A seasoned and published academician, researcher, and public servant, who served as a Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), a position she assumed on September 6, 2024. Prior to this, she was a University Professor and the immediate past President of Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU). As CHED Commissioner, Dr. Agrupis oversees 22 state universities and colleges (SUCs) across Northern Luzon, Central and Eastern Visayas, Central and Southern Mindanao, CARAGA, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Her vision focuses on refining internal protocols, standardizing procedures, and promoting key government advocacies to strengthen governance and foster a unified approach to advancing education, research, and public service across these regions.

Dr. Agrupis has earned numerous prestigious awards throughout her career. Notably, she is a two-time recipient of the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award, having been named a 2024 National Semi-Finalist and the 2020 Regional Awardee by the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) Search for Outstanding Government Workers. She has also been recognized with the Philippine Resilience Awards for Women by the Climate Change Commission, the 2022 Internationalization Leadership Award from CHED, and the 2021 Outstanding Science Administrator Award by the National Academy of Science and Technology. Dr. Agrupis was celebrated as the Most Outstanding Ilocano in 2019 for her contributions as an educational leader, which significantly uplifted the lives of Ilocanos. That same year, she received the William D. Dar Research Leadership Award from the Philippine Association of Research Managers, among other distinctions.

As the 7th President and the first MMSU alumna to occupy the post, Dr. Agrupis has led MMSU through a transformative journey, achieving significant milestones in accreditation and global recognition. In the first two years of her presidency, she was able to steer MMSU to become ISO-certified for all processes and become the first Philippine SUC to be rated as a three-star university in the QS Stars Rating system in 2019 and further advancing this year to a prestigious four-star university.

With unwavering dedication, she spearheaded MMSU’s ascent in global rankings, securing impressive positions in esteemed assessments such as UI GreenMetrics Ranking; QS Stars Rating; and the World Universities with Real Impact (WURI) Rankings. Notably, MMSU recently ranked 2nd globally in Generative AI Application, 4th in Support for Global Resilience, and 8th in Industrial Application, highlighting its substantial contributions to cutting-edge research and global societal impact.

Continuing to affirm its prominence, MMSU maintained its standing in the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, ranking 601st-800th globally, and excelled as the nation’s leading institution for SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Additionally, MMSU excelled in SDG 6: Affordable and Clean Energy, ranking 101-200 globally and 2nd nationally, driven by initiatives such as the National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center, where Dr. Agrupis remains actively engaged as program leader.

Dr. Agrupis’s strategic focus on internationalization expanded MMSU’s global influence through increased international linkages and mobility of faculty and students and led its successful adaptation into the ‘new normal’ as a “smart university” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.