By Arabella Rochynne C. Asis 

Far Eastern University (FEU) moved up 12 spots after placing 79th overall in the recent World Universities with Real Impact (WURI) Global Top 100 Innovative Universities list.

WURI evaluates the impact and contribution to the society of each university. The ranking focuses on ‘industrial applications, value-creation, social responsibility, ethics, and integrity, student mobility, and openness.’

In 2020, the University got 91st place overall and 19th place in the Ethical Value category, making it the only Philippine school included in the ranking. 

(PREVIOUS REPORT: FEU among list of innovative schools worldwide)

For this year, FEU aimed higher by submitting eight innovative projects that earned the University 16th place in the Ethical Value category, 42nd in Entrepreneurial Spirit, and 12th in Crisis Management. 

Vice President for Academic Development (VPAD) Dr. Myrna Quinto shared with FEU Advocate that being recognized by WURI strengthens the university’s academic reputation both locally and globally. 

“Since internationalization of the Philippine higher education institutions is one of the mandates of the Commission of Higher Education (CHED), to be included in the global ranking list gives FEU an edge to partner with [the] best universities,” Quinto explained.

Ethical Value Category 

Among the projects under the Ethical Value Category is the ‘Tams TeleWellBeing’ program. It is a project by Guidance and Counselling Office which aims to maximize digital technology in catering to the Generation Z students who experience stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns due to the lockdown and challenges of emergency remote learning. 

Similarly, FEU has its own flagship  Community Extension Service (CES) which is the ‘Project HOPE (Harnessing Offenders' Personal Empowerment).’ This project leads various FEU units to address the needs of the jail community which were identified through needs assessment research. 

"Anchored on FEU’s Aspiration 2020 on making CES focus on sustainability among others, Project HOPE specifically targets to meet UN SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 10 (reducing inequalities) by giving importance to the vulnerable group of imprisoned women who based on the profiling conducted by FEU CES are: High school undergraduates; Separated from their unemployed spouse and have many children (five or more on average); Employed in blue-collared jobs prior to their imprisonment; Imprisoned due to drug-related cases," Quinto shared. 

In addition, FEU Department of Communication (FEU DepComm) students produced ‘LIKHANG MULAT Visual Media’ a multimedia collection and online platform that promotes social advocacy-themed and creative media productions for print ad, poster, photography, video, and film which promotes visual literacy and critical thinking through cinema, alternative media, and progressive arts. 

Last December 2019, they held their first exhibit called 'MULAT 1.0 Visual Communication Exhibit' which featured socially relevant issues as its main theme. Due to the pandemic, they held their second exhibit 'MULAT 2.0 Visual Expressions of Quarantine' last May 2020, which tackled issues about COVID-19 and its impact on society. 

Lastly, the ‘Institute of Arts and Science Virtual Activities Supporting Education (IAS VASE)’ project utilizes the openness of digital technology to discuss and provide a platform for the wider community in understanding issues and trends in the country. Researchers, experts, and scholars were invited to discuss these topics. 

Crisis Management Category 

Projects under this category give focus on students' well-being and future like the 'FEU Career and Placement Programs in the COVID Economy,' which gives job opportunities for graduating students. 

In addition, Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (ITHM) launched ‘Capacitate human resources, Academic excellence, Research collaborations, Enhanced stakeholders’ engagement, and Social responsibility’ or simply known as ‘CARES’ program, which will ensure that the activities are adaptive and transformative for continuity and sustainability. 

Likewise, Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts (IARFA) introduced ‘In-house OJT in Virtual Format’ program, where students are organized under one firm or agency and are assigned to a faculty OJT supervisor per department aiming to engage students by bringing the theory learned in classroom to real life leadership experience.

Entrepreneurial Spirit Category 

With the theme 'Inspiring Innovators, Empowering Entrepreneurs', Bachelor of Science in Business Administration opened TamBiz.

TamBiz is a program that provides students an opportunity to promote their business sense and innovativeness from business planning, elevator pitching, to setting up start-up projects or businesses. 

Further, the pandemic paved the way for the institute to launch TamBiz.org, the official website of TamBiz.

University’s Aspirations 

According to VPAD Quinto, FEU will continue to produce projects that will further improve the learning experience of the students. 

“Being included in the ranking list, also provides information on the university’s position vis-à-vis other educational institutions in the national and global arena. Also, the global rankings bring us closer to our vision which is to become the university of choice in Asia,” she said. 

FEU Institute of Technology also joined the ranking under Global Top 100-200 Rank of Innovative Universities and placed 24th on Entrepreneurial Spirit.