UPOU Appoints New Officials for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) recently announced the appointment of its new officials under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA). These appointments aim to strengthen the university’s academic programs and administrative support and ensure its continued excellence in open and distance learning.

New Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Associate Professor Aurora V. Lacaste has been named Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA). Prior to this role, she served as Assistant to the VCAA for Instruction. She has also held key positions such as University Registrar from February 2017 to February 2020, and Program Development Associate and Officer-in-charge at the Quality Assurance Office. 

New Assistants to the VCAA

Supporting the Vice Chancellor is a dedicated team of newly appointed assistants and directors:

Associate Professor Myra Oruga was reappointed as the Assistant to the VCAA for Research and Publication. She also served as Secretary of the Institutional Research Ethics Committee (IREC). She is the current Program Chair of the Diploma in International Health and Master of International Health of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS).

Assistant Professor Leo Mendel Rosario has been appointed Assistant to the VCAA for Instruction, tasked with advancing instructional programs and initiatives. He is the current Program Chair of the Diploma in/Master of Research and Development Management (D/MR&DM) and Chair of the Faculty Curriculum and Instruction Committee (FCIC) of FMDS.

Assistant Professor Roda Tajon will lead the Office of Student Affairs as Director. Currently, she also serves as a Program Development Associate for the Office of Gender Concerns. Prior to this, she was Program Development Associate at the Office of Student Affairs and the Vice President for Faculty in All UP Academic Union.

New Leadership at CODTL

The Center for Open and Distance Teaching and Learning (CODTL) welcomes new leaders as well:

Assistant Professor Juvy Lizette Gervacio has been named Director of CODTL and Deputy Director for Learning Design (CODTL-LD). She was a Program Development Associate for CODTL and Program Chair of the Master of Public Management Program of FMDS. She is an active member of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) for Lifelong Learning and is the Research Coordinator for Research Network 7 on Non Formal and Informal Learning. She is also an External Collaborator for the International Training Center, International Labor Organization (ILO).

Associate Professor Juliet Aleta Villanueva steps into the Deputy Director for Open and Digital Learning Research (CODTL-ODLR) role, focusing on developing learning materials and resources. Before this, she was the Deputy Director for Learning Design of CODTL  and also served as the Faculty Secretary of the Faculty of Education (FEd). Assoc. Prof. Villanueva currently serves as the Program Chair for the Diploma in Social Studies Education (DSSE) and the Master of Arts in Social Studies Education (MASSE) programs of FEd. 

Assistant Professor Benigno Jr. Agapito has been designated Deputy Director for Educational Media Production (CODTL-EMP), bringing his expertise to multimedia and technology-enhanced learning. He is the current Program Chair of the Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies and an active member of the CHED’s Regional Quality Assessment Team for Multimedia Arts, Humanities, and Communication.

Written by Jessa Perez ♦ Edited by by Primo G. Garcia and Alvie Alip

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