City College of Calamba Benchmarks UPHSL’s WURI-Aligned Best Practices
The University of Perpetual Help System Laguna (UPHSL) warmly welcomed representatives from the City College of Calamba (CCC) for a benchmarking activity highlighting institutional best practices aligned with the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI). The engagement served as a platform for sharing insights on innovative approaches that promote quality education, institutional excellence, and global collaboration in higher education. During the session, Dr. Josefa G. Carrillo, Director for International and External Affairs, served as one of the resource speakers, presenting her internationally recognized work, The EMPOWER Project, which ranked Top 17 worldwide under WURI Category B2: Empowerment-Based Management.
Dr. Carrillo shared that EMPOWER, an acronym for Enhancing Management Practices through Organizational Workplace Empowerment and Relationships, evolved from a planned benchmarking activity in Japan into an initiative that focused on self-discovery, collaboration, and leadership development.
Dr. Carillo emphasized that “TRUE INNOVATION BEGINS WHEN INSTITUTIONS REFLECT ON THEIR OWN PRACTICES, RELATIONSHIPS, AND SHARED GOALS TOWARD CONTINUOUS I MPROVEMENT”.
The benchmarking activity supported the advocacy of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, underscoring the importance of academic collaboration, capacity building, and the exchange of institutional best practices. Both institutions reaffirmed their shared commitment to fostering excellence, innovation, and sustainable partnerships in higher education. Also featured during the activity was Dr. Peter S. Estellore, Corporate Marketing Director, who presented UPHSL’s other WURI-recognized achievements — Top 17 in Category B5: Funding for Sustainability and Top 15 in Category B8: University Brand and Reputation.
This meaningful benchmarking activity was initiated by the Quality Assurance Office, headed by Dr. Catherine de Jesus, whose leadership continues to strengthen UPHSL’s pursuit of continuous quality improvement and international competitiveness. Through her office’s efforts, both UPHSL and City College of Calamba further solidified their shared mission of promoting transformative education and global partnerships.