THIRTY faculty members of the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture will have the chance to pursue their PhD on Development Studies or MS Veterinary Medicine in the University of the Philippines-Los Baños.

A Memorandum of Agreement was signed by UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. and CBSUA President Alberto Naperi allowing the faculty members to study via the off-campus mode.

“We responded to the challenge of the Commission on Higher Education that we should really play our role as the national and public service university, that we assist the state universities and colleges, and possibly all higher education institutions engaged in agriculture and in the niches of UPLB,” Camacho said.

“Our mantra was to make quality graduate programs more inclusive and more accessible,” he added.

Under Camacho, more than 10 graduate programs of the university were offered in various SUCs, government agencies, and private institutions via off-campus mode.

The CBSUA faculty members will be based in Pili, Camarines Sur where the university has its campus under the auspices of UPLB’s off-campus mode of offering graduate programs.

The CBSUA off-campus students underwent the usual screening procedures required by the UPLB’s Graduate School.

CBSUA will provide the facilities and fund other mechanisms to hold the classes, facilitate the mobility of the UPLB professors and pay for the matriculation and other fees of their scholars.

Naperi thanked Camacho for giving CBSUA staff the opportunity to study in UPLB.

The UPLB College of Public Affairs and Development and CBSUA also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for academic, research, and institutional collaborations.