The Philippine Association of Practitioners of Student Affairs and Services (PAPSAS) selected Far Eastern University as a benchmark for best practices in the management of student formation programs in the country.
Seventy-four (74) participants from the different higher education institutions in the Philippines attended the benchmarking session as part of their concluding activities as graduates of a specialist certificate course on student affairs and services designed by PAPSAS, the Commission of Higher Education, and the University of Santo Tomas-Continuing Development Program.
Student Development and Volunteerism Services Offices hosted the event. Joeven R. Castro, FEU’s assistant vice president for Academic Services, presented three best practices that support the university’s pursuit of a meaningful and transformative student experience. These include extensive industry partnership, creative programs that promote diversity, respect, and social consciousness, and increased online engagement and data mining.
“We have over 1,100 industry partners, 30% of which belong to the Top 1000 Corporations, to strengthen the career tracking of our students—from seminars on work ethic and industry trends, to curriculum review, to internship, and university-to-work transition programs. The partnership is a confirmation that FEU is a go-to academic institution that takes the employability of its graduates seriously,” Castro said.
Castro also highlighted the 5 Cs of the 21st Century Leader as a framework in the design of student development programs that complement FEU’s student-centered curricula towards the enhancement of digital literacy, effective communication, and critical thinking. FEU’s all-gender restrooms, no haircut policy, school attire options instead of a uniform, and the multi-faith room are initiatives that promote multiple interests and expressions.
Castro concluded that the role of research or evidence-based program formulation has made FEU more sensitive to the needs of its students, an approach that parallels social listening and is relevant to today’s era of crowdsourcing. PAPSAS is the country’s largest national professional organization of student affairs practitioners.