The University of the Philippines Open University is set to hold its 28th Commencement Exercises on 7 December 2024, at its headquarters in Los Baños. Laguna. More than 600 students have been confirmed for their graduation from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Trimester, and 1st, 2nd Semester, and Mid-year Term of the Academic Year 2023-2024.
The UPOU Class of 2024 is composed of 611 graduates. One hundred twenty-five of these graduates are from the three undergraduate programs; 48 are from the two graduate certificate programs; 261 are from the 11 graduate diploma programs; 157 are from the 12 master’s programs; and, 20 graduates are from the two doctoral programs of UPOU.
Carrying the university’s theme, “University of the Future: Reimaginations, Reconfigurations, Realizations,” this Commencement Exercises will feature Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, UPOU Chancellor, as the guest speaker. Chancellor Bandalaria is serving the last year of her third term as Chancellor, which will run until 28 February 2025. Chancellor Bandalaria is an ardent advocate of open education and distance learning and has led the UPOU to greater heights since she assumed her position as Chancellor in 2016. In addition to her role as Chancellor, Dr. Bandalaria also holds significant positions in various international and national educational organizations, such as being a member of the Executive Committee of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) and the ICDE OER Advisory Committee (OERAC), and the Consortium of Open and Distance Education Providers in the Philippines (CODEPP). She is also an appointed ambassador of Open Educational Resources of ICDE. She earned her PhD in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines Los Baños and completed her Graduate Certificate in Distance Education at the Indiana University in Bloomington, USA.
Prior to the commencement ceremony, UPOU Faculty of Studies will hold their Recognition Rites and Fellowship Programs on 6 December 2024, 10:00 AM, to honor the graduates and recognize outstanding completers. The Faculty of Education will hold its Recognition Program at the UPOU Centennial Center for Digital Learning Auditorium, the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies at the World-class Multimedia Production Building, and the Faculty of Management and Development Studies at the Oblation Park of UPOU.
Invitations to participate in the graduation ceremony have been sent to all UPOU candidates. The final instructions will be emailed by 15 November 2024. All clarification about the commencement ceremony may be addressed to the UPOU Records Section at [email protected], with a copy to [email protected].
Written by Anna Cañas-Llamas ♦ Edited by Myra C. Almodiel ♦ Graphics by Zyrene Edrei M. Villanueva
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