DMMMSU President Dr. Jaime I. Manuel, Jr., joined Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III and other Philippine Higher Education Institution (HEI) leaders for the Business Mission on Transnational Higher Education held in Sydney and Adelaide, Australia from April 25 to May 2, 2025.

This mission, by the Transnational Education (TNE) Opportunity Forum, aimed to deepen academic collaboration between Philippine and Australian HEIs and align with the internationalization thrust of the Marcos administration.

During the forum, De Vera encouraged Australian universities to strengthen their presence in Asia through partnerships with Philippine HEIs, emphasizing the country’s strengths in higher education. “We are actually doing better than the majority of ASEAN nations as far as the graduate rate for the first degree is concerned. That implies that we have upwardly mobile people who are young, English-proficient, and seeking educational opportunities in many fields and in a variety of modes,” he explained.

Among the fields highlighted were medicine and allied health, science and technology, aviation, animation, game development, maritime, information technology, and tourism management. Some of these areas also reflect DMMMSU’s aggressive pursuit of transnational education initiatives. The university has established strong partnerships with universities in Canada, Finland, and various parts of Asia, supporting its global vision for programs in these strategic sectors.

DMMMSU is set to open its College of Medicine (COMED) in June 2025, marking a significant milestone in its academic expansion. In line with this, DMMMSU has also been included in a CHED-funded upskilling initiative in partnership with the University of Adelaide, aimed at training faculty members who will lead its COMED.

Prominent Australian universities such as Charles Sturt University, University of the Sunshine Coast, University of Technology Sydney, University of Canberra, Victoria University, University of New South Wales, Australian Catholic University, and Western Sydney University participated in the TNE Opportunity Forum.

Others who joined the Philippine delegation included the leaders from the University of the Philippines Manila, Asia Pacific College, National University, and the University of Northern Philippines. The mission also involved collaboration with the Philippine Board of Investments and the Clark Development Corporation to foster broader international education partnerships. (By Jesus Rafael B. Jarata)