JULY 2008
US A mbassador visits SU UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR to the Philippines Kristie Kenney addressed Silliman students at an All-University Convocation held July 1 at the Silliman University Church, marking the formal opening of School Year 2008-2009. “It’s an extraordinary honor for me Ambassador said. to get to address the convocation of She shared how her friends during Silliman University because I was not in her university years continue to be among my university days the best student. I was her best of friends to this day. “They are not the student you would have picked the people that I turn to when I have to inspire the other students,” the questions, when I’m making big Ambassador said. decisions.” As a student, she revealed how she The Ambassador then shared five often arrived late at class. “I got “rules for success,” rules that she said she reasonable grades, but I often arrived late chooses to live by: at class. I spent a lot of time talking with Love what you do – “You should not my friends rather than doing my choose a future, or a profession, or a homework.” course of study, if you don’t love it. “My teachers might well have been You’re wasting your life. You should pick a little bit frustrated and thought I was the something you love to do, and you’ll be student who wasn’t paying attention,” she good at it. And your enthusiasm will added. show. And people will want to be with But the Ambassador shared how she you. They will want to hire you. They will was pushed by her mentors to take “very want to work alongside of you. But it diverse” courses. While a political science doesn’t mean that you necessarily would major at Clemson University, she took love it every single day of the year. But classes in agriculture, biology, and an in general, if you love what you’re doing, introductory course to engineering. you’re excited about the path you’ve The classes she took outside of the chosen, the studies you’re taking, the political science curriculum, eventually friends you’re making, the career path United States Ambassador Kristie Kenney (center) gamely poses for “proved incredibly useful to you’re choosing, you would do extremely a picture with groups of Silliman students after her talk at the me…because I think you don’t know, well at it.” Silliman University Church. when you’re starting out, what direction Be your best – “Don’t ever settle for your life will take.” being anything less than you’re best. “So I urge all of you who are Each of you is a very unique person. You ahead at the expense of someone else. think about that throughout your life: were accepted at a wonderful university, students: take a wide range of classes. You have extraordinary talents. You probably Don’t ever cheat your way ahead. How can you make a difference? Solve that you are enrolled in an important don’t know where your life will take you, have talents only you know you have. Because at the end of every day, you have problems. Join something. It may be quite course of study. Proud of the way you and you want to be as prepared as you Develop them, insist on it, push your to live with yourself. And you have to feel simple as starting a recycling program in behave as a student, as a friend, as a can be,” the Ambassador stressed. teachers, ask questions. Get out there. that you have achieved things because your dormitory, or tutoring someone colleague. And you should celebrate The Ambassador also emphasized Make yourself the best you can be, and you have achieved them on your own who’s having a problem. But step up, those triumphs. You might not celebrate the importance of making friends, and keep doing it throughout your whole life. right. Not because you pushed someone don’t wait for life to offer you everyday or publicly, but again, when you getting involved in school activities. She Don’t ever settle, or let anyone else let else aside. Not because you cheated. Not opportunities, or wait for someone to go sleep at night, you should think: ‘I did said as a student, she was with the student you settle, for being anything else than because you in some way went around suggest. You have an idea or a suggestion some things well today. Good for me!’ government and was active in sports, like the best you can be. You owe it to yourself the rules. You will not be proud of or a way in a which you can make the Don’t dwell on the negative, dwell on the yourself, if you achieved any victories world around you better, do it. You didn’t positive. Each of you has a lot of talent. baseball and basketball. every single day.” join life to sit on the bench.” You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. Dwell “I did a lot of things that may not Play fair – “You have a lot of any way but the right way.” Make a difference -- “Be a player. Be proud of yourself – “Every day, on that, celebrate it, and be proud of have been a part of my formal education, chances in your life to do the right thing, but they taught me a great deal about how to be a hero in your own daily existence. In sports terms, you didn’t join to sit on all of us do something we’re proud of. yourself each and every day.” to get along with people,” the Take those chances. Don’t every get the bench; join to make a difference. And You should be proud of the fact that you
Silliman assists Iloilo typhoon victims A daughter of a school teacher and a US Military Veteran, the Ambassador also enjoined the students in giving a hand to the faculty and staff members of the University. “These are the real heroes of every academic institution,” she said. In closing, the Ambassador made a personal appeal to the students. “As you go out in the world, as you develop your leadership skills, as you become leaders, think about giving that leadership talent back in public service.” The Ambassador, who has served in Jamaica, Switzerland, Argentina and Ecuador, began her career with the US Department of State in 1981. “I’ve given my life in public service, and I won’t earn as much money as people who are out in the private sector, but I’ve never regretted one single moment of it. It’s a real honor to serve your country and to try to make a difference in the world.” The visit of the Ambassador to Silliman fell on the same week of the celebration of American Independence Day and the Philippine-American Friendship Day. “It’s my honor to be at an institution that really is at the root of the great friendship of Americans and Filipinos based on an official level and a person-to-person level,” she said Silliman is the country’s oldest American university, founded on August 28, 1901 by American Pesbyterian missionaries. THERE WAS NO fire to put out, but it did not need one to put a fire truck’s water-holding and pumping capability to the same life-saving use. Silliman University in Dumaguete City sent last week its fire truck to Iloilo City to assist in transporting water from a town in the province of Iloilo to the city where efforts to restore electricity and water supply were
completed, the building will have similar features as the other Uytengsu buildings on campus: Uytengsu Foundation Computer Center and Uytengsu Foundation Computer Studies Hall. Popularly known as the Uytengsu Hall of the College of Engineering and Design, the building was established in 1960. Its construction was made possible with the help of the late Mr. Tirso Uytengsu, a Silliman alumnus and former member of the Board of Trustees, who had previously given a memorial scholarship to bear the name of his son, Wentworth, a freshman pre-law student at Silliman at the time when World War II broke and who died at the hands of the Japanese kempeitai.
