𝐒𝐋𝐂𝐁 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 at International Conference
Themed “Innovate, Integrate, Inspire: Driving Sustainable and Quality Education through the SDGs,” SLU, through its SLU Research, Innovation, & Sustainable Extension Center, co-hosted the two-day inaugural conference with Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (PLP), Ateneo De Naga University (ADNU), Saint Louis College - San Fernando City, La Union (SLC-SFLU), University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao (USLT), Isabela State University (ISU), Saint Mary’s University (SMU), Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College (ISPSC), Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), Kalinga State University (KSU), Baguio Central University (BCU), Aklan Catholic College (ACC), WCC Aeronautical and Technological College (WCC-ATC), and Saint Louis College of Bulanao (SLCB).
Welcoming the academic community
SLU President Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, PhD said, “As we open this landmark event, we celebrate the power of research to transcend borders and ignite meaningful change. We extend our deepest gratitude to our esteemed co-hosting institutions, whose invaluable collaboration and shared vision have made this international forum possible.”
Fr. Sales underscored the importance of deliberately integrating the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into the very fabric of the educational system and daily life. “Education is not a passive vehicle of knowledge but an active catalyst for transformation. … By embedding these global goals into our daily activities and institutional policies, we foster a culture of accountability and innovation ensuring that indeed quality education becomes an accessible lifelong tool that equips individuals to tackle the pressing challenges of our day.”
The Ceremonial Conferment of Certificates of Co-Host Institutions solidifying the commitment and partnership in fostering sustainability in higher education was then held. The conferment was led by Fr. Sales and assisted by the SLU Vice President for Academic Affairs Felina P. Espique, PhD, and Office of Global Relations, Alumni Affairs, and Scholarship Programs (OGRAASP) Director Stephenie O. Busbus, PhD.
“𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆”
Dr. Elsa Haniffa Mejia Mohamed, medical lecturer in Pharmacology at University Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) Programme Assessor, gave the keynote speech on sustainability from the lens of quality assurance. “Quality Assurance is all about evidence. A university can have fantastic mission and vision statements, but is there real evidence to the practice?”
She emphasized that “this is not moral failure; this is structural failure.” Dr. Mohamed delved into three keywords — Innovate (how it begins), Integrate (how it survives), and Inspire (how it endures). “Some of you in this room have already started noticing. Some of you will be the ones who connect it. And some of you will be the reason someone else keeps going.”
𝗦𝗗𝗚 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Richard R. Jugar, PhD, professor and director of the University of Educational Practices, Instruction and Curriculum (EPIC) Development Office of University of San Carlos, Cebu City, delivered the opening plenary focusing on how the Sustainable Development Goals relate to the holistic development of the human person. He presented a three-dimensional view of quality education grounded in the SDGs: Knowledge Creation and Advancement; Formation of the Ethical Human Person; and Service for Others.
“Education isn’t only about preparing for work, it is about preparing to improve the world,” Dr. Jugar concluded.
After the plenary sessions, the parallel sessions with sub-plenary talks and oral presentations were simultaneously held in the lobby, classrooms, and Moot Court of the Diego Silang Building. The 1st Research Conference on Scholarly Linkages for Universal and Sustainable Education will continue on its second and final day on 27 June 2026 with the second series of plenary sessions. In addition to the discourses, the program also includes SLU Campus Tour, Ceremonial Recognition of Best Presenters, and taking of Pledge of Commitment by the participants.
