CHED Designates Silliman Center of Dev't in Anthropology

Silliman University receives its fourth distinction as a Center of Development. This time, in the field of Anthropology.

In a memorandum issued by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Chairperson Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan notified Silliman that is has been designated as a Center of Development (COD) in Anthropology.

This increases the number of CODs in the University to four. Silliman is already a COD in three other programs: Accountancy, Biology and Information Technology Education. It is also a Center of Excellence (COE) in Nursing Education and Teacher Education.

COD and COE distinctions, as CHED describes, are granted to higher education institutions “which have demonstrated the highest degree or level of standard along the areas of instruction, research and extension.”

“(These universities) provide institutional leadership in all aspects of development in specific areas of discipline in the various regions by providing networking arrangements to help ensure the accelerated development of HEIs in their respective service areas,” it adds.

Silliman's program in Sociology and Anthropology are among its more established. It continues to churn out scholarly publications from researches conducted in Negros Oriental and other provinces, such as Siquijor. It also maintains the Anthropology Museum where it exhibits its rich ethnographic and archeological collection acquired since the early 1970s.

On top of its COD and COE distinctions, Silliman is one of few universities granted Full Autonomous Status by CHED. This allows the University to develop and offer new degrees with minimum regulation of the Philippine government. Silliman's reputation in research in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities also earned it membership with CHED's Philippine Higher Education Research Network.