Published September 28, 2025 by Campus Information Office
Prof. Dr. Rodel Francisco T. Alegado, Campus Executive Officer of Cagayan State University–Sanchez Mira Campus (CSU-SM), represented the university at the 2025 World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) Global Conference, held September 24–26, 2025, at Tongmyong University in Busan, South Korea.
A highlight of the event was the recognition of CSU Sanchez Mira’s flagship initiative, “CocoPreneur: Coconut-driven Opportunities for Community Ownership and Productive Resource Empowerment through Nurturing Enterprise and Upgrading Resilience,” which ranked 3rd under the Entrepreneurial Spirit (A4) category.
Presented by Dr. Alegado, the program was lauded for its transformative role in empowering coconut farming communities through resilience-building, innovation, and sustainable livelihoods. Since its launch in April 2022, CocoPreneur has championed participatory community engagement, hands-on learning via techno-demo farms, digital marketing integration, and eco-friendly technologies. It also revived the indigenous Sanchez Mira Tall coconut variety, creating a niche for coconut-based livelihood systems.
Earlier this year, CSU also gained international recognition when it ranked 221st out of 1,253 universities across 87 countries, as announced during the 5th Annual Hanseatic League of Universities (HLU) Conference on July 10, 2025.
The WURI rankings are an international measure of universities’ real-world contributions to society and industry, focusing on innovation across 16 categories in education, research, and community engagement. By spotlighting institutions like CSU Sanchez Mira, WURI underscores the importance of creative solutions that address societal challenges and inspire progress across the academic landscape.