SU CAS Dean selected for DIES International Deans’ Course Southeast Asia 2026
Dr. Alana Leilani C. Narciso, dean of the Silliman University (SU) College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), has been selected to participate in the DIES International Deans’ Course (IDC) Southeast Asia 2026, an intensive leadership program for newly elected academic administrators in the region.
The International Deans’ Course Southeast Asia 2026 is jointly organized by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, and the Centre for Higher Education (CHE). It forms part of the DIES programme (Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies), which aims to strengthen higher education management and leadership in developing regions.
The course brings together approximately 30 newly elected deans, vice-deans, and heads of departments from universities across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines, to prepare them for the challenges of leading faculties in a rapidly changing higher education landscape.
Key components of the program include strategic faculty management, financial management, quality assurance, and leadership development. The methodology is practice-oriented and anchored on case studies, requiring participants to draw from their own institutional experiences. As part of the program, each participant is expected to develop a Project Action Plan (PAP) during Part I of the course, to be implemented at their home university and further refined through succeeding workshops.
The program will be conducted in three phases: Part I will take place from June 15 to 26, 2026 in Osnabrück and Berlin, Germany; Part II will consist of online seminars scheduled from August to October 2026; and Part III will be held from November 23 to 27, 2026 in Malaysia.
Through Narciso’s participation in the IDC, the university, especially CAS, is expected to benefit from enhanced systems and practices aligned with global standards in faculty governance and quality assurance.
(For more information about the program, visit https://www.daad.de/en/information-services-for-higher-education-institutions/further-information-on-daad-programmes/dies-training-courses/)
