TAU  hosts CHED’s IZN  Conference Workshop

 

IZN

Privileged to take part in the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s effort in encouraging Philippine higher education institutions (PHEIs) to take a holistic and programmatic approach in pursuing their internationalization strategies  and  programs, the Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU) hosted CHED’s Conference  Workshop  on  Building the Internationalization Roadmap of Philippine Higher Education Institutions  held  on  April  18 – 20, 2018 at the TAU Agritourism Hostel Function Hall.

Said conference workshop endeavored to upgrade and strengthen the institutional capacity of HEIs to serve the public effectively and promote the internationalization of Philippine higher education. The three-day workshop aimed to produce CHED Internationalization Roadmap for PHEIs that will serve as a blueprint and framework of strategic and innovative activities; strengthen                the          higher    education              system improving the institutional capacity of HEIs by redefining their directions and plans in pursuit of academic excellence within internationally benchmarked standards in producing globally competitive graduates and productive digital citizens; and finalize the array of guidelines that would serve as guide of the Commission in the delivery of various internationalization activities. Atty. Lily Freida M. Milla, Director of the CHED International Affairs Staff unveiled the program directions by discussing the activity rationale and leveling of expectations during the Opening Program followed by presentations of internationalization experiences, programs and best practices by Dr. Luis Maria R. Calingo, Holy Angel University President and Dr. Max P. Guillermo, TAU President, representing private HEIs and SUCs, respectively. Meanwhile, Dr. Caridad O. Abuan, CHED Regional  Director, has been represented by Ms. Lora L. Yusi and Dr. Cristina M. Nuque, CHED Regional Supervisors. The latter delivered Dr. Abuan’s message to the participants.

Prof. Eddie M. Nuque, Senior Fellow of J.R. Institute of Governance, De La Salle University facilitated the workshop on the ‘Goals or Objectives of Internationalization and Identifying Opportunities and Challenges Based on the Internationalization Experiences.’ Prof. Nuque and Dr. Alan S. Cajes, Vice President/ Managing Director and OIC of Graduate School for Public and Development Management  of the Development Academy of the Philippines also moderated another workshop to ‘Identify the Internationalization Milestones for Higher Education and Drafting the Internationalization Roadmap for Philippines HEIs.’

Moreover, Mr. Rodolfo Sabas, consultant     of     the     Canadian     Bureau   of International Education (CBIE), also joined the participants and shared his inputs during the presentation of outputs.

The participants also worked on internationalization guidelines and were grouped accordingly to draft the following: Policy on Foreign Student Scholarship, Guidelines for Pinoy Global Talent, Guidelines on International Academic Mobility Grants and Exchange Programs, Guidelines on Participation in International Benchmarks, Guidelines on Grants to Implement Internationalization Strategies, Guidelines for the Professor in Motion Program, and Proposal on the Implementation of Hub for English Language Education and Training.

The ‘Creation of the Philippine Higher Education Brand’ has been the focus discussion on the last day of the workshop with Dr. Dante M. Velasco, President and CEO, Creative Point International, Inc., as lecturer.

The activity was participated in by international relations officers (IROs) from 11 private HEIs and 8 SUCs which are affiliates and participantsinthe Training on Internationalization (Canada  15),  ASEAN  International  Mobility of  Students  (AIMS)  including  institutions  who are offering Transnational  Education (TNE) programs. CHED IAS and Kto12 staff also attended the said conference workshop. (SRLingaya, TAU-ELIA)

RET conducts workshop to update TAU-RDE agenda

Eyeing to generate an updated and    relevant    RDE   Agenda    aligned to the thrusts and priority  programs  of national government agencies aimed towards achieving national and regional development goals, the Research, Extension and Training (RET) Unit of the Tarlac Agricultural University spearheaded the “RDE Seminar-Workshop: Planning of the TAU Research, Development and Extension (RDE) Agenda 2018 and Framing of Winning  Research  and  Extension  Program Proposals” on April 12, 13 and 20 at the TAU Hostel Conference Hall and Farmers’ Training Center, respectively.

The first day of the activity highlighted the updating of a relevant, responsive, and sustainable    TAU    RDE    Agenda    wherein Dr. William D.  Dar,  former  Director  General of the International Crops  Research  Institute  for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the founder and incumbent president of InangLupa Movement that advocates agricultural modernization and rural industrialization, served as the guest speaker. 

