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Czech Ambassador Visits SU
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Czech
Ambassador Visits SU
Under the Integrative Lecture Series program, the talk of the Czech Ambassador will revolve around the friendship between Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal and Prague-born Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt during the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines. The Ambassador gained national prominence in 2006 when he unveiled his Czech translation of Mi Ultimo Adios -- written by Rizal hours before his execution in December 1896 – on a marker at Fort Santiago in Intramuros. He had recently launched a volume of poems titled Doce Poemas de las Islas Filipinas which also pays tribute to our history, our Spanish colonial architecture, the Filipino people, and more importantly on the life of Rizal and his friendship with Blumentritt. He was then invited by the Knights of Rizal to be area commander in the Czech Republic. The Ambassador now vigorously promotes cultural and historical activities between the sister cities of Litomerice in the Czech Republic where Blumentritt grew up and where Rizal frequented, and Calamba in Laguna where Rizal was born. Litomerice and Calamba signed a sister city agreement in 1974. While it took the Ambassador only two days to translate Rizal’s masterpiece from Spanish, it took him two years and several trips to Intramuros, San Agustin Church, Calamba, Vigan, Dapitan, the Cordilleras and Batanes to write the book Doce Poemas. A Filipino translation of Doce Poemas will be worked on later this year with his Filipino friends in the academe. It will not be translated to English, however. Ambassador Ludva will also meet with Dumaguete Mayor Agustin Perdices and other City officials, and the members of the Knights of Rizal here. He will later
proceed to Dapitan City, where Rizal went into exile in 1892. Before
Rizal left for Dapitan that time, he had made a stopover in Dumaguete
where he walked along the shoreline teeming with locals. Some believe
it was Rizal who coined the term the “City of Gentle People”
to refer to Dumaguete, although there are no factual records to
prove this. A graduate of the Silliman University College of Business Administration ranked 2nd in the Certified Public Accountant licensure examination given this month, besting 6,663 exam takers this year. Ziff Calvin Z. Marabillo, who graduated cum laude in March this year, garnered 92.14 percent in the CPA board exams. Eighteen others in his batch of 25 passed the exams, with a passing rate of 72 percent for Silliman. The Professional Regulation Commission announced the national passing rate was 36.65 percent with 2,442 passing the CPA licensure exam. Other board passers from Silliman are: Carl Joseph C. Babor, Sheryll Wyne W. Bation, Charmaine Ann R. Bucol, Gale Junette B. Corsame, Maria Katrina Cassandra S. Culi, Sheena Marie D. Daño, Leah S. Escabillas, Ma. Precila Airene D. Escaño, Dom Antonoine B. Fortin, Niño Jose B. Gonzalez, Cypres Mae A. Hernandez, Donna Kris Z. Maputi, Antonio Q. Mutia Jr., James Paul T. Navaja, Rhea Debbielou A. Partosa, Allan Lionel I. Rex, and Ephraim D. Salon. Meanwhile, the SU College of Engineering & Design also announced a passing rate of 89 percent in the Mechanical Engineering licensure exam given on Oct. 14 and 15. The new mechanical engineers are Sidney C. Agosto, Aldrick Verdee E. Bacay, Ronan Mark B. Dicen, Lemuel G. Espino, Clarimar M. Lagman, Ernesto F. Mercado Jr., Neil Jerome F. Mercado, and Alan G. Ricardo. Out of 2,006 exam takers, 1,132 passed the licensure exam pegging the national passing rate at 56.43 percent. Earlier, all
eight graduates of Electrical Engineering in March 2008 also passed
the licensure examination, getting a 100 percent passing rate. SU
Engineering Dean Tessie Cabije said another graduate of a previous
batch also took the exam and passed. Silliman University conferred on two distinguished personalities the Order of Horace B. Silliman, a distinction that Silliman gives as its highest expression of gratitude. Dr. Wilfred Uytengsu, Chairman of Alaska Milk Corporation, and the Uytengsu Foundation, Inc. was conferred the Order on October 7. Dr. Uytengsu and the Foundation were recognized for their support to Silliman. The Foundation has donated a total of three buildings to the University presently occupied by the College of Engineering and Design and the College of Computer Studies. The induction, headed by Silliman University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III and SU Board of Trustees Chairperson Prof. Leonor M. Briones, was held in the office of Alaska in Makati City. It was attended by Dr. Uytengsu’s son, Steven, who is CEO of Alaska, and other executives of Alaska, and some Trustees and Administrators of Silliman University. On October 29, coinciding with his 84th birthday, Silliman also conferred on SU Pastor Emeritus Dr. Proceso U. Udarbe the Order of Horace B. Silliman. Dr. Udarbe’s substantial donation led to the establishment of the Udarbe Memory Chapel located on the side of the Silliman University Church. He has also donated books he authored to Silliman, and has served the University in various capacities, including being Acting President from 1971 to 1973. Members of Dr. Udarbe’s family, his friends and Silliman attended the event. The Order was
created in honor of Dr. Horace B. Silliman, the man who donated
$10,000 to establish what then was Silliman Institute in 1901. It
is a prestigious recognition conferred upon individuals, families
and organizations whose gifts and donations with a value of at least
P1 million continue to help realize the University’s mission
of providing better opportunities to its students and the members
of both Silliman and the larger community of Dumaguete toward building
