Dr. Editha Calienta- Cedicol presently works as Manager of the Graduate Scholarship Department of the SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA). She has served SEARCA since 1986 in various capacities, rising from the ranks and handling positions of responsibility in the area of graduate scholarship administration and management for Southeast Asia.

Dr. Cedicol has several years of experience in handling the coordination and management of networks such as the Asian Association of Agricultural Colleges and Universities (AAACU) with Secretariat based at the College of Agriculture at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and with website hosted by SEARCA; the Southeast Asian University Consortium for Graduate Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources with SEARCA also as the Secretariat; and the Regional SEARCA Fellows Association (RSFA) with country chapters in several Southeast Asian countries.

She coordinates with the Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines (ACAP) in several projects at SEARCA involving curriculum development and graduate education activities; with the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the development and update of directories and databases of higher education institutions in the Philippines.

She was a recipient of a fellowship grant from Japan to serve as Visiting Professor at Nagoya University, Japan from 1 April 2004 to 30 June 2004; and in 2000, a Monbusho Visiting Research Fellowship Grant to Nagoya University, Japan (Nov 2000-January 2001). During her fellowships, she assisted the university’s International Cooperation Center for Agricultural Education (ICCAE) in initiating linkages and networks with universities within and outside Japan, as well as in setting up its e-learning project.

She holds a Doctorate degree in Public Administration (Organizational Development) and a Masters degree also in Public Administration (Office Administration) from Centro Escolar University, Manila, Philippines in 1996 and 1989, respectively. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts major in English and minor in Economics and Political Science (Cum Laude) from the University of San Jose--Recoletos (USJ-R) in Cebu City, Philippines in 1977. She worked as an Instructor at the College of Liberal Arts in USJ-R from 1977 to 1978 and at the College of Arts and Sciences of the Visayas State College of Agriculture (ViSCA), Baybay, Leyte, Philippines from 1978 to 1980 teaching subjects as English grammar, literature, and the humanities.

Dr. Cedicol has worked in private companies and government agencies in various capacities related to management of networks, training, public relations, publications and executive staff services. She has lectured and served as resource person on topics ranging from communications and correspondence/records management, academic networking and establishing linkages in higher education. She has written and presented papers on linkages and networking, regional cooperation in higher education, university consortium management, curriculum development, and distributed learning. She has also published papers in journals such as the Journal of International Cooperation in Agriculture, Japan; and the SEAMEO Journal of Southeast Asian Education. In February 2003, Dr. Cedicol was awarded the Centro Escolar University Graduate School Distinguished Alumna Award. On March 22, 2006, she joined other awardees in receiving the 2005 SEAMEO Service Award from the President of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Council in Singapore. In April 2006, she received the SEARCA Loyalty Award for twenty years of service.

During Dr. Cedicol’s term of office at the SEARCA Graduate Scholarship Department, she assisted the Director and Deputy Directors in obtaining funds for the Center; and managed the regular scholarship program and several project scholarships in close coordination with sponsors, such as the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD), the then International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) for scholarships of nationals from Asia, Pacific and Ocenia regions, the Indonesian Higher Education Project of the Ministry of National Education; the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry and Estate for scholarships; ASEAN Foundation based in Jakarta, Indonesia; Philippine Department of Agriculture Bureau of Agricultural Research, Cavite State University; Visayas State University, and the Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines.