LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – SEARCA welcomed a new batch of alumni for AY 2019-2020 with 23 SEARCAns earning their Master's degree and 28 earning their PhD degree. This year's celebration is different from the past with the pandemic halting most of the activities such as the physical graduation ceremonies. SEARCA's annual Testimonial Program held last 2 July 2020 was also slimmed down to accommodate social distancing measures.
Of the total number of graduates, 31 were under the SEARCA Full MS/PhD Program while 10 are from the Joint Scholarship programs, namely, DAAD-SEARCA, PCC-SEARCA, NU-SEARCA, UPM-SEARCA. Another 10 graduates came from the other scholarship grants such as the PhD Research, UC Thesis Grant, and the Double Degree Program.
Majority or 28 of the graduates studied at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), six (6) from Kasetsart University (KU), five (5) from Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), four (4) from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), and three (3) from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). There were also three (3) SEARCAns who graduated from Nagoya University under the joint program, and one (1) each for Naresuan University and Chiang Mai University under the PhD Research Scholarship.
As with every ending there is a new beginning and besides welcoming the alumni, SEARCA also welcomes the new batch of SEARCAns for AY 2020-2021 with nine (9) Full MS/PhD scholars, four (4) DAAD-SEARCA scholars, and two (2) NTU-SEARCA scholars. This is also the first batch of scholars for SEARCA's new joint program with National Taiwan University (NTU).
Despite the challenging times and onset of the new normal, SEARCA continues to support the development of agents of change and thought leaders who will transform the landscape of agricultural and rural development in the region. The Full MS/PhD scholarship call for applications for AY 2021-2022 recently ended and the online evaluation of shortlisted applicants is scheduled within the coming months. There is also an ongoing call for the NTU-SEARCA Joint Scholarship for Global ATGS and future calls for the DAAD-SEARCA and Sejong University-SEARCA scholarship programs.
