NETWORKING SKILLS OF PROGRAM IMPLEMENTERS AND THE QUALITY OF ORGANIZATIONAL LINKAGES IN SELECTED STATE UNIVERSITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

State colleges and universities (SUCs) in the Philippines established organizational linkages to better reach out to the communities. The SUCs entered into consortium contracts with other institutions to extend services through maximized expertise of the deans, faculty members, directors, and program implementers. Theextension services were issue-oriented and development-focused, to meet its minimum requirement as a truly transformative force. This descriptive study determined the influence of the networking skills of the deans, directors, and program implementers on the quality of the organizational linkages in selected state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the CALABARZON area, Philippines. It was found that the organizational linkages were highly and effectivelyimplemented in the SUCs. Power and influence, as a networking skill, predicted the quality of the organizational linkages as to advocacy. The quality of the organizational linkages as to community organizing capacity was induced by the program implementers? creativity and innovation, communication skill, leadership skill and power and influence. Capacitybuilding and network and alliance building was influenced by the program implementers? leadership skilland power and influence. It was concluded in the study that the organizational linkages, that were of high quality, enabled the SUCs to build their good imageand reputation. Mutual cooperation, knowledge mobility, network stability, and better services were achieved through the program implementers? networking skills as knowledge sharing, management of ideas, communication, innovation, and improved performance.