Silliman President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III signed memoranda of understanding with the presidents of two universities in Canada.
Royal Roads University and Vancouver Island University have officially become the first institutional partners of Silliman in Canada following a formal tie-up sealed by Dr. Malayang and his counterparts in these two reputable higher education institutions.
Dr. Malayang met and formalized linkages with RRU president Dr. Allan R. Cahoon on May 21, and the next day, with VIU president Dr. Ralph Nilson. The Presidents discussed how the partnerships can be pursued in the areas of student exchange, faculty development and research.
Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Neil Reeder had earlier praised this development as facilitative of the strengthening of the bilateral relations of Canada and the Philippines, particularly in education. It was the Ambassador who encouraged Silliman to pursue partnerships with Canadian universities, during his visit to Silliman in April this year. He said there is a growing interest among Filipino students in studying in Canada and an equal interest among companies and universities in Canada to nurture relations in the Philippines.
A similar engagement to RRU and VIU is being eyed with other Canadian universities.
After his trip to Canada, Dr. Malayang will be one of the plenary speakers at an international conference of the International of Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education at Calvin College in Michigan, USA.
He will then proceed to San Antonio, Texas for the Tipon celebration of the SU Alumni Council of North America on June 17 to 21. (OIP)