Graduate students’ contributions hit Winrock International Book ongoing. Iloilo is one of the worst hit areas in the country by typhoon Frank. First to be serviced were affected members of Silliman’s sister school, Central Philippine University, the local United Church for Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), and Silliman alumni. Silliman is a protestant university affiliated with the UCCP, but with a predominantly Catholic student population. It is the country’s oldest American university.
A truck was also sent by Silliman containing donations of food and clothing from Silliman students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends. Cash donations through voluntary salary deductions from its faculty and staff members were transmitted last week. Another shipment of clothing and food items is expected to be made within next week as
donations continue to flow in.
SU’s youth project receives World Bank grant THE JOINT PROPOSAL of Silliman University and World Bank Philippines aimed at youth development received USD48,500 under the Civil Society Fund (CSF) Youth Initiative Grant program administered by World Bank Washington. Titled “A Project to Support the Youth in Popularizing and Operationalizing the WDR: Exercising Citizenship in Transparency in Local Government Procurement”, the proposal targets a five-month implementation period, ending in September 2008. Out of eight grantees in the world, Silliman’s proposal, which was the lone grantee from the Philippines, ranked
Uytengsu Foundation donates P6M THE UYTENGSU FOUNDATION, Inc. donated close to P6.5 million to Silliman University for the renovation and rehabilitation of the Don Tirso Uytengsu Hall of the College of Engineering and Design. Targeted to be completed before the second semester of this school year, the two-storey building houses a total of 12 rooms. There are five lecture rooms and a room for the Engineering student government on the second floor. Located on the ground floor are two computer rooms, a hardware room, an activity room, and two offices. Major works on the building include roofing, flooring, and installation of glass windows. When
first. The project supports the youth in popularizing the World Development Report 2007: Development and the Next Generation, specifically Chapter 7: Exercising Citizenship. It seeks to “laymanize” the report by developing alternative ways of creatively packaging the information using visual and performing arts, comics, short movies in the vernacular, or some other form. It also aims to facilitate the elevation of grassroots youth (out-of-school youth) discussions to the national and global levels. The goal is to establish commonalities of concerns, eventually coming up
with a set of region-specific mechanisms that would concretize the youth’s unique role in monitoring government’s social accountability, especially in monitoring transparency in government projects. Recognizing the potential of the youth in bringing about change and development, the project will involve youth in the East Asia and the Pacific. Implementation of the project is headed by Silliman University, with Mark Raygan Garcia, Director of the Office of Information and Publications as Team Leader. The other team members are Dr. Rosario Baseleres, Dean, College of Mass Communication, and Stacy Alcantara, President, Silliman University Student Government.
ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED BY two Silliman University graduate students in Anthropology saw print in the publication of Winrock International titled “Best Practices in Preventing and Eliminating Child Labor Through Education”. Malcolm Hiponia and Christine Batiles are among the 13 Filipino contributors to the publication. Hiponia is a graduate research assistant at the Silliman University Research Development Center and Batiles, a graduate teaching fellow of the SociologyAnthropology Department. Hiponia evaluated a project handled by the Laura Vicuña Foundation in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, while Batiles did HOPE Foundation in Himamaylan,
NegrosOccidental. Both projects were funded by Winrock International. The publication was drawn from Winrock global CIRCLE (CommunityBased Innovations to Reduce Child Labor Through Education) projects, and was launched May 30 in Manila. A similar launching was done in Washington, D.C. prior to the Philippine launch. Winrock International is a non-profit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources.
Asian students undertake service-learning at THE SILLIMAN UNIVERSITYSUJune three students from Chung Chi Service-Learning Center welcomed in College, Hong Kong for a month-long service-learning program. This program includes community outreach and immersion, project site visits, and interaction with Filipino students. The students from Chung Chi College were: Chan Chiu Ping, Choi Hiu Wa and Lai Ching Kwan. Later this month, another batch of four students from the International Christian University, Japan will come to