25 July 2014 – University of the Philippines (UP) President Alfredo E. Pascual was feted by UP alumni associations in Northern California on July 16 at the Philippine Center in downtown San Francisco. The alumni gathering and forum, organized by the University of the Philippines (UP) Alumni Association of San Francisco (UPAA-SF) in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General, saw alumni associations from as far as Sacramento and Fresno taking the opportunity to mingle with their counterparts in the Bay Area.
Philippine Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr., also a UP alumnus, welcomed President Pascual to San Francisco and the Philippine Center. “We’re happy to host this gathering, not just because many of us at the Consulate are alumni of the University of the Philippines, but also because UP has played such a key role in the development of the Philippines,” he said. “From shaping the minds of future leaders to being an incubation center for innovation in various fields, it has been at the forefront of our growth as a nation since it was established in 1908.”
During his address, President Pascual presented a comprehensive progress report of UP’s accomplishments since he began his term, highlighting structural and policy reforms that had been put in place specifically to address shortcomings identified by world rankings of academic institutions all over the globe. Following his presentation, he also took the opportunity to show alumni the projected plans for UP’s expansion, which included structures for housing marine life as well as improved housing for faculty.
President Pascual also updated alumni on UP’s efforts to assist students who had been affected by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, and called on them to support these efforts. “Our efforts to assist them are not limited to tuition assistance,” he explained. “We are trying to give them the support they need to finish their education, and that includes counseling them through the trauma of losing their homes and loved ones as well as providing access to resources that they lost to the typhoon.”
UPAA-SF President Letty Quizon closed the forum, thanking attendees for coming and encouraging them to continue to stay involved and active in their respective alumni associations.
For more information on UPAASF, their activities, or how to become a member, visit their website at http://www.upaa-sf.org/. END