OVCIA History

The Mindanao State University as a “delivering” Higher Education Institution (HEI) in the Philippines, responded to the mandate of the Commission on Higher Education via Memorandum Order (CMO) No.9, S.2013 entitled “Enhanced Policies and Guidelines on Student Affairs and Services” to enhance its internationalization efforts and put in place international affairs staff.

In March 2015, Chancellor Sukarno D. Tanggol authorized Prof. Esmar N. Sedurifa from the College of Education (CED) as Senior Special Assistant for International Affairs. Prof. Sedurifa was asked to start streamlining procedures and services related to international engagements. 

In May 2015, the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Development (OVCPD) chaired by Vice-Chancellor Feliciano B. Alagao prepared a proposal for the establishment of the Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the International Affairs Board (IAB) for MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT).

On June 16, 2015, Prof. Jonathan M. Tiongson, the then Planning and Assessment Manager prepared the proposal outlining the rationale, mandate, functions, and responsibilities of the proposed OIA under the OVCPD. This was submitted as an item in the agenda during the 2nd Quarter BOR Meeting.

By virtue of BOR Resolutions No. 112, S. 2015 and No. 163, S. 2015, the OIA and the IAB were formally established and lodged as part of the OVCPD. Prof. Sedurifa was officially designated as Acting Director of the OIA. Shortly thereafter, the OVCPD and the OIA appointed faculty members as the Institute’s International Affairs Coordinators (IACs).

The first batch of IACs were Dr. Marilou S. Nanaman (CASS), Prof. Safa D. Manala-o (CBAA), Prof. Diamer B. Capilitan (CED), Prof. Allenn D. Lowaton (COE), Prof. John Paul Ben T. Silang (CON), Dr. Arnold C. Alguno and Dr. Olga M. Nuñeza (CSM), Prof. Harreez Villaruz-Quimque (SCS), Prof. Corazon V. Ligaray (SET), Ms. Sittie Sahara T. Mutia (IPDM), and Prof. Marieta Esperanza P. Cruz (OVCRE).

As a new office, the OIA worked closely with the concerned offices of the Institute to establish its processes. Dir. Sedurifa coordinated with the Office of Admissions and Scholarship Administration (OASA) and the OVCPD in identifying areas for improvement in the admission of international exchange students. The OIA also worked closely with the Acting Assistant Director of the Quality Assurance Management Services Office (QuAMSO), Prof. Emelyn R. Mordeno, in drafting its Procedures and Work Instructions Manual (PAWIM).

In July 2017, Asst. Prof. Amelia T. Buan of CED was designated as the Acting Director of the OIA, subsequent to Dir. Sedurifa’s designation as Acting Institute Registrar. During her directorship, Dir. Buan aimed to carry on Prof. Sedurifa’s work on establishing guidelines in the policies of the OIA. As such, she devoted much of her work as Acting Director for the OIA in drafting and revising the PAWIM. With the help of Dir. Mordeno, who was then the Acting Director for QuAMSO, the first revision of the OIA PAWIM was completed in May 2018.

In June 2018, the OIA changed directorship once again and Prof. Gaudencio C. Petalcorin, Jr. was designated as the Acting Director of the OIA. Dir. Petalcorin, Jr. aimed to broaden the reach of the OIA in its services. He actively met with the deans of the colleges and the heads of cost centers whose functions are related with the OIA. During his time as Acting Director, Petalcorin, Jr. revisited the flow of OIA procedures which was presented to the college deans in a meeting on September 5, 2018. Some of the hallmark initiatives under his leadership were the ANTENA project that aims to increase academic quality and research among selected universities in the Philippines through the development of internationalization capacities, and the BUKA project that promotes equity and access to higher education in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia through the use of an online and blended learning. Both projects were funded by the European Union.

The Office of International Affairs (OIA) aggressively continues to play its vital role in coordinating internationalization efforts and remains steadfast in strengthening ties with international linkages under the directorship of Dr. Joey Genevieve Martinez in July 2020. During his term, MSU-IIT forged an agreement with VLIR-UOS, the Flemish Interuniversity Council-University Development Cooperation in Belgium, that supports partnerships between universities in Flanders and the South, that are searching for answers to global and local challenges. As Dr. Martinez carry on with the programs of his predecessors[M31] , his leadership gives more emphasis on improving research visibility of MSU-IIT that would help elevate its status in the global scene.