Thirty-one higher education leaders from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam have successfully completed the 7th Leadership Development Program for Higher Education Institutions in Southeast Asia (LDP-HEIs in SEA).
The hybrid program, organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), The HEAD Foundation, and IPB University, was designed to strengthen leadership capacities in universities across the region.
Conducted from Sept. 23 to Nov. 18, 2025, the three-month program comprised five online sessions and a three-day onsite segment at IPB University in Bogor, Indonesia.
After the presentation of the Top 12 REAPs, five were selected as the Best REAPs. The awardees were Dr. Jesson Butcon of Caraga State University, Philippines; Dr. Juan Moshe Duyan of Kalinga State University, Philippines; Dr. Artemio Martin Jr. and Dr. Emerson Barcellano of Isabela State University; Dr. Issaree Supnui of Kasetsart University, Thailand; and Dr. Zulnaidi bin Yaacob of Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Their REAPs focused on topics such as One Health, academic indigenization, internationalization, open and distance learning, curriculum and research capacity improvement, and product development.
Dr. Nova Ramos, Head of SEARCA’s Training for Development Unit, lauded the graduates, emphasizing the importance of translating new skills into meaningful institutional transformation.
“The impact of this program will be measured not by the certificates that you earned, but by the changes that you champion, the teams you empower, and the systems you transform when you return to your respective universities,” she said.
