Shirley Agrupis (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Castañeda) is a Filipino academic administrator and government official who has served as the chairperson of the

Commission on Higher Education The Commission on Higher Education (CHED; ) is a government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines. It is responsible for regulating and governing all higher education institutions and post-secondary educational programs i ...

(CHED) since 2025. She previously served as president of

Mariano Marcos State University Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU; ) is a public university, higher education institution with campuses and facilities throughout Ilocos Norte province in the Philippines. Its main campus is in Batac. History Established through Pres ...

(MMSU) from 2017 to 2025.

Early life and education

Agrupis earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from

(MMSU). She later completed a master's degree at the

University of the Philippines Los Baños The University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB; ), also referred to as UP Los Baños or colloquially as Elbi (), is a public research university primarily located in the towns of Los Baños and Bay in the province of Laguna, some 65 kilo ...

(UPLB) and a PhD in Agricultural Sciences from the United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, a joint program by

Gifu University is a national university in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is sometimes abbreviated as Gidai () or Gifudai (). National University Corporation The Tokai National Higher Education and Research System established by integrating ...

and

Shizuoka University is a national university in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Shizuoka University is well known in the field of engineering, in creative innovation, and in the invention of next generation technology, with the prestigious international exchange o ...

in Japan.

Career

MMSU Presidency (2017–2025)

Agrupis served as president of

(MMSU) from 2017 to 2025. In 2021, she was reappointed for a second four-year term.

CHED Commissioner (2024–2025)

On September 12, 2024, Agrupis was sworn in as a commissioner of the

(CHED) under President

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...

. In December 2023, Agrupis emphasized the importance of locally sourced probiotics in food innovation at an Asian summit on probiotics research, highlighting the potential of natural food sources for health benefits. The same year, she strengthened international academic collaborations by signing a memorandum of understanding with China's Dezhou University and the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, facilitating educational and research exchanges between the institutions.

CHED Chairperson (2025–present)

On May 29, 2025, President Marcos appointed Agrupis as the new CHED Chairperson, replacing J. Prospero De Vera III.

References

External links

* (CHED official website) * (MMSU official website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Agrupis, Shirley Living people Filipino academics Heads of universities and colleges Chairpersons of the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines University of the Philippines Los Baños alumni Bongbong Marcos administration cabinet members