SU dean joins prestigious SEA academic leadership program in Germany
Dr. Alana Leilani T. Cabrera-Narciso, Silliman University (SU) College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) dean, joined 30 academic leaders from across Southeast Asia in the first phase of the DIES International Deans’ Course (IDC) Southeast Asia 2026, held June 13–28, 2026, in Osnabrück and Berlin, Germany.
The biennial leadership program equips newly elected academic administrators with the knowledge and skills to lead institutional innovation, strengthen university governance, and foster international collaboration in higher education.
Joining Narciso as Philippine representatives were academic leaders from De La Salle University, Philippine Normal University, Ateneo de Naga University, and the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
IDC follows a three-stage blended learning format. Its first phase, conducted in Germany, featured intensive sessions on strategic leadership, quality assurance, university governance, change management, internationalization, sustainability, and academic innovation.
Participants engaged in lectures, workshops, peer exchanges, case studies, and mentorship designed to help them develop practical strategies for improving academic quality, organizational efficiency, and institutional sustainability.
A defining component of the IDC is the development of a Project Action Plan (PAP), where participants address a strategic issue within their respective institution, aimed at generating lasting organizational impact by advancing academic quality, institutional sustainability, and innovation.
For SU, Narciso’s PAP focuses on strengthening Convergence, the multidisciplinary journal of CAS, as the primary platform for expanding the reach of the college’s research output and elevating the college’s scholarship to regional and international recognition.
It also seeks to reinforce the publication as both a capacity-building resource and a publication venue that encourages greater research participation among faculty and students while maintaining the journal’s established blind peer review system and commitment to scholarly integrity.
Narciso expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the prestigious program.
“I feel truly blessed to have had this opportunity—knowing how competitive the selection process was made it even more meaningful, and the insights I gained from the sessions and my fellow IDC participants made the experience all the more rewarding,” she said.
The program’s second phase consists of online coursework and mentoring sessions scheduled for August and September 2026, while the final phase will culminate in an in-person workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from November 22 to 28, 2026.
