WMSU in 2023 and Beyond: Spearheading Mobility, Competition and Collaboration in the Global Context
September 14, 2023
In synch with the current trends in education, the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) at 119 has gradually defined a pathway towards global educational standards after having adopted an internationalization (IZN) framework as enjoined by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED). This unequivocally paved the way for the University to have achieved an international recognition as top 33 in the World Universities with Real Impact (WURI) under the fourth industrial revolution category as spearheaded by our proactive University president Dr. Ma. Carla A. Ochotorena.
Higher Education in the country as in the four major regions of the world- Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia has steadily dovetailed into a complex but harmonized landscape prompted by globalization. And through internationalization as a process has empowered Universities to take advantage of global opportunities by collaboration, competition and mobility. Here within the region the WMSU has aggressively provided a boost to work with other State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) as partners in research and extension endeavors together with local, national and international agencies e.g. University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP), Asia Pacific Quality Network. The University furthermore recently concluded a trip from South Korea and successfully inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Sun Moon University and another MOAs with three other international university and organizations namely San Hak UP Graduate University; Hyojeong Academic Foundation and; the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding under the auspices of UNESCO.
Indeed, the advent of globalization has greatly impacted on higher education, and this has prompted universities around the globe to join the bandwagon of internationalization if they are to prosper. Globalization has triggered “the broad economic, technological, and scientific trends that directly affect higher education and is largely inevitable in the contemporary world” (Altbach, 2006, p. 123). Internationalization followed as a “process that integrated an international, intercultural, or global dimension in the purpose, functions, or delivery of postsecondary education” (Knight, 2003, p. 2). Hence internationalization ensued as an aftermath to address the many and diverse opportunities and imperatives triggered by globalization.
WMSU like other universities across the globe is caught in the quagmire of requirements brought about by complex economy, technology and international trends which can be both exciting and worrisome because of the ethical challenges of internationalization. It is because “while international engagement- for individuals, institutions and systems of higher education-has the potential to bring with it enormous opportunities and benefits, the global playing field is inherently uneven (Altbach et.al, 2009). In other words, universities with more resources would have more options as to how and to what degree to internationalize as well as to the quality and quantity of internationalization activities. Differences in the orientation and operation of higher education institutions is therefore expected with various national economies.
In a research allied to this discussion, Laura Rumbley is quoted saying in her book entitled Internationalization within the context of Higher Education “that despite the enormous challenges faced by disadvantaged institutions of higher education, they have continued to adopt internationalization activities employed at institutions across the world”. These include institutional partnerships; joint research projects; inbound and outbound student, faculty, and staff mobility; the introduction of international dimensions into the curriculum; the establishment of branch campuses; and transnational virtual delivery of higher education. For some disadvantaged countries, the flow of international students is more outbound than inbound for the countries like Africa, and relatively few internationally mobile students and staff return to the continent after completing their studies elsewhere, leading to significant brain drain. Thus, it has presented real challenges for quality education, a critical issue for international engagement and competitiveness. (Peterson, 2011; L. Rumbley et al 2008, 2010).
However more positive observations have been made about the international engagements of Philippine higher education institutions with their ASEAN neighbors. There is a rapid expansion going on in the internationalization market for Asia. Competition among universities is said to be intensifying beyond national borders and universities from outside Asia are eagerly launching themselves in Asian countries. An overview of the state of higher education in Asian countries showed prominently the interest of higher education towards internationalization. Prestigious universities in North America, Europe and Australia have moved to open branches in Singapore and Malaysia as early as in the 1990s. Thus, universities in Asia are rapidly undergoing internationalization.
In addition, regional political networks of higher education in Asia proliferated to strengthen regional ties with the advent of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. To boost the international competitiveness, Asian universities have invested on quality assurance systems where the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are recognized to have established their own mechanisms for monitoring quality. Organizations like Asia-Pacific Quality Network have assisted to further enhance quality assurance. Although it has been noted that for Asian Universities to succeed beyond the region, they have “to build a distinct university profile to differentiate themselves from Western universities that would reflect the unique and multifaceted character of Asia”. (A View from Asia Yuto Kitamura Associate Professor, Sophia University, Japan)
Hence, the Western Mindanao State University in its effort to participate collaboratively with its ASEAN neighbors and other world universities, shall operate as a higher education institution that respects a global community- an interdependent world where problems transcend traditional boundaries. Together with other educational institutions, it shall resolve issues of global warming, poverty, pandemics and conflicts with the end goal to succeed not as an isolated institution but as citizens of the world (inspired by Duke University’s 2006 strategic plan).
