Univ. of Guam Cooperates with Phillippines Institute on Engineering Program

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UOG SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH PHILIPPINES' MAPUA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

to support Engineering Program

University of Guam President Robert A. Underwood and Mapua Institute of Technology (Phillippines) President Reynaldo B. Vea signed an agreement on June 21 to develop academic relations between the two institutions which will support UOG’s efforts to launch an engineering school.

The Mapúa Institute of Technology’s electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer engineering have been granted accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the recognized accreditor of engineering and technology programs in the United States. The Mapua Institute of Technology is the only educational institution in the Philippines to achieve ABET accreditation.

The agreement will enhance relations between the two institutions and further the development of academic and cultural exchanges. The two institutions hope to promote cooperation in such areas as faculty and student exchanges, training and study programs, collaborative teaching projects, collaborative scholarship, and other joint endeavors according to principles of reciprocity, common understanding, and mutual benefit.

“This agreement will enable us to forge a strong relationship as we seek ways to enhance our programs,” said UOG President Robert A. Underwood. “This relationship with the Mapua Institute of Technology brings us in close communication with the only institution with ABET accredited programs in East Asia. Their close geographic proximity will benefit our students and both of our institutions.”

ABET, Inc. is the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. Among the most respected accreditation organizations in the U.S., ABET has provided leadership and quality assurance in higher education for over 75 years.ABET accredits over 3,100 programs at more than 600 colleges and universities worldwide.

Univ. of Guam President Named Vice Chair of Asian Pacific Islander University Association

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President Robert Underwood to lead group of colleges, universities serving Asian American, Pacific Islander students


MANGILAO, Guam-The University of Guam President Robert Underwood, Ed.D., has been named vice chairman of the board of directors for the Asian Pacific Islander American Association of Colleges and Universities, which was launched yesterday to help address the complex set of social realities facing students in the underrepresented and underserved Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Underwood will help lead the new national umbrella organization and advocate on behalf of all Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions-minority-serving institutions designated by Congress that have at least a 10 percent enrollment of AAPI students and have a significant number of AAPI students who are Pell Grant eligible, among other criteria-to better serve the unique needs of the nearly 1.2 million AAPI students attending these institutions across the nation.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APIACU supports AANAPISIs in a manner similar to that which the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education serve Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, respectively.

The mission of APIACU has four objectives: (1) To promote the development of member colleges and universities; (2) to improve the quality of postsecondary educational opportunities and access thereto for AAPI students; (3) to meet the needs of business, industry, and government through the development and sharing of resources, information, and expertise; and (4) to support and lobby for the success of AANAPISIs through the development of programmatic activities of AANAPISIs.

“The University of Guam serves a student population that is over 90 percent Asian and Pacific Islander. This new organization brings national focus to the unique population we serve and allows us to collaborate with other institutions across the country to develop ways to enhance educational experiences and provide additional opportunities to our students,” said Underwood.

Serving along with Underwood on the APIACU board of directors are chair Mark Mitsui, president of North Seattle Community College; and co-vice chair Gabriel Esteban, Ph.D., president of Seton Hall University. Together they will work with APIACU president and CEO Ruby G. Moy to lead the organization.

The idea to develop APIACU was presented last year during the first annual higher education summit held by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund-the nation’s largest nonprofit organization devoted solely to providing college scholarships for AAPI students-in which the group gave its endorsement to create a national organization of this kind.

APIACU was announced during the 2011 APIASF College Completion Forum: Strengthening Institutions that Serve Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. (UOG)