-Credentials for Food Security and Climate Change (PMC FSCC) from 2023 to 2026. Other significant initiatives were the Leveling Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources (LevelUPHEI AFAR) project, funded by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), from 2021 to 2023 and the five collaborative projects under the umbrella program on Food and Nutrition Security for Southeast Asia (FANSSEA), among others. These projects demonstrate the UC members' capability to deliver high-impact capacity-building programs, which has led to the board's consensus to further pursue collaborative projects in the coming years.
Looking ahead, the UC Executive Board outlined key activities for 2025–2027. In 2025, CLSU will host a Summer School on Precision Agriculture, while UB in Malang, Indonesia, will merge its Graduate Forum with an international conference. CMU will organize the Faculty Forum, focusing on Green Economy research studies, and Tokyo NODAI will host the next Executive Board Meeting in Japan. Future hosts for UC activities in subsequent years will be confirmed in upcoming meetings.
For more information on the UC's activities, grants, and scholarships, visit https://uc.searca.org