QUEZON CITY — The University of the Philippines (UP) convened an exploratory meeting with the University of the Arts London (UAL) to examine potential areas of collaboration in arts, design, creative media, performance, and the humanities. The meeting was facilitated by the British Council during the Manila visit of UAL’s Head of Global Partnerships and Mobility, Aliya Sorgen.
Attending from the University of the Arts London was Aliya Sorgen, Head of Global Partnerships and Mobility. Representing the British Council were Gerald Magno, Head of Education; Sari Molintas, Programme Manager for Creative Economy; and Alyssa Flores, Programme Coordinator for Cultural Engagement.
From the UP System were Dean Abdulmari de Leon Imao Jr., College of Fine Arts and Chair of the UP President’s Committee on Culture and the Arts; Andie Jaro, Liaison Officer of the same committee; Chynna Riego, Head of External Affairs at the Office of International Linkages (OIL); Ivan Kurt Monasterial, Public Affairs and Information Officer, OIL; and Racel Kary Pinas, External Affairs Associate, OIL. Representing UP Diliman were Jose Wendell Capili, Professor at the College of Arts and Letters; Lucia Tangi, Assistant Professor at the College of Media and Communication; Ronel Laranjo, Program Development Associate for Student Mobility at OIL Diliman and International Linkages Coordinator of the College of Arts and Letters; and Noelle Rivera, Head of the Partnerships and Communications Section of OIL Diliman.
Discussions focused on transnational education models and alternative doctoral pathways, particularly in response to the UP College of Fine Arts’ need for flexible PhD options for faculty members. Both institutions identified potential research alignment in artificial intelligence in art, new media, art conservation, 3D scanning technologies, and the cultural and creative economy. Hybrid collaboration models combining virtual co-research and co-teaching with onsite exchanges were explored as practical mechanisms for partnership.
The meeting also covered the expansion of student mobility to the United Kingdom, as well as inbound opportunities for UAL students through UP’s short-term Filipino language and culture program. Curriculum benchmarking and possible progression agreements between relevant colleges were likewise discussed, reflecting shared priorities in strengthening global engagement across creative and interdisciplinary fields.