𝐁𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐎 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐏⎮ 𝐈𝐒𝐔 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐄𝐔-𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 | ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY

Isabela State University (ISU) Cauayan Campus intensified its drive for global academic engagement as it hosted an international academic lecture featuring visiting professor and European scholar Dr. Robert S. Mikac of the University of Zagreb, Croatia, at the BPOTS Training Center on January 26.

The said lecture, titled “The EU and the World: Migration, Policy, and Global Relations,” convened students and faculty at the BPOTS Center for a critical examination of one of the most pressing geopolitical issues of the contemporary era.

Organized jointly by the BA Political Science program of the School of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education, the academic forum foregrounded the European Union’s evolving role in shaping migration governance, security frameworks, and international cooperation amid growing global uncertainty. The event emphasized ISU’s institutional drive to academic internationalization and meaningful intellectual exchange.

Dr. Mikac, an Associate Professor of International Relations and National Security, delivered a rigorous and policy-driven lecture that bridged theory and practice. Drawing from his extensive experience as former Commander of Civil Protection of the Republic of Croatia, Head of the National 112 Centre, and a member of the Council for Homeland Security of the President of Croatia, he offered insights into the intersection of migration, security, and global governance. His discussion also integrated perspectives from his professional engagements with NATO, the European Union, the United Nations, and other international security institutions, including his NATO service in Afghanistan.

The lecture was followed by a roundtable discussion and open forum, allowing faculty and student reactors to interrogate contemporary migration challenges, policy dilemmas, and the geopolitical implications for both Europe and the Global South. The exchange highlighted the relevance of international policy discourse to Philippine contexts, particularly in education, governance, and international relations.

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