by Tanna Tarpley

Guam - The University of Guam hosted a presidential forum at the Sheraton this week as part of UOG's 60th anniversary celebration. Presidents and chancellors from universities around the region were invited to the territory to share their ideas on how institutions of higher learning can progress their role in being key agents in the evolving technological and economic world.

UOG president Dr. Robert Underwood said, "Wherever people can sharpen their vision, wherever people think they can generating new ideas both in business as well as in society or in politics or in culture or in creative expression, universities are those places."

Underwood explains that despite the fact UOG spends $100 million a year on the university and its resources, only $30 million comes from the Government of Guam. "It's not a plea for more resources it's really a plea to understand that the level of impact that the University of Guam has made is based on a joint collaborative effort between the students who pay their tuition, the federal grants and contracts, the creativity and ingenuity of faculty and administrators and our staff as well as Government of Guam support," he said.

The university, currently undergoing campus renovations, hopes to have enrolled on its campus 5,000 students by 2025. That is not accounting for the other 5,000 Underwood hopes will be enrolled through new online platforms. Underwood explains that a huge focus of UOG is thinking about its role globally. "What is our goal for foreign students? What is our goal for international students? What are we going to din the new world where people are getting certified to be accountants and lawyers and engineers across national lines? And that's what's coming up," he stated.