ACUCA board extends McCann’s ACUCA presidency
The Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia (ACUCA) Executive Board has extended the term of Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, Silliman University (SU) president, as the president of ACUCA until December 31, 2021.
McCann’s presidency was supposed to end on December 31, 2020 and be succeeded by Dr. Kwang-Sup Lee, Hannam University (South Korea) president, on January 1, 2021 as the new ACUCA president.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Lee’s recent installation as Hannam University president, the ACUCA Executive Board, upon request of Hannam University, has voted to extend McCann’s presidency for a year.
McCann views the extended assignment as a continuing service to the 69-member association “as ACUCA firms up its path towards stability and sustainability in this unprecedented time.”
“The current disruptions all the more require institutions to manifest their Christian character, work together to enrich educational programs, and reassert the relevance of their programs and services mindful of the changing landscape of both regional and global higher education,” said McCann.
ACUCA Secretary-General and SU Economics Department chair Dr. Wilma Milo Tejero said the 12-month extension can also be used as an opportunity for SU to showcase its strength in terms of academic offerings, which may be attractive to other partner institutions.
“The recent ACUCA virtual thanksgiving service and the ACUCA virtual fellowship have not only allowed Silliman University to show its capability to organize and lead such kind of event, given the relatively large number of members, but also showcase the talents of our students and faculty here at Silliman, like that of (the College of Performing and Visual Arts),” said Tejero.
Tejero said the ACUCA Secretariat would be “happy to extend support” to the University’s colleges and departments in marketing their offerings, since the Secretariat manages the operation and activities of ACUCA.
With the extension of McCann’s ACUCA presidency, Tejero said the ACUCA Secretariat in SU hopes to maximize the opportunity of promoting SU’s programs to its partners in Asia.
“(Hopefully, we can produce more) MOUs (Memorandums of Understanding) with partner universities. As an economics professor, I wish to see that this partnership with Asian institutions will bring economic benefit to Silliman,” Tejero added.
