SU appoints new admins to key leadership positions

Silliman University (SU) welcomes the new academic year with the appointment of Dr. Margaret Helen U. Alvarez, Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel L. Villordon, and Dr. Ralton D. Bancairen to key positions in the University.

Dr. Alvarez now serves as the Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research (VPAAR), succeeding Dr. Earl Jude Paul L. Cleope whose term ended this year and who now joins the roster of faculty at the Department of History and Political Sciences.

Dr. Bancairen has been appointed as Interim Chief of the Office of Registration and Records Management (ORRM), succeeding Dr. Giovanni T. Macahig whose term also ended this year and who is now a faculty member of the Psychology Department.

Meanwhile, Dr. Villordon serves as Interim Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs (AVPAA), a new position under the expanded functions of the Office of the VPAAR.

Dr. Alvarez, a distinguished academic and practitioner, has been a faculty member at Silliman University for over 25 years, advancing from instructor to full professor. She has held leadership positions in the university, having been the chairperson of the Psychology Department in 1998 and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2010. She concurrently serves as the dean of the Graduate Programs. Her extensive post-graduate training includes a leadership fellowship with the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA), which allowed her to be mentored by esteemed experts in health and clinical psychology from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia and from International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. This led to her presidency of the Asian Christian Faculty Fellowship-Philippine chapter. Dr. Alvarez is also a respected figure in the Philippine Association of Psychologists, where her leadership has spurred the creation of pivotal initiatives such as the Psychology Summit and PAP Continuing Education workshops. She has published numerous academic articles and was a former editor of the Philippine Journal Psychology and Silliman Journal.

Dr. Villordon concurrently serves as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Silliman University, a position she has held since 2018, following her role as Associate Dean from 2016 to 2018. An accomplished academic with a Ph.D. in Public Health from Université de Nice, she has been a faculty member at Silliman University since 2002, teaching a range of subjects from microbiology to public health, and has contributed to educational reforms as a national trainer. As a fellow of the prestigious UBCHEA leadership program, Dr. Villordon attended a month-long leadership course at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2017. Later that year, she spent two months at Hong Kong Baptist University, focusing on Whole Person Education. She is also an active leader in professional organizations, holding positions such as Vice President of the Philippine Academic Consortium for Public Health and Treasurer of the Council of CAS Deans Region 7, and is recognized for her extensive global experience and commitment to academic and community development.

Dr. Bancairen is a dedicated Quality Instruction and Excellence (QIE) Head with a career focus on elevating educational standards and implementing quality assurance processes. He has taught graduate courses at the Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), and excels in curriculum development, accreditation work, and quality assurance. His previous roles include Vice President for Academic Affairs at Metro Dumaguete College and Assistant Registrar at Far Eastern University, where he championed inclusive education and strategic institutional improvements.