competence, character and faith. Silliman University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III was elected as the country’s representative to the executive committee of the Association of Christian Universities & Colleges in Asia (ACUCA) during its biennial conference and 17th general assembly held October16 to 18 at the Ateneo de Manila University. Dr. Malayang replaced Ateneo’s Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, and will work in the Executive Committee for two years until 2010. In the ACUCA’s 21 years of existence, this is only the second time – or after 19 years -- that the Silliman President was elected in the executive committee. The first time was in 1989 when Dr. Pedro Flores was elected ACUCA vice president. The ACUCA is an organization of tertiary educational institutions in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines dedicated to Christian witness and service. It operates through cooperation, mutual support, and encouragement among the member-schools. This year’s
conference was “Christian Universities’ Identity and
Challenges in Today’s World”. Outstanding Sillimanian Awardees Society Created A prestigious group’s commitment to have its members connected and united in its support for Silliman University led to the creation of the Outstanding Sillimanian Awardees Society (OSAS). OSAS is a project encouraged and supported by the Silliman Alumni Association, Inc. It was organized in 2007, and its Constitution and By-Laws were approved during the 2008 Founders Day. The Society aims to “harness the expertise of all Outstanding Sillimanian awardees by getting them animated and to streamline their mobilization, contribution and networking with the University.” This year’s OSAS set of officers: Dr. Sylvester Alimiron (President; OSA 2006), Dr. Romulo Villanueava (Vice President-Overseas; OSA 2008), Silliman Trustee Roselyn Delloso (Vice President-Philippines; OSA 1998), Luzviminda Santos Valdez (Secretary; OSA 1992) and Olivia Yanson (Treasurer; OSA 2008). Its new set of Directors: Crescencio Bendejo (Philippines; OSA 2004), Dr. Marie Marjorie Evasco (Philippines; OSA 2008), Rev. Francisco Beltran (Overseas; OSA 2008) and Dr. Priscilla Lasmarias-Kelso (Overseas; OSA 2004). Other
OSA recipients are encouraged to contact OSAS Secretary Valdez at
mayor_joy@yahoo.com.
Silliman University enjoys for the fourth time the distinction of Center of Excellence in Nursing Education given by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). During CHED’s recent evaluation of the Nursing program, Silliman earned a rating of 95% -- currently the highest percentage given by CHED among 15 institutions evaluated. This year, a school is designated COE following its application for the distinction and after it has met the requirements. Institutions that applied for COE status were evaluated based on institutional quality (45%), instructional quality (5%), research and publication (30%), and extension services and linkages (20%). Silliman continues to be among the country’s best nursing schools, with its graduates performing competitively in the licensure examination for nurses. [
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College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean Dr. Margaret Alvarez has been elected as one of the members of the Board of Directors of the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP). Dr. Alvarez, a professor of Psychology at Silliman, is the lone clinical psychologist in Negros Oriental. She recently spent a fellowship at the International Christian University under the United Board for Christian Higher Education. The fellowship seeks to prepare faculty members for higher leadership positions in their respective universities. PAP is the foremost organization for research, practice, teaching, and advocacy in the field of Psychology in the country. (By Gilbert Augustin Ganir, tWS) [
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The Director of the Office of Information and Publications of Silliman University was the only Filipino to speak at a youth session during the World Bank-International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings happening October 7 to 13 in Washington DC, United States. Reflecting on the theme “Young People Exercising Citizenship,” Mark Raygan Garcia shared his experience in running a project in the Philippines to monitor governance. He was in the panel with two other representatives from Africa and Brazil, and is one of 14 youth representatives from seven countries around the world gathered at the Meetings. Garcia is presently team leader of a project that aims for youth involvement in monitoring transparency in local government procurement. This project is supported by a Civil Society Fund grant from WB. The project trains students in at least five areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao on the use of the Philippine Electronic Government Procurement System. Using the arts (song, dance, painting), the same project also provides an opportunity to the out-of-school youth (OSY) for a “no holds barred” expression of their sentiments and assessment of opportunities being afforded them. This “alternative packaging” concept that utilizes the arts seeks to elevate the self-worth of the OSY in engaging their local governments and other stakeholders in dialogue. The trip of Garcia to Washington is part of the civil society sponsorship program jointly established by WB and IMF Civil Society Teams, and co-funded by the governments of Norway, Japan and United Kingdom. There are two meetings conducted by WB and IMF every year: an autumn meeting and a spring meeting. Based on the WB website’s program description, the Annual Meetings provide a forum for international cooperation and enable WB and IMF to better serve their member countries. This is the first attempt to create a space for the youth within WB-IMF Annual Meetings. If successful, the youth’s participation is hoped to become a fixture for future Annual Meetings. About 10,000 people attend the meetings, including about 3,500 members of delegations from the member countries of WB and IMF, roughly 1,000 representatives of the media, and more than 5,000 visitors and special guests drawn primarily from private business, the banking community and NGOs. [ Back to top ] [ More News ] | ||||
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