Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Colting: BSU-SLU PIUC Program By Dr. Rogelio Colting R4D Corner
BRUSSELS. March 9, 2008. This writer is in Brussels, Belgium to attend the Institutional University Cooperation (IUC) Policy Workshop on March 10 to 14, 2008 organized by the VLIR-UOS (Vlamse Interuniversitaire Raad-UOS) of Belgium.
The IUC Program offers opportunities for Flemish Universities in Belgium (North) and selected universities in developing countries in the South in Institutional Capacity Building.
The workshop aims to come up with recommendations to optimize and harness the initial gains of the program in the broader context of the internationalization of higher education beyond its core objective of institutional capacity building.
Expected to attend the workshop are key officials from the various IUC partner universities and representatives from government and non-government institutions from Belgium.
The delegation from the Philippines is composed of this writer and Darlyn Tagarino from BSU, and Fr. Jesse Hechanova, lawyer Arnulfo Soriano and Noel De Leon from SLU.
It must be recalled that the partner universities in the IUC programme in the Philippines (better known as the PIUC are BSU and SLU while the partner universities in Belgium as the Catholic University of Louvainne, the Ghent University and the University of Antwerp.
The PIUC program started in March 1999 with funding support coming for 10 years from the Belgian government over a two-year five years implementation scheme.
For BSU, phase 1 of the program has provided funds to support the university's Agriculture Education program along six components namely: 1) library; 2) information technology; 3) faculty and staff development; 4) upgrading of research and instructional facilities; 5) strengthening of the Institute of Social Research and Development; and 6) extension and outreach.
The second phase focused on five projects namely: 1) library; 2) ICT; 3) support for the Semi-Temperate Vegetable Research and Development Center; 4) support for the International Relations Office; and 5) strengthening of the SLU/BSU network.
As one among the partner universities, BSU would like to thank the Belgian government for this innovative program for developing countries.
The program has definitely contributed to the improvement of the learning and research environment of the university resulting to the improved quality of outputs in terms of graduates and technologies, and enhanced international stature.
The program has also provided tremendous opportunities and inspiration for the university stakeholders to perform their respective roles with excellence and commitment.
