A culture of doing good: SM invests in quality education through Asia Pacific College

Asia Pacific College (APC), a part of the SM group, continues to invest back in its students and the school through degree programs certified by international and local standards institutions. With a grand vision of university status on the horizon and strategic partnerships with esteemed institutions such as the University of Adelaide to bolster the quality of education it provides, APC is proving that it is in the business of social good.

The SM group’s advocacy in championing education was realized when SM founder Henry Sy, Sr. through SM Foundation, Inc. partnered with IBM Philippines to establish APC in 1991 as a nonstock, nonprofit institution.

“APC envisions becoming a leading institution in the region,” said APC President Dr. Ma. Teresita ‘Tata’ Medado. “Aiming to become a university is our mission in the next 4to 5 years. APC has proven excellence in innovative teaching and learning. It is our goal to expand programs and reach out to more students especially those from underserved communities.”

At the start of the year, APC received certification from the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) for the following programs: Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, and Multimedia Arts. APC holds the distinction of being a Center of Excellence in IT Education since 2007 and a Center of Development in Computer Engineering since 2009.

The AUN-QA certification indicates that the programs recognized have met the high standards of quality in terms of teaching, research, and overall academic delivery.

“This recognition is a testament to our commitment to excellence in education and our dedication to providing top-tier academic programs,” added Dr. Medado.

APC’s international accolade is further complemented by its consistent delivery of quality education retaining its Autonomous Status from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) for seven consecutive years. The status was granted by CHEd citing APC’s steady high performance in areas such as curriculum development, faculty qualifications, research output, and community service.

Meaningful partnerships

The institution first established a landmark partnership with Carnegie Mellon University- Australia (CMU-A) in 2022 and continues to expand its collaboration with the University of Adelaide (UofA) in 2024. This led to the delivery of capacity-building programs for faculty, staff, and government professionals, with the support and funding from Australia Awards Scholarships, a program offering candidates from a wide range of countries to undertake postgraduate studies in Australia.

Student welfare is also a part of APC’s initiatives with the recently launched Digital Defender Program in the last quarter of 2024 together with Gogolook, a key player in the TrustTech industry. The Taiwan-based developer introduced the Whoscall application, a global anti-scam software that provides users with top tools and free features to help them avoid online scams.

“We seek to empower students with greater awareness of online safety and cybersecurity through this app,” said Dr. Medado.

“The value of GogoLook extends to professional ethics and character formation. We are preparing our students to become responsible global citizens,” she added.

As part of APC’s vision to become a university, Dr. Medado said the school aims to be more responsive to industry needs in order to bring access to quality education for all.

For the coming year, APC aims to uphold the standards of quality education that it has set in its QS 5-star ratings across four categories namely: inclusivity through a wide array of scholarships; online learning via Hyflex (Hybrid-Flexible), which emphasizes empathy, equity, and engagement; flexible teaching methods; and, employability with 92.8% of graduates securing key positions in the industry.

APC is now focusing on improving the category of internationalization emphasizing transnational collaborations, exchange programs, international students, and other related initiatives.

This is aligned with its mission of giving educational opportunities through differentiated and enhanced pathways to help develop productive citizens of the global economy.

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