Dr. Ralph Arvic Arcenal, University & Board secretary, and Mr. Joedel Peñaranda, director of the Strategic Innovation & Knowledge Laboratory (SIKLAB) and executive assistant to the President, formally concluded their participation in the Higher Education Leadership Mentoring (HELM) Fellowship Program at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).

The UPLB HELM Fellowship, a new initiative under the UPLB Office for Institutional Development in Higher Education (OIDHE), offers officials and administrators from UPLB's partner Higher Education Institutions—including Biliran Province State University—the opportunity to engage with UPLB leaders.

This program, which started this year, provides Fellows with exposure and immersive experiences at UPLB, designed to enhance their leadership skills and contribute to the development and advancement of their respective institutions.

EA Peñaranda and Dr. Arcenal, who were officially accepted as fellows on September 4 this year, participated in the program from November 25 to 29. During this five-day engagement, they personally interacted with various offices at UPLB, immersing themselves in its systems and operations.

Dr. Arcenal explained that the fellowship lasted only five days, as specified in their acceptance form. He further noted that the Fellows could have opted to participate in the program for a longer duration, such as one month.

Throughout the fellowship, BiPSU officials had the opportunity to observe UPLB's systems and operations across various units, depending on their chosen fellowship tracks.

EA Peñaranda, who selected the administrative track, visited UPLB's administration and planning and development units. Meanwhile, Dr. Arcenal, opting for the academic track, explored all units under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

EA Peñaranda highlighted that the program was structured as a mentorship, providing personalized guidance from UPLB key officials. This involved one-on-one interviews, shadowing sessions to observe their operations firsthand, and document reviews.

Moreover, during the exit conference on November 29, held via Zoom, Dr. Arcenal expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to learn directly from UPLB officials, emphasizing his plans to apply the knowledge and insights gained to BiPSU.

“My five days under the HELM Fellowship were nothing short of WoW: Warm, Overwhelming, and Worthwhile,” he shared, referencing BiPSU’s WoW trademark. “I am forever grateful and will certainly bring all that I have learned back to my university.”

Meanwhile, EA Peñaranda said that the fellowship was also their chance to benchmark UPLB's best practices and expressed optimism that their immersion and exposure to UPLB’s operations would significantly benefit BiPSU.

“This experience has really provided us with insights and practices that we can adapt to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our own systems at BiPSU,” he said.

Both fellows from BiPSU are the last participants to conclude the UPLB HELM Fellowship, which officially ends on November 30.

The exit conference, held on November 28, was attended by key officials from both UPLB and BiPSU.

[This aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education]