Central Mindanao University Academic Paradise of the South
Scholarly engagement and institutional partnership-building came together during a five-day academic visit to Bali, Indonesia, advancing opportunities for student training and cross-border collaboration, while contributing to regional conversations on culturally grounded psychology, gender, and mental health in Asia.
From July 8 to 12, 2026, Dr. Alisa M. Cabacungan, Chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences, undertook an international academic visit under the banner “Academic Visits.”
The centerpiece of Dr. Cabacungan’s visit was her participation in the Asian Association of Social Psychology (AASP) Small Group Meeting 2026, held in Bali from July 8 to 10, 2026. The meeting, themed “Culturally Grounded Psychological Approaches to Pressing Community Challenges in Asia-Pacific,” brought together scholars and practitioners working on indigenous and community-based approaches to psychological research and practice. Sessions featured plenary talks, paper presentations, and hands-on workshops on climate change resilience, community well-being, and social cohesion in diverse Asian contexts, with a strong emphasis on local knowledge and community partnerships.
As a delegate, Dr. Cabacungan represented the university and its Psychology and Sociology programs. She contributed to discussions on how culture, traditions, and community structures can inform mental health interventions and psychosocial support frameworks in Southeast Asia. Through exchanges with colleagues from across the region, she shared the department’s experience in community-engaged research and student training while learning from innovative models developed in other Asian settings. Her participation enhanced the university’s visibility within the AASP network and opened pathways for collaborative research, training, and capacity-building.
Following the AASP meeting, Dr. Cabacungan visited Universitas Warmadewa in Denpasar, where she delivered a series of talks on July 11 and 12, 2026, under the theme “Gender, Community, and Mental Health.” The visit was hosted by Prof. Ni Wayan Kasni, a visiting professor in her home department and a senior academic at Universitas Warmadewa. In her lectures, Dr. Cabacungan examined gender-responsive perspectives on mental health in Asian societies, highlighting how culture, stigma, gender roles, and social support intersect to shape help-seeking behaviors. The sessions, attended by faculty, students, and community members, generated dialogue on how universities can integrate gender and mental health into curricula, research, and community outreach.
A major institutional outcome of the visit was the advancement of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the university and Universitas Warmadewa. In meetings with university leaders and program heads, Dr. Cabacungan helped finalize arrangements that will enable Sociology and Psychology students to undertake on-the-job training (OJT) placements in Bali and establish reciprocal opportunities for academic cooperation. The partnership is expected to expand international practicum opportunities, strengthen students’ cross-cultural competencies, and create opportunities for faculty exchanges, co-organized seminars, and collaborative community-engaged projects.
Dr. Cabacungan’s engagements in Bali demonstrate how international academic visits can translate into tangible benefits for students, faculty, and partner communities. These efforts reaffirm the university’s commitment to culturally sensitive, community-engaged, and internationally connected psychology and sociology education that responds to real-world challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. [Information from Dr. Alisa M. Cabacungan, Chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences, CAS]
