PANABO CITY – Dr. Joy M. Sorrosa, College President of Davao del Norte State College, together with Dr. Girley S. Gumanao, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Eliseo F. Huesca, Jr., Vice President for Research, Extension, and Production, and Mr. Daniel Fritz V. Silvallana, Head of the Internationalization Initiatives and External Affairs Office, traveled to Malaysia for the University Presidents Forum 2022 and for multiple engagements with international partners, last November 1 – 4, 2022.


Mr. Silvallana met with the faculty members of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) headed by Dr. Wan Nobani Wan Noordin, Director of Transnational Education Department, Institute of Continuing Education & Professional Studies, and Mr. Zainal Izuddin Bin Saharudin, Executive Officer. UiTm expressed their intent to offer micro-credentials, short courses, and franchising opportunities to DNSC.

The Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) also hosted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with DNSC, formally opening the talks between the two institutions on academic advancement in the areas of disaster management and resilience, social sciences, business, technology, and informatics.

The College officials visited the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in Sungai Long Campus on November 4, 2022. They were warmly welcomed by Dr. David Tneh Cheng Eng, Dean of Faculty of Creative Industries, Ts Ang Kok Yew, Deputy Dean (Student Development and Industrial Training), Dr. Cynthia Lau, Deputy Dean (R&D Postgraduate Programmes), Dr. Yong Thian Kok, Director Institute of Postgraduate Studies and Research, and Dr. Lai Soon, Director Division of Community and International Networking. Among the major points of discussion were research collaborations on aquaculture and marine science, as well as, training participation in UTAR’s Unovate Center, soft skills development, and more.