SOME 33 faculty and administrators from 23 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia completed the 2024 Leadership Development Program for HEIs in Southeast Asia (LDP-HEIs in SEA).
Organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and The Healthcare and Education for Asian Development (HEAD) Foundation (THF) from March 14 to July 31, 2024, the program was on its sixth run with university presidents, faculty deans, department heads and other HEI leaders with administrative positions participating.
According to SEARCA, the participants at the closing session presented highlights and updates on their Re-Entry Action Plans ( REAP), a customized and contextualized plan tailored to their respective HEIs from their insights from the program.
SEARCA said the REAP development was guided by the LDP faculty composed of seasoned experts, including N. Varaprasad, Singapore Education Consulting Group founder and partner and the program's technical coordinator; Calvin Chan, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) assistant provost (curricular and student matters); and Rebekah Lim, SUSS director of the Teaching and Learning Center.
SEARCA said the Center and THF delivered the five-month program in a hybrid format since March, with five online sessions that featured keynote addresses from renowned HEI leaders and an in-person session in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 2 to 6, 2024.
It said each HEI also had the opportunity to engage with the LDP faculty in June for a series of online coaching to refine their REAPs.
Varaprasad commended the participants for completing their REAPs designed to uplift the current performance of their units or institutions to meet future challenges driven by external environments, such as new work patterns, new technologies and changing demographics.
Three HEIs were recognized as having the top 3 REAPs during the awarding ceremony. These were Bohol Island State University (Philippines), Universitas Sumatera Utara (Indonesia), and Cebu Normal University (Philippines).
Daud Samsudewa from Universitas Diponegoro in Indonesia noted that their study programs had difficulties collaborating between the national institution and the industry.
"I'm very happy to have joined this program as I learned how to improve the initiation of industry collaboration to support our academic programs through the REAP," he added.
Joselito Florendo, SEARCA deputy director for administration, underscored how the program has become a melting pot of ideas, experiences and innovative solutions in his closing message.
"We have delved into the intricate and challenging roles of HEIs and their interdependency with key stakeholders at the national, cross-national, and regional levels. Thank you very much for your insights," Florendo told the participants.
THF Operations Director Vignesh Louis Naidu said, "We hope that LDP inspired you to think about the changes and adaptations that you have to make in your institutions so that your graduates are ready for the world of work that they are going to embrace and that they're ready for the changes that societies will bring," he said.
Headed by Glenn Gregorio, PhD, the Philippine-based SEARCA, through its Training for Development Unit and THF, has been running the LDP-HEIs since 2019.
Gregorio said the program alumni have reported success stories of their REAP implementation and how the program has been a crucial professional development journey to advance their careers.