Read more: RET conducts workshop to update TAU-RDE agenda

forging gender responsive strategic directions and priorities

TAU holds Annual Performance Review, Planning Workshop, GAD Mainstreaming Seminar and Benchmarking 

Consistently assessing the University's strategic directions and priorities to determine the institution's status in its bid on becoming one of the top 500 agricultural universities in Asia, TAU conducted Annual Performance Review, GAD Mainstreaming Activity, and Benchmarking at CLSU, PCC, PhilRice and BFAR-NFTC last July 16-20, 2018.

               The activity which was organized by the Office of the President, Planning and Development Office, Office of External Linkages and International Affairs, and Gender and Development was participated in by the members of the Administrative Council. Each of the participants has presented the accomplishments, targets and priorities of their respective office or department during the Performance Review and Planning Workshop held at the Bamboo Training Center on July 16-17, 2018. Officials from NEDA, Officer-In-Charge Assistant Director, Engr. Susana Santiago and Officer-In-Charge Chief Consuelo Tessa Sibal; the University President, Dr.Max P.Guillermo; the Vice Presidents, Dr. Jeremias DC. Rodriguez, Dr. Tessie E. Navarro and Dr. Ernesto A. Viray, Jr. were the evaluators and critics on the outputs presented.

Read more: TAU holds Annual Performance Review, Planning Workshop, GAD Mainstreaming Seminar and Benchmarking

Harnessing Quality and Excellence

TAU submits five programs for higher level of accreditation

 

“Accreditation has become part of our lifestyle,” exclaimed by Dr. Max P. Guillermo, the TAU President, as he welcomes the accreditation team during the opening program of the accreditation which was held on August 27, 2018 at the Agritourism Hostel Function Hall.

         After a year-long preparation, the four Colleges – College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), College of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF), College of Business and Management (CBM), and College of Engineering and Technology (CET)— had submitted their programs for accreditation on August 27 to August 31, 2018.

      Accreditation team from the Accredited Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP) had crucially surveyed the quality of instruction, extension, research and production provided by the following program offerings: Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship, Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering, and Master of Science in Agriculture. The AACCUP’s Accreditation Overall Coordinator was Dr. Thelma A. Lanuza from Isabela State University while the Cluster Coordinator was Dr. Leoncio M. Matibag of South Luzon State University. A simultaneous survey visit was conducted to these programs.

         Dr. Matibag was the team leader of the group who had surveyed the Bachelor of Arts in Economics program which was revisited for the Level IV Phase I. Certain areas under the instruction, extension, and research have been re-surveyed to check the compliance of the core faculty, the administration, the support staff, and students for the Level IV accreditation status. The members of the said accreditation team were Dr. Demetria A. San Juan of University of Rizal System, Dr. Isabelita S. Bacud of University of Rizal System, and Prof. Ruvy M. Tuble of Carlos Hilado Memorial State College.

Read more: TAU submits five programs for higher level of accreditation

Dr. Valdez, Dr. Petero earn the best paper presentation during the Annual In-house Review

Dr. Maria Teresa SJ. Valdez and Dr. Noel J. Petero earned recognition as the best paper presenters in the Technical Research and Development Category and Social Science Research Category respectively during the 29th Annual Agency In-house Review of Completed and On-Going Research and Development Projects held at the Agritourism Hostel Function Hall on August 15, 2018.

Dr. Valdez earned a commendation from the panel of evaluators when she presented their research titled “Production and Evaluation of High-Protein Fermented Sweetpotato (ProEn-K) as Feed Ingredient for Economically Important Aquatic Organisms.” Also, the said paper has been presented in the 29th Regional Symposium on R&D Highlights on August 28, 2018 and TAU was the host.

Read more: Dr. Valdez, Dr. Petero earn the best paper presentation during the Annual In-house Review

TAU hosts CLAARRDEC’s 29th Regional Symposium on R&D

         Tarlac Agricultural University, in collaboration with the Central Luzon Agriculture, Aquatic and Resources Research and Development Consortium (CLAARRDEC), hosted the 29th Regional Symposium on R&D Highlights on September 28, 2018.

Dr. Max P. Guillermo, TAU President and keynote speaker, noted that the regional symposium showcased the productive and innovative researches of the senior and junior faculty from various Higher Educational Institutions in Region 3 and also senior researchers from agencies such as Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 3 (BFAR 3), Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit 3 (DA-RF03), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech).

