Benguet State University was among the higher education institutions that attended the first day of the two-day program, “Filipino Leaders in Advancing International Reputation, FLAIR Masterclass: Upscaling Programs and Projects, Leveraging Internationalization and Futures Thinking (UPLIFT 2025),” on September 30 at Saint Louis University, Baguio City.
Designed to strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions in the Cordillera, this year’s Masterclass focuses on international partnerships, quality assurance, visibility tools, and institutional positioning. Nineteen state universities and colleges across the region, along with representatives from the Commission on Higher Education, gathered for the two-day program.
The program of the first day was “Building the Foundation: Rankings, Quality, and Sustainability,” which featured four sessions that tackled the crafting of strategic internationalization plans, the use of data and storytelling in impact rankings and visibility tools, the building and sustaining of cross-border partnerships, and the pursuit of global standards with local impact through quality assurance initiatives.
BSU made a significant contribution to the discussions with the presentation of Dr. Rex John G. Bawang, Director of the International Relations Office, who shared the university’s journey of the Strategic Internationalization Plan 2021–2025. In his talk, he shared the plan’s development from its conception in 2018 to its eventual implementation in 2021. He also highlighted BSU’s internationalization journey, presenting the institution’s Internationalization Map that outlined planned milestones, actual accomplishments, and the challenges along the way. Dr. Bawang concluded his presentation by affirming BSU’s continuing commitment to internationalization, noting that the university is now preparing for the crafting of the SIP for 2026–2030.
BSU’s representatives were composed of Dr. Rex John G. Bawang, Racquel M. Fatog, and Jeric Raye T. Bayating from the International Relations Office; Jhordan T. Cuilan from the International Language Center; Marvin Valentin from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs; and Florida Rosario, Reslyn Garcia, and Jake Galian, the international relations coordinators from CHET, CAH, and CA. Their participation showed the university’s shared commitment to promoting internationalization in higher education.