Higher Education in the country as in the four major regions of the world- Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia has steadily dovetailed into a complex but harmonized landscape prompted by globalization. And through internationalization as a process has empowered Universities to take advantage of global opportunities by collaboration, competition and mobility. Here within the region the WMSU has aggressively provided a boost to work with other State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) as partners in research and extension endeavors together with local, national and international agencies e.g. University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (UMAP), Asia Pacific Quality Network. The University furthermore recently concluded a trip from South Korea and successfully inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Sun Moon University and another MOAs with three other international university and organizations namely San Hak UP Graduate University; Hyojeong Academic Foundation and; the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding under the auspices of UNESCO.
Indeed, the advent of globalization has greatly impacted on higher education, and this has prompted universities around the globe to join the bandwagon of internationalization if they are to prosper. Globalization has triggered “the broad economic, technological, and scientific trends that directly affect higher education and is largely inevitable in the contemporary world” (Altbach, 2006, p. 123). Internationalization followed as a “process that integrated an international, intercultural, or global dimension in the purpose, functions, or delivery of postsecondary education” (Knight, 2003, p. 2). Hence internationalization ensued as an aftermath to address the many and diverse opportunities and imperatives triggered by globalization.
WMSU like other universities across the globe is caught in the quagmire of requirements brought about by complex economy, technology and international trends which can be both exciting and worrisome because of the ethical challenges of internationalization. It is because “while international engagement- for individuals, institutions and systems of higher education-has the potential to bring with it enormous opportunities and benefits, the global playing field is inherently uneven (Altbach et.al, 2009). In other words, universities with more resources would have more options as to how and to what degree to internationalize as well as to the quality and quantity of internationalization activities. Differences in the orientation and operation of higher education institutions is therefore expected with various national economies.
In a research allied to this discussion, Laura Rumbley is quoted saying in her book entitled Internationalization within the context of Higher Education “that despite the enormous challenges faced by disadvantaged institutions of higher education, they have continued to adopt internationalization activities employed at institutions across the world”. These include institutional partnerships; joint research projects; inbound and outbound student, faculty, and staff mobility; the introduction of international dimensions into the curriculum; the establishment of branch campuses; and transnational virtual delivery of higher education. For some disadvantaged countries, the flow of international students is more outbound than inbound for the countries like Africa, and relatively few internationally mobile students and staff return to the continent after completing their studies elsewhere, leading to significant brain drain. Thus, it has presented real challenges for quality education, a critical issue for international engagement and competitiveness. (Peterson, 2011; L. Rumbley et al 2008, 2010).
However more positive observations have been made about the international engagements of Philippine higher education institutions with their ASEAN neighbors. There is a rapid expansion going on in the internationalization market for Asia. Competition among universities is said to be intensifying beyond national borders and universities from outside Asia are eagerly launching themselves in Asian countries. An overview of the state of higher education in Asian countries showed prominently the interest of higher education towards internationalization. Prestigious universities in North America, Europe and Australia have moved to open branches in Singapore and Malaysia as early as in the 1990s. Thus, universities in Asia are rapidly undergoing internationalization.
In addition, regional political networks of higher education in Asia proliferated to strengthen regional ties with the advent of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. To boost the international competitiveness, Asian universities have invested on quality assurance systems where the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are recognized to have established their own mechanisms for monitoring quality. Organizations like Asia-Pacific Quality Network have assisted to further enhance quality assurance. Although it has been noted that for Asian Universities to succeed beyond the region, they have “to build a distinct university profile to differentiate themselves from Western universities that would reflect the unique and multifaceted character of Asia”. (A View from Asia Yuto Kitamura Associate Professor, Sophia University, Japan)
Hence, the Western Mindanao State University in its effort to participate collaboratively with its ASEAN neighbors and other world universities, shall operate as a higher education institution that respects a global community- an interdependent world where problems transcend traditional boundaries. Together with other educational institutions, it shall resolve issues of global warming, poverty, pandemics and conflicts with the end goal to succeed not as an isolated institution but as citizens of the world (inspired by Duke University’s 2006 strategic plan).
