The University of the Philippines Board of Regents approved UP Mindanao's proposal to establish the UP Mindanao Quality Assurance Office (QAO) at its 1388th BOR Meeting on April 4, 2024.

The approval was contained in the Notice of BOR Resolutions certified by Board Secretary Roberto Lara, following the endorsements of UP VP for Academic Affairs Leo Cubillan, EVP Jose Fernando Alcantara, and UP President Angelo Jimenez.

The approval came with a policy instruction, "No new academic program shall be submitted by any constituent unit (CU) for approval by the Board of Regents until such program has passed the quality assurance standards set by the CU Quality Assurance Office."

The UP Mindanao proposal stated that UP Mindanao is "committed to the sustainability of its degree programs by supporting these through standard quality management systems" and that "Quality assurance (QA) aims to strengthen UP Mindanao's academic programs."

The UPMin QA Office will be "primarily responsible for the high level of excellence and professionalism in instruction, research, extension, innovation, public service, and administrative processes. The office will ensure the alignment of all programs and projects with national, regional, and global goals and standards," it stated.

Internally, UP Mindanao monitors its degree programs via the internal Academic Assessment and Development System (iAADS). Externally, the degree programs' self-assessment reports (SARs) are assessed by Type B assessment (assessment by another CU).

While strengthening the academic programs, the UPMin QAO will ensure that teaching staff, non-teaching staff, and students will be at par with global standards and will be responsive to an increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and vulnerable) world.

The QAO will be composed of a Director and six QA Officers, selected from existing faculty or staff from the colleges and central administration and to be issued appointments as additional assignments. An initial support staff of three persons will handle office operations which the Academic Program Improvement funds will augment.

A QA Advisory Board will be composed of the chancellor as chairperson, the QA Office director as co-chair, and the vice-chancellors as members.

Professor and Chancellor and TWG Chair Lyre Anni Murao

University of the Philippines Mindanao Professor Lyre Anni Murao disclosed the University of the Philippines' (UP) plan to create a UP Bangsamoro Development Institute (BDI) to contribute to inclusive and sustainable peace and development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Professor Murao announced this in remarks at the forum "Peace Talk: Conversations on the Bangsamoro," held at UP Diliman, Quezon City, on March 22, 2024, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

Professor Murao represented UP as Chairperson of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the Creation of UP BDI and as Chancellor of UP Mindanao in the forum organized by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).

"The UP Bangsamoro Development Institute's vision is for peace and development in the BARMM, harnessing its resources and full potential for inclusive growth. Our mission is to serve as enablers of collaboration with a safe partnering space, bridging the BARMM's peace stakeholders," she said.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS 

The University of the Philippines Mindanao is opening the call for abstracts to two research events organized by the Office of Research:

• the Mindanao Symposium on Rethinking Innovation on 27 September 2024 
• the Joint Conference and Symposium on Health on 14-15 November 2024.

For more details, click the links below:

MINDANAO SYMPOSIUM ON RETHINKING INNOVATION: https://tinyurl.com/minsyminnovation

JOINT CONFERENCE AND SYMPOSIUM ON HEALTH: https://tinyurl.com/jointconsym