MARIANO Marcos State University President Dr. Shirley Agrupis received the Internationalization Leadership Award during the 1st ASEAN Philippine Higher Education International Champions of Nation-Building and Sustainability Internationalization Awards.

The award is given to an HEI executive official who exemplifies transformative and futuristic leadership in the internationalization of Philippine higher education.

“We did not pursue IZN to win any award, we did it with the end view of preparing our students for success in the competitive VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world. This makes this honor more meaningful and extraordinary,” Agrupis said.

“This award is not just a testament to MMSU’s milestones in IZN but also a testament to the Commission on Higher Education’s stalwart leadership and strong support to HEIs,” she added.

The school was also commended as an internationally ranked and rated higher education institution.

The Commission on Higher Education commended MMSU’s feats in the Quacquarelli Symonds Stars Rating, Times Higher Education Impact Rankings and the World Universities with Real Impact Rankings.

The university was also a finalist for the Global Citizenship Award and the Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Award.