October 2008
Dear Fellow Sillimanian:
October is Obama-inspired month all over the world. As alumni of an American-established institution, let's celebrate the making of a great page in history with some lines and pages from the past:
"The pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war - and frequently the words of the pursuer fall on deaf ears." – John F. Kennedy
Trivia 1: All Philippine presidents, from Aguinaldo to Arroyo, have visited the Silliman campus. General Emilio Aguinaldo's speech at Silliman Hall was in Spanish.
Trivia 2: Silliman produced Philippine president Carlos P. Garcia, the class president of Silliman University High School Class of 1917. He briefly took pre-law courses at Silliman and studied at Philippine Law School where he earned his Law degree in 1923.
Trivia 3: The first high-ranking American public official who visited the Silliman campus is Charles Warren Fairbanks, the 26th Vice President of the USA (in office: March 4, 1905 – March 4, 1909).
Trivia 4: Former US President Jimmy Carter came to visit Dumaguete to start the Habitat for Humanity International's 1999 Jimmy Carter Work Project.
One of our very own alumni from Africa is also making waves. Silliman University graduate program alumnus DR. KAMBALE KARAFULI was recently elected Rector (President) of the Université Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs, Democratique République du Congo, Afrique. Congo's new university president is very loyal to Silliman. Her daughter Baraka will be enrolling in the coming school year in our College of Nursing and is considering finishing a degree at the Silliman University Medical School (SUMS).
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 at the Ateneo de Manila University. Dr. Malayang as the successor of Ateneo’s Fr. Bienvenido Nebres will serve with the Executive Committee until 2010.
Other reasons to rejoice in October: ZIFF CALVIN Z. MARABILLO, a graduate of the Silliman University College of Business Administration ranked 2nd with 92.14 rating in the Certified Public Accountant licensure examination. Marabillo graduated Cum Laude last March.
The SU College of Engineering & Design, CHED's Center of Development in Mechanical Engineering, had a passing rate of 89 percent in the Mechanical Engineering licensure exam given on Oct. 14 and 15.
Silliman University is building a tradition of gratefulness. Among the five major avenues to say "thank you" is the conferral of The Order of Horace B. Silliman, the highest expression of gratitude. On October 7, Dr. Wilfred Uytengsu, Chairman of Alaska Milk Corporation and the Uytengsu Foundation, was conferred in ceremonies held in Manila. The Uytengsu family gave our beloved campus four landmarks: the Uytengsu Engineering Building in the historical zone, the Computer Center along Hibbard Avenue, the new College of Computer Studies building right behind the Computer Center and the Alaska Basketball court near Woodward Hall. Present during the conferral were Silliman University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III, SU Board of Trustees Chairperson Prof. Leonor M. Briones, Dr. Uytengsu's son Steven, CEO of Alaska, other executives of Alaska, and a good number of Sillimanians in Manila.
The conferral of the Order of Horace B. Silliman came as a surprise to our beloved Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Proceso U. Udarbe who was inducted on his 84th birthday on October 29. Aside from donating a new campus landmark, the Udarbe Memory Chapel, the Udarbe family also supported the scholarship program of the Divinity School. Proceeds of the books of Dr. Udarbe were also donated to the Divinity School. Members of the Udarbe family came all the way from the cities of Cabadbaran and Manila to witness the conferral. The Ating Pamana under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista also serenaded the birthday celebrator. Dr. Udarbe is the only Sillimanian who has been honored with all of the university's highest citations: a Professor Emeritus in Theology in 1991, a Pastor Emeritus in 1995, an Outstanding Sillimanian award in 2002, and his recent induction into the Order of Horace B. Silliman.
We are happy to announce the founding on October 3 of the Delaware Valley Sillimanians and Friends. This new alumni group has elected FLOR MANIGSACA-BAYAWA as president.
"We have evolved not for personal gain, but for the very reason of meeting our inner want to give back to our Alma Mater, the aspirations that we all shared in the past," were among the inspiring words of the president-elect.
Recent visitor on campus was the past president of the Silliman University Alumni Association of Northern California (SUAANC) ROLANDO V. MAGDAMO. He shared the highlights of the 25th Anniversary event of their alumni group that was held on August 30. With the theme "25 Years of Keeping and Spreading The Silliman Spirit," SUAANC pledged to continue standing strong for the love of Silliman.
Reflecting on the celebration, the Founding President NELLY A. JOCSON, expressed it as, "a theme that binds us all together – that of finding ways to serve others." The new president of the chapter, CHARITO BARTOLO LOPEZ made a promise on behalf of the group: "We want to continue and nourish the wonderful fellowship we have learned in Silliman University by continuing the on-going activities of our organization and do even more…." More power to the new alumni groups all over the world, and to those celebrating milestones.
IN MEMORIAM: PHILIPPE REPOSO (AB Anthro '71, LLB '75) on October 29 and VENANCIO BANDOQUILLO SR. also in October.
Thank you for always being there for dear old Silliman. Dr. Malayang has requested this office to regularly update you about happenings on campus. We are also interested in knowing what you and your alumni chapter are doing. Please keep in touch and update your file with our office if you have not done so. We would truly appreciate it. You may reach the President's Office through this email address: pres@su.edu.ph or our Alumni Affairs Office through this address: alumni@su.edu.ph or sillimanualumni@yahoo.com
For a Greater Silliman,
Jocelyn "Jong" Somoza dela Cruz
Director
cc: President Ben S. Malayang III
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