USM Professors Lead Linguistics Software Workshop at MSU
December 10, 2025
USM Faculty and Staff Hit the Courts and Fields in 2025 Sports Fest
December 11, 2025
The University of Southern Mindanao (USM) received the ASEAN Internationalization Champions of Nation-Building and Sustainability (ICONS) Award on December 10, 2025, from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) through the International Affairs Service (IAS) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
Dr. Jonald L. Pimentel, USM President, together with Prof. Bryan Lloyd P. Bretaña, Director of the Office of International Affairs, and Engr. Renel M. Alucilja, Director of the Planning and Development Office, accepted the ICONS Award Plaque and the Certificate of Commendation from CHED.
The ICONS Award, the third for USM, recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of Philippine Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in various areas of excellence. The event also highlighted newly recognized PHEIs acknowledged by international ranking bodies. As the centerpiece of the celebration, ICONS Awards 2025 honored high-impact initiatives in sustainability, strong performance in international rankings and ratings, pioneering efforts in advancing internationalization, and meaningful contributions to ASEAN’s regional growth and prosperity.
The internationalization initiatives of USM were led by the Office of International Affairs under the direction of Prof. Bryan Lloyd P. Bretaña, who also serves as the President of the Council of International Relations Officers (CIRO) in Region XII. Notably, USM qualified for major international rankings, placing in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia Rankings 2026 (1501+) and the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025 (1501+).
Other State Universities and Colleges in Region XII also qualified for the first time this year, to wit, Central Mindanao Colleges (CMC), Mindanao State University-General Santos City (MSU-GSC), Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU), Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges Inc. (RMMC), and Green Valley College Foundation Inc. (GVCF).
