CATBALOGAN CITY, Philippines—Samar State University’s (SSU) second batch of graduates from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (USA) have successfully completed their respective leadership programs under the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) Higher Education Upskilling and Study for the Advancement of Staff and Faculty (HUSAY) Program.

The five (5) SSU personnel completed 12 weeks of leadership and management courses offered by the Wharton School, one of the world’s top-ranked institutions for business and leadership education. The online courses ran from July 1 to September 19, 2025.

Guided by distinguished Wharton professors, they have engaged in comprehensive learning activities including modules, video lectures, discussion forums, synchronous sessions, and practical assessments. Each participant was required to achieve a minimum score of 70% in all examinations to successfully complete their respective programs.

Under the Strategic Marketing for Competitive Advantage Program, University Publications Director Ms. Elma C. Sultan and Auxiliary Office Director Ms. Flory Jean A. Loreno undertook intensive training based on Wharton’s popular MBA marketing management curriculum. The program distilled the latest marketing research, strategies, and tools into a rigorous course designed to strengthen students’ ability to make data-driven, customer-centered marketing decisions. Their program included courses on Positioning New Products and Services, Maximizing Customer Engagement, Smart Pricing Strategies, Designing a Communication Campaign, Online Advertising: Communication vs. Marketing, Managing, Leveraging, and Extending Brand Meaning, Channel Strategies, Customer Analysis for a New Product Launch, and Innovate vs. Follow: Strategic Considerations.

Meanwhile, Dr. Lanie M. Pacadaljen, Acting Dean of the Graduate School; Mr. Jerson Sorio, Acting Campus Director of SSU Mercedes Campus; and Dr. Gil O. Amoyan, Director for SSU’s Student Internship Program, completed the Leadership and Management Certificate Program. This program focused on developing strategies to foster an engaging work environment, understanding work style diversity, cultivating purpose-driven leadership, and sustaining positive organizational culture. After completion of the course, they earned certificates in courses such as Engaging Hearts and Minds, Understanding Work Styles and Cultivating Originality, Purpose-Driven Leadership, and Organization Culture and Culture Change.

These individual achievements of the aforementioned SSU personnel contribute significantly to the University’s ongoing commitment to faculty and personnel development, and efforts toward aligning with global standards of academic excellence.