13 april 2009. VOlUME 40. NUMBEr 21. 12 paGES

9

DLSU hosts 2009 International Educational Expo

New book pays tribute to women’s rights

4 5

FIELD NOTES: Affirming our commitment to knowledge construction

DLSU LaUncheScoLLege of LawSee page 3

2401 (twen´te fôr´,o, wun) is a landmark number along Taft Avenue. It is the location ID of De La Salle University, home to outstanding faculty and students, and birthplace of luminaries in business, public service, education, the arts, and science. And 2401 is the name of the official newsletter of DLSU, featuring developments and stories of interest about the University.

In the conference, Blair shared the lessons he learned during his 10-year premiership in the UK, one of which is the need to adapt to change in order to understand the interconnected world and the shift of power to the East. “If you want to understand the world, then you have to analyze it as it actually is, not as you like it to be,” he said.

He said that during peacemaking negotiations, a leader must understand that there will always be attacks from both sides. But in times of conflict, he explained, leaders must remain focused and hopeful.

“Above all else you never give up,” he said. “What is forgivable is to fail, but what is unforgivable is not to try.”

During the conference, the University conferred upon Blair the Signum Meriti award for his outstanding work and achievements as a distinguished world leader, principled peacemaker, staunch environmentalist, and interfaith advocate. Br. Armin, together with DLSU Board of Trustees Chair Joaquin Quintos IV, awarded the medal to Blair before his speech.

Blair was a key figure in the Belfast Agreement, a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process, signed in Belfast in 1998 by the British and Irish governments to address relationships within Northern Ireland; between Northern Ireland

and the Republic; and between both parts of Ireland and England, Scotland and Wales.

In 2007, he was officially confirmed as Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East on behalf of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and Russia.

He has kept his commitment to Africa’s development and economic growth by serving as adviser to selected African heads of state. He is also working with various organizations and governments to address the challenges of global warming. At the same time, he is pursuing his commitment to the achievement of understanding, action, and reconciliation among the different faiths, through the faith foundation named after him.

Br. Armin said participation in the event was in line with the University’s internationalization efforts, as it provided a venue for Lasallians to directly interact with world leaders.

Last January, La Salle also opened its doors to Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta, who was the fourth lecturer and third Nobel Laureate to visit the campus under the Bridges Lecture Series program hosted through the International Peace Foundation.

BLair ShareS LeSSonS in LeaDerShipLessons in leadership and peacemaking were among the topics discussed by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in the second Leadership Conference Series last March 23 at Hotel Sofitel in Manila. The event was organized by Campaigns & Grey, with De La Salle University as the official academic partner.

With the establishment of CoL, DLSU aims to contribute in the efficient practice of law in the country and envisions the development of future leaders in the legal profession who engage in the promotion, protection, and preservation of human rights and environmental laws.

The college will offer the Juris Doctor (JD)

program, with a curriculum mandated by the Supreme Court and the Commission on Higher Education. Human rights and environmental issues will be offered as electives and likewise infused in the core subjects.

Supporting the college in this endeavor is its Board of

Advisers composed of Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban (Ret.), Justice Florentino

Feliciano (Ret.), Justice Josue Bellosillo (Ret.), Judge Anselmo

Francisco Trinidad Reyes, and Atty.

Antonio Oposa Jr.An

outstanding corps of faculty

composed of notable

practicing lawyers

and law

specialists will provide hands-on mentoring throughout the program, to fully prepare the small but select group of students for the Bar exams.

CoL will be headed by Atty. Jose Manuel Diokno and Atty. Virgilio De Los Reyes, dean and vice dean of the college, respectively. Among those who signed on to teach at the college are Atty. Ma. Soledad Margarita Deriquito-Mawis, Atty. Domingo Añonuevo, Atty. Katrina Legarda, Atty. Rodrigo Lope Quimbo and Atty. Arno Sanidad.

The DLSU JD program will offer a multi-disciplinary approach to learning, with the aim of developing in law students their research competence. The many reputable programs of DLSU will serve as valuable resources for legal research.

Likewise, courses geared towards the enrichment and enhancement of the communication skills of the students will also be offered, to enable them to confidently and competently establish themselves in the legal profession. Incorporated in the curriculum are legal aid and externship programs that will expose the students to La Salle’s national and international networks of communities, organizations, as well as linkages with law firms.

CoL will also follow DLSU’s trimestral system to provide a more focused, intensive student-teacher interaction.

DLSU LaUncheScoLLege of LawDe La Salle University launches in Academic Year 2009-2010 the College of Law (CoL). It will start accepting applicants during this period in time for the opening of classes in AY 2010-2011.

The Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for External Relations hosted the 2009 International Educational Expo last March 25-26 at the Central Plaza.

