Prof. Sven Schottmann (center), associate dean for development and partnerships of the Ulster University, with Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma (left), senior program head of Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD), and Dr. Nova Ramos (right), head of ECLD-Training for Development Unit (T4DU).
Prof. Sven Schottmann, associate dean for development and partnerships of Ulster University, visited the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 24 April 2023 to discuss potential areas of collaboration on education and training.
Ulster University is a Northern Ireland civic university known for its world-class teaching. It aims to enhance its learners’ social experiences and promote interactive classroom setups and immersed pedagogical innovations.
During his visit, Dr. Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, senior program head of the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD), provided a brief overview of the Center’s core programs. She also emphasized the SEARCA-established Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC) and its collaboration with AGRINATURA, a consortium of European universities.
Prof. Schottmann expressed his interest on networking his university with UC member institutions.
Dr. Cuaresma discussed that SEARCA is one of the 26 specialist institutions of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), of which the United Kingdom has been an associate member country since 2013.
Prof. Schottmann visited the Philippines to benchmark potential universities and institutions to aid in an immersion program for undergraduate students taking up social work studies that will take place in 2024. In the visit, he emphasized the importance of community development and the exposure that their students will get in Southeast Asia, which is a diverse region rich in lifestyles, traditions, and cultural heritage.
Afterward, Dr. Nova Ramos, head of ECLD-Training for Development Unit (T4DU), accompanied him in a meeting with the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) College of Human Ecology (CHE) Executive Committee led by Dr. Ricardo Sandalo, dean of UPLB CHE, for more discussions on student mobility for social work students.
Prof. Schottmann (center), Dr. Ramos (second from left), with the UPLB College of Human Ecology (CHE) Executive Committee led by Dean Dr. Ricardo Sandalo (third from left).