Read more: TAU hosts CLAARRDEC’s 29th Regional Symposium on R&D

TAU-RET regains ISO 9001:2015 certification after hurdling 1st Surveillance Audit

The commitment of the Tarlac Agricultural University’s Research, Extension and Training (TAU-RET) Unit to conform to high quality standards and to provide utmost customer satisfaction paid off after it achieved re-certification of the ISO 9001:2015 during the recently conducted 1st Surveillance Audit by Russian Register on January 31, 2019.

The said audit started with an opening program attended in by the members of TAU- RET ISO Core Team, representatives from the different TAU support offices, and the University’s Administrative Council members.

During the said program, Dr. Tessie E. Navarro, TAU vice president for RET and the Quality Management Representative, shared the improvements in the TAU-RET processes and systems implementation within almost a year of being ISO certified.

“At first, we find difficulty to adjust just to conform with the standards as the ISO process is a new learning process for all of us,” she said.

“But now, I can say that little by little we are adopting ISO by heart. We can say that we are improving as a unit, and we are very much grateful to ISO because of that,” said the VP-RET.

Facilitated by Mr. Jovertlee C. Pudan of the Russian Register, the surveillance audit was conducted to validate the conformity of the TAU-RET to the requirements set by ISO through the effective implementation of the Quality Management System (QMS). It is the 1st follow up visit for the quality management system conformity evaluation of the Unit following its ISO 9001:2015 certification in February of last year.

Part of Mr. Pudan’s audit plan during the surveillance was to scrutinize the actual process flow of operations and processes of the Department of Extension and Training (DET) and Department of Research and Development (DRD) in terms of managing and providing services for technology generation and verification, training and technical assistance for the implementation of research and extension mandates of the University to its various stakeholders. The monitoring and evaluation of the various system protocols of DET and DRD with regards to the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standards and their respective accomplishment rate as set forth in their Quality Objectives were also assessed.

At the closing program which followed just after the surveillance audit proper, Mr. Pudan presented some highlights and best practices of the TAU-RET in the ISO implementation, but three minor observations meant to enhance the performance of the Unit.  

Fortunately and most importantly for TAU-RET, the External Auditor did not find any major noncompliance in any of the various system processes of Unit, and thereby announced that the University, through the RET Unit, has established, maintained, and implemented a quality and effective system of operations, ensuring compliance with its policy and objectives, and adhering to other statutory provisions.

For his part, Dr. Max P. Guillermo, the University president, recognized and welcomed the minor nonconformities and assured that the University, as a whole, would consider these as opportunities for improvement.

 “I assure you, Mr. Pudan, that we will make sure to make use of these findings for our improvement as we gear up for the ISO certification of our University, maybe during the 1st quarter of next year,” Dr. Guillermo said.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Geraldin dela Cruz, Chief of the TAU-Internal Audit and Quality Assurance, declared that the ISO re-certification of TAU-RET does not mean conclusion of hard efforts, but the start of more work to be done.

 “This recent reward of all our efforts is not the end, but the beginning of something bigger. We must sustain our hard work and continue aiming for the best as we are now striving to attain University ISO certification,” he said.

 “With our concerted efforts, and the unceasing support of the administration, I know that this goal will never be elusive,” the IAQA chief concluded.

It can be recalled that the TAU administration opted to submit its RET Unit for the ISO certification instead of undergoing the rigid university wide assessment. TAU-RET was awarded  the ISO 9001:2015 certificate on February 9, 2018 and will be valid for three (3) years, subject to renewal after annual surveillance audits.  The next surveillance visit is due in October of this year.

 

 

-by Mr. Joji U. Cabatic

*Article was first published in DET Newsletter, June-March 2019 issue.

 

 TAU-HRMO receives PRIME-HR Bronze Award

The TAU’s Human Resource Management Office (HRMO) successfully earned the PRIME-HRM Bronze Award from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) last May 14, 2019 as conferred by the Director of the CSC Regional Office III, Dir. Nelson G. Sarmiento, and the Director of the CSC Tarlac Field Office, Dir. Maria Cristina R. Gonzales, at the Bamboo Training Center, Tarlac Agricultural University.

As per CSC Resolution No. 1801443, promulgated December 4, 2018, with Maturity Level II Accreditation, the TAU-HRMO has met Prime-HRM level II maturity indicators of all the core HR systems, practices and management and has been continuously compliant with service law imposed by the CSC based on the evaluation conducted by Commission and as per the recommendation of CSC Region 3 to the CSC Central Office.

Read more: TAU-HRMO receives PRIME-HR Bronze Award

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