June 1, 2022 (Local Date) - The Mabalacat City College, represented by the College President Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong, attends the opening of the 4-day NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2022 Annual Conference & Expo in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. MCC is the lone local college to join the Philippine delegation on the annual event.
During the program, LaNitra Berger, PhD, President and Chair of the Board of Directors of NAFSA stated, “I hope you can find your community here at NAFSA… global challenges are too big for us to stay in the side line… We need this connection now more than ever. We need to reconnect… Our world needs international educators to advocate for a better world through global education.”
On the first day, Dr. Aguilar-Ong met delegates from Argentina for a possible collaboration on Spanish language, culture, and arts. She also met Professor Stacy Burger, the representative of Lehigh University - one of the best known research universities in the United States. Dr. Aguilar-Ong likewise met with the officials of Langara Community College, presently a partner of MCC in COIL. She is expected to meet representatives from other colleges and universities such as Le Meridian University, Lone Star College, Colorado Mesa University, and Seattle University among others.
Dr. Aguilar-Ong shares, “They invited me for tomorrow night’s reception they are hosting with other invited universities. We talked about possibilities of faculty exchanges,… full semester COIL classes, lectures in american literature, asian studies, gender and many other subjects that we can both provide an authenticity in our contents, student mobility for community and cultural exposure.”
The participation of MCC aims to boost its international presence for strategic purposes and institutional advancement.
The Conference offers attendees the most expansive views, segmented learning opportunities, and engaging networking events. It provides an avenue for the international education community to connect, build a network, and collaborate with other institutions from other countries. Each year, nearly 10,000 attendees participate from more than 100 countries.