Through the MCC Internationalization Office, a virtual Memorandum of Understanding between Mabalacat City College (MCC) and North American University (NAU) of Texas, U.S.A. was signed on March 28, 2022, establishing the framework by which the institutions can foster and develop a cooperative relationship through possible mobility of faculty and students, joint research activities and publications, and participation in seminars and academic meetings, among others.
Present during the MoU signing were NAU Interim President, Provost, and VP for Academic Affairs Dr. Faruk Taban, NAU VP for International Affairs Dr. Serif Ali Tekalan, NAU Professors Dr. Abdulkerim Oncu, Dr. Tawfiq Abu-Raqabeh, and Mr. Jason Villanueva, J.D.
From the MCC, present were College President Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong, VP for External and International Affairs Mr. Raymond John Vergara, Assistant VP for Student Affairs and Support Services Mr. Beejay Sebastian, Executive VP, and Head of Legal Affairs Atty. Charm Lansangan-Venturina, VP for Finance and Administration Ms. Happy Pelayo, and VP for Research and Extension Services Dr. Beth Cordova. Dr. Mike Mesa, MCC VP for Academic Affairs, enthusiastically gave his virtual welcome remarks as well as the impact of this partnership in the unit he leads. Meanwhile, Mr. Raymond Vergara, MCC VP for External and International Affairs read the provisions of the agreement and said, “We at Mabalacat City College are very optimistic that this strategic partnership will bear institutional advancement not only for MCC but also for North American University.”
The two presidents also delivered their messages after some light exchanges about culture and cuisine. President Ong showed her gratitude through her words, “I am so excited that we are doing this… Thank you for opening your doors to us… There have been major transformations in this college and I hope these give you confidence that we are very serious about excelling in our academic aim... I know that you [NAU] will be our partner for a long time.” President Taban responded by saying, “We are happy to be here and we are excited for this signing of MoU. It’s a real privilege to work with very diverse communities… Hopefully, in the post-covid world, everything is possible. We should move forward. I hope this will not stay only on paper, we have to make this in action. Thank you for this opportunity.”
The MOU signing ended with invitations for in-person activities sometime in July.
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