SU prexy is new COCOPEA chair

Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, president of Silliman University and president of the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities (ACSCU), has assumed the chairmanship of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA).

COCOPEA, established in 1961, serves as the unifying voice of private education in the Philippines. It brings together five major associations: the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU), the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities (ACSCU), the Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAPSCU), and the Technical-Vocational Schools Association of the Philippines (TEVSAPHIL/UniTVET). Through these associations, COCOPEA represents more than 2,000 educational institutions nationwide. Its mission is to advance academic freedom, quality education, complementarity between public and private sectors, good governance, and the promotion of education in the service of the common good.

The chairmanship of COCOPEA rotates every two years among its member associations to ensure shared leadership and balanced representation across the private education sector. Leadership has now passed from CEAP to ACSCU, with McCann taking the helm. In this role, she will lead COCOPEA in strengthening its advocacy for private education and in fostering collaboration with government and other education stakeholders.