Silliman University welcomes the new academic year with the appointment of Dr. Margaret Helen Udarbe- Alvarez as interim vice president for Academic Affairs & Research.
Dr. Alvarez succeeds Dr. Earl Jude Paul Cleope whose term ended in July; he resumes his teaching duties at the Department of History & Political Sciences.
Alvarez, a distinguished academic and practitioner, has been a faculty member at Silliman for over 25 years. She concurrently serves as dean of the Graduate Programs. Her extensive post-graduate training includes a fellowship with the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia, with mentoring roles in Australia and Japan.
She is also presidenct of the Asian Christian Faculty Fellowship-Philippine chapter, and an active member of the Philippine Association of Psychologists, where she spearheaded the Psychology Summit and PAP Continuing Education workshops.
Silliman also appointed Dr. Ralton Bancairen as interim chief of the Office of Registration & Records Management, succeeding Dr. Giovanni Macahig whose term ended this year; Macahig is now a faculty member of the Psychology department.
Bancairen is head of Quality Instruction & Excellence, focusing on elevating educational standards and implementing quality assurance processes. He has taught graduate courses at the Negros Oriental State University, and worked in curriculum development, accreditation, and quality assurance. He was VP for Academic Affairs at Metro Dumaguete College, and Assistant Registrar at Far Eastern University in Manila.
Meanwhile, Silliman promoted Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel Villordon as interim assistant VP for Academic Affairs, a newly-created position in the Silliman organization.
Villordon, who has a doctoral degree in Public Health from the Université de Nice, concurrently serves as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, a position she has held since 2018. She has been a faculty member at Silliman since 2002. (SU Media & Public Affairs)
