Towards Sustainable Communities and Human Security: Challenges of the College of Public Affairs and Development University of the Philippines Los Baños

The College of Public Affairs (CPAf) in the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) evolved as a unit of the University with the mandate to raise the bar of applied social science scholarship by developing transdisciplinary methods in the resolution of public issues such as food security, land reform and land use, governance, population, and education. The creation of CPAf in 1998 was prompted “by the need to attune academic programs in the pursuit of UP’s mission to promote nationalism and development in the face of profound changes occurring in the global environment.” In 2011, it was renamed as the College of Public Affairs and Development. This paper highlights the integrative framework that summarizes CPAf’s plans, innovations, and strategies in helping