The United States government has inaugurated a fellowship program in the Philippines aimed at strengthening Filipino academic officials’ capacity to drive innovation within their organizations.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) partnered with the Commission on Higher Education in launching the Higher Education Innovation Leaders Fellowship Program as part of USAID’s five-year, P1.6 billion worth of US-Philippines Partnership for Skills, Innovation, and Life-long Learning (UPSKILL) initiative.
The US Embassy, in a statement, said the program will bring together 16 senior Philippine academic officials for an eight-month learning experience that will empower them to drive innovation within their respective organizations.
“This fellowship program represents our investment in developing leaders who will inspire change and strengthen the country’s higher education sector through innovation and collaboration,” USAID Philippines mission director Ryan Washburn said.
Throughout the program, fellows will engage in learning sessions covering global trends in higher education, driving organizational reforms, and crafting innovative solutions to enhance the impact of higher education programs.
The highlight of the program is a week-long immersion at Arizona State University, which is ranked as one of the most innovative universities in the United States.
“These fellows will be bringing contributions and cultivating advocacies of transformation through the fellowship program. I look forward to seeing (them) working collectively toward a goal of a strengthened higher education system leading to inclusive growth in the Philippines,” CHED chairman Prospero De Vera III said.
USAID, which supports the Philippines’ efforts to strengthen its educational system, has already invested more than P3 since 2012 to improve Philippine higher education.
