In its effort to go global, Samar Colleges, Inc. participated in the Filipino Leaders in Advancing International Reputation (FLAIR) Masterclass – Eastern Visayas, on October 21-23, 2025, held at Ironwood Hotel, Tacloban City, Leyte.

Among the Private Higher Institutions (PHEIs) in Region VIII, Samar Colleges, Inc. was one of the selected institutions invited by the Regional Office to attend the said event. SC was represented by Ms. Cherylou Bacalan, Mr. Donald Oliveros, and Mr. Eldrian Jaba, faculty members of the institution.

The three-day masterclass, organized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Regional Office VIII, aimed to equip higher education institutions (HEIs) in Eastern Visayas with strategies for strengthening global visibility and institutional reputation through innovation, internationalization, and global rankings, specifically in World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) and Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking.

The event kicked off with a powerful remark from the CHEDRO VIII Regional Director, Dr. Maximo C. Aljibe, underscoring the significance of global opportunities to educational institutions and how they can stir up global visibility.

Key presentations included CHEDRO CAR Regional Director Jimmy G. Catanes’ talk on Helping HEIs Build Global Visibility and Cordillera Career Development College (CCDC) President, Dr. Sherry Junette Malaya-Tagle, on CCDC’s Internationalization Journey, highlighting their notable milestones in the WURI Ranking from the year 2022 to 2025.

On the second day, Professor Bryan C. Dayuta, Director for Linkages, International Office from Philippine Normal University (PNU), led a workshop titled World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI): Methodology and Strategies, which focused on enhancing institutional impact through innovative ranking systems. Prof. Dayuta’s talk circled around how WURI recognizes universities for their innovation, real-world impact, inclusiveness, and practical solutions. “Innovation is not a destination – it is a journey”, he stated. He then concluded the discussion with helpful tips for preparing innovative cases for ranking entries, such as inspiring a spirit of collaboration among institutions.

On the third day, Dr. Jonas P. Villas, Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Extension of Leyte Normal University, discussed From Innovation to Institutional Impact: Building Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-Based Reporting Systems for THE Impact Rankings. Dr. Villas focused on identifying institutional innovations and programs aligned with SDGs’ indicators and producing evidence-based entries for ranking submissions.

The SC representatives are expected to re-echo the key learnings from the masterclass within the institution, to inform faculty and administrators about strategies for internationalization, innovation, and global rankings.