The participating embassies and international education organizations included IDP Australia, British Council, Campus France, German Embassy, Japan Information and Cultural Center, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, Philippine-American Education Foundation, and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

The participants were given booths where they gave out information about their studies and scholarship grants. Guest speakers from various countries also conducted talks to thoroughly explain the education system as well as the specific programs and universities of the countries they represent.

DLSU hoStS 2009 internationaL eDUcationaL expo

By Br. Armin Luistro FSCPresident and Chancellor

This speech was delivered during the Annual Faculty Research Recognition last March 27 at the Marilen Gaerlan Conservatory.

FIELD NOTES. What is going on in the world? We ask our faculty members to make sense of what we need to know, understand, and reflect upon. They agree to share insights and observations about their respective fields or special interests. Field Notes serves as a window to different worlds where we all belong.

There are two things that we wish to accomplish today. The first is to celebrate the accomplishments of members of our community in their pursuit of constructing knowledge. The second is to affirm our commitment to continue to nurture the research culture in the University in pursuit of our earlier articulated thrust of becoming a “research university.” We recognize that this goal is intrinsically difficult to achieve in our context not merely because of the constraints that a chiefly “tuition dependent” institution is innately saddled with, but more importantly, the nominal support that relevant

public agencies in particular, or government in general, have invested in research and development.

Let me begin by acknowledging our gains over the past year. Today, we confer recognition on more than 120 faculty members of our university who have completed internally- or externally-funded research projects within the past year, from 1 March 2008 to 28 February 2009. This number represents close to 20% of our total faculty complement. With one out of five of our faculty members (full-time and part-time combined) engaged in scholarly research, we could rightfully claim that we do have a pool

of academics that would suffice to sustain our research record and hopefully collaborate with other members of the academic staff, and even with our students, especially at the graduate level, to engage in scientific studies and creative works that would add to existing knowledge, provide a greater appreciation of our culture, and for a number, secure the application of the knowledge produced for an improvement of the quality of life of our people.

In the past year alone, we have had 39 of our faculty members publishing their scholarly work in ISI publications. While this number represents just 12% of the total full-time faculty roster, this record in itself is remarkable owing to the fact that we have sustained our record in terms of the number of faculty members who continue to publish in ISI journals, a record that we know is bound to continually increase, especially as we have our very own venue, at least for those who engage in education research, the ISI-listed The Asia Pacific Education Review (TAPER).

To those that we recognize today, I do not think that the certificates to be conferred today are enough to extend our appreciation for their efforts. I hope that our distinguished researchers agree with me that the more important sign of our appreciation for the zealous academic work and output of our researchers is for the university to seek ways and subsequently put into motion much more support to have the research culture flourish in our institution.

Allow me now to re-affirm our commitment to put in the resources and support for our institution to increasingly become a higher educational institution that significantly contributes to the endless pursuit of knowledge construction. This commitment is evidenced by a number of things that we have collectively and sustainably implemented in the past years.

About four years ago, the University embarked on a discussion of a Lasallian Pedagogical Framework. What evolved is an innovation now known as the

Transformative Learning framework which has been gradually employed for the Lasallian core curriculum courses and which also serves as a philosophy of learning that instructs teaching and learning in major or professional courses in some academic programs. This endeavor was meant to propel a greater understanding among our teachers of the connection between the inter-related functions of teaching and research, and especially on how each would impact on students’ learning. We have to acknowledge that we are predominantly a teaching university, with four fifths of our students at the undergraduate level. Given this reality, the introduction of the Transformative Learning framework with the clear intent to continue to reflect on the relevance of the underlying learning philosophies in the conduct of other courses across all the programs of the university is so designed to target at least two goals. The first is to develop among our students the capacity to “learn how to learn” by way of facilitating their active involvement in the process of learning across the courses that they take, with the careful assistance by faculty members who genuinely appreciate and are well-grounded on the philosophy and variegated methods of learning that are aligned with the Transformative Learning framework. The second is to enable our faculty members to be more reflective about their teaching, a skill, competence, or capacity that mirrors, at the very least, an incipient capability among our teachers that could be developed and seamlessly lead them to engage in specialized, issue-oriented, or what I would just refer to as “formal research.”

The other concrete effort that we have pursued is to mobilize and gradually consolidate the resources that would allow us to sustain research efforts in the university. In this regard, I am happy to announce that we have at present established in addition to existing research endowment funds with the DLSU Science Foundation an endowment fund that has a seed money of P 60 million, the proceeds of which would be used

This endeavor was meant to propel a greater understanding among our teachers of the connection between the inter-related functions of teaching and research, and especially on how each would impact on students’ learning.

to increase the monies that could be allocated to the URCO, to College Research Funds, and to the new Ph.D. Research projects. We do, however, recognize that P 60 million nowadays, at a time when the normal short-term depository instruments would net us nowhere close to 5 percent per annum, is such a small amount. This condition in itself makes it plainly clear to us that to sustain our research endeavors we need to continue to turn to external sources, local and international funding agencies that had heretofore contributed four-fifths of our “direct” research expenses. We will continue to increase our research endowment fund and would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the initiative of one of our own active researchers, Dr. Allan Bernardo, to contribute a significant amount from his own research honorarium to the College of Education research fund managed by URCO. I have been greatly encouraged by that initiative as I recognize that if we want to collectively build up the research culture in the university, we need to create a virtuous cycle whereby successful researchers

can also voluntarily invest part of their honoraria to the university’s research fund so that future generations of potential researchers and scholars can be supported in their efforts.

Over the last few months, we have received feedback from committed faculty members that have led us to reflect on the structures and policies that would promote an authentic research environment in DLSU. I wish to reiterate and reemphasize the commitment of the university not only to teaching and community service but, at least at this stage in the development of our university, to research, knowing full well that if we acknowledge that the best private university in the country stands on three legs, it is precisely in the research leg that we would need to work on most assiduously in the next couple of decades. We are now carefully considering refining our policies to further strengthen the research culture in the university, especially one that does not look at the research endeavor as a disjointed activity from the similarly

core function of teaching and community service. Inasmuch as many of the prospective changes are still being discussed, suffice it to say, that the crafting of these subsequent improvements will involve the participation of faculty as we are cognizant of the fact that they constitute the core of our pursuit of becoming a research university and as a community of knowledge

producers. Given these directions, the

appointment of Dr. Jesusa Marco as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Learning brings with it the mandate to initiate and support university-wide flagship research projects which will characteristically be multi-disciplinary. The university will try its best to look for more effective ways to support our well-known and senior researchers including the honest-to-goodness review of our incentive package and related taxation issues, creating more physical space and allowing more access to equipment and library as well as providing logistical support for writing and

publication. We are committed to develop a research mentoring

program for the growing number of young researchers so that we do not only address the anxiety of losing a generation of productive senior researchers but also provide new avenues for recent retirees to be engaged with the academic life of the university in a new and creative way. It is essential that Dr. Marco’s office work in close coordination with the Associate Vice Chancellor for External Relations not only in ensuring that we have a pool of active grants writers but more importantly to create that other virtuous cycle whereby we can nurture old and faithful partnerships as well as open new research-oriented linkages on all levels whether these be with local and national governments, international institutes, local and multinational industries

as well as reputable universities especially the members of the ASEAN University Network (AUN), the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) and the International Association of Lasallian Universities (IALU) where we have board seats. By including the area of life-long learning or continuing education together under the same office, we hope to add the application of disciplinal trainings in our targets and engender more support for R&D among our partners in industry and the national government thus contributing to the creation of a research culture in the Philippines.

I take this opportunity to express the university’s appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Wyona Patalinghug for her milestone contributions as former Vice Chancellor for Research leaving behind a legacy of publishing the consolidated research report for the years 2006-2008. Her initiatives to successfully promote the Arts Congress and the Science and Technology Congress increased participation of students and faculty from various disciplines.

Our research agenda is hereby reiterated: poverty alleviation, environment and safety, youth-at-risk, globalization, and applied technologies. Also under the initiative of Dr. Patalinghug, I am most pleased to see that the ceremony today includes the awarding of the winners to the research project Towards a Clean and Green Environment meant to promote doable research initiatives in one of our research priority areas. Having been part of the evaluation panel, I must acknowledge that I was truly impressed with the 26 concept papers submitted and though only a select few will be given grants, I intend to pursue some if not all of the proposed projects.

Colleagues, we have a long way to go before reaching our goal of being a research university. Realistically, we may not even reach this goal within our own lifetime and will just have to content ourselves with the thought that we will bequeath to the succeeding generations of Lasallian academics the privilege of reaping what we and our forebears have sown. But we should not let go of this dream—of being a more significant contributor of knowledge. To keep this dream alive, I invite each one of you here, to actively participate in formulating and subsequently implementing measures that will encourage “scholarship” in our university, among our faculty, and between our faculty and our students.

iS facULty topS nihongo Speech conteSt

new Book By facULty payS triBUte to women’S rightS

Leigh Janelle Lim, faculty of the International Studies Department, emerged as the grand winner in the Open Category of the 36th Nihongo Speech Contest, organized by the Japan Foundation, Manila (JFM), last February 28 at the SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

The Filipina and the Law, A Tribute to Women’s Rights by Atty. Emily Sanchez, faculty member of the Commercial Law Department and holder of the Anthony P. Lee Professorial Chair in Advanced Business Management, was launched last March 6 at the Ariston Estrada Seminar Room.

Lim bested other six finalists from University of the Philippines-Manila, Mindanao Kokusai Daigaku-Davao, Advanced World Solutions, Inc. in Manila, and NEC Telecom Software Phils. Inc. in Cebu.

The speech contest aimed to promote cultural exchange through Japanese language education in the Philippines. It was one of the major events of the 4th Nihongo Fiesta, which featured the Kite Festival, the Koto Concert, the 11th Asian Cartoon Exhibition, and other cultural performances, contests, exhibits, and demonstrations.

The Nihongo Speech Contest served as an ideal platform for Filipino students and professionals to demonstrate their linguistic skills through articulating an original composition written by themselves on a theme of their choice. It attracted high caliber contestants from the country’s numerous language institutes, colleges and universities, and other organizations offering Japanese language courses.

Lim received a trophy and token from sponsors, and will take part in an all-expense-paid week long study tour in Japan this September.

A tribute to women’s rights, the book shows the victories of the past, the struggles of women at present, and the visions for the Filipino women of the future. It surveys Philippine laws and jurisprudence with particular application to women.

“Despite decades of struggle, our legal system remains replete with gender-

biased statutes that are so plain and obvious it becomes enigmatic why our legislators failed, and continue to fail, to push for their amendment or repeal,” Sanchez writes in the book’s introduction.

The book, published by Central Books Supplies, Inc., is available at Powerbooks, Centralbooks, and Goodwill Bookstore-Glorietta.

International Studies Department Faculty Dr. Renato Cruz De Castro delivered a paper on the ASEAN Regional Forum in a conference on “Vision for Future Korea-ASEAN Relationship” in Seoul, Korea last March 5.

University Fellow Dr. José de Mesa and Assistant Professor Dr. Rito Baring of the Theology and Religious Education Department and catechists of the DLS Catechetical Center (Brother Andelino Manuel Castillo FSC Religious Educational Foundation) led the symposium titled, “Sakramento: Mysterio o Bakas” last February 21 at the Pablo Nicolas Auditorium.

iSD facULty DeLiverS paper preSentationS in korea

fiLipino concept of “Sakramento” DiScUSSeD in SympoSiUm

Resource speakers for campus journalists

De Castro read the paper titled “The ASEAN Regional Forum and the Future of Southeast Asian Security Cooperation” to Korean and ASEAN academics attending the conference organized by the Sejong Institute and

funded by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul.

Earlier in February, he gave lectures for the analysts of the various think-tanks in Washington,

D.C. and officials from the State and Defense Departments. He is currently based in

Arizona State University as the U.S. State Department ASEAN Research

Fellow from the Philippines.

The symposium, attended by more than 100 participants, discussed “bakas” as a proposed Filipino concept of “sakramento.” In the first part of the symposium, De Mesa delivered a talk on “Ang pagsasakultura ng Pananampalatayang Kristiyano.” The other resource speakers—Raul

Geluz , Lucia Armenta, Annie Mojar, Gener Angkico, Edwina Samonte, and Ana Lyn Mag-isa—explained the different concepts and words related to “sakramento.”

Two DLSU professors were invited as resource persons and judges at the recently concluded National School Press Conference held at the Camarines Sur National High School in Naga City, Camarines Sur.

Dr. Teresita Fortunato of the Departamento ng Filipino was judge in the group and individual categories, while L. Ivan Pineda of the Theology and Religious Education Department was judge in the individual category.

This year’s NSPC carried the theme, “Climate Change: A Call for Responsible Campus Journalism,” and was spearheaded by the Department of Education at the division, regional and national levels.

On Trinity Sunday, June 7, Brother Raphael Rafiringa FSC, from Madagascar will become the first African De La Salle Brother to be beatified by the Catholic Church.

the Beatification of Br. raphaeL rafiringa fSc

After the island became a French colony, the Brothers began their apostolate there in 1866. One of their first students and the first local vocation was Brother Raphael, a convert to Catholicism from his native religion, who entered the Institute in 1876. After completing his religious formation quickly, he showed himself to be highly talented in several areas as well as an effective educator. While devoting himself to his teaching and working with the poor, he also wrote books and composed both poems and music.

However, the Brothers’ promising work on the island suffered a serious setback when, from 1883 to 1886 and again from 1894 to 1895, wars broke out between the local Hovas and the French colonial regime. During these conflicts, the De La Salle Brothers along with all other foreign missionaries were expelled from the country. But because he asserted his rights

as a native citizen, Brother Raphael was able to remain in Madagascar. Deprived of all their clergy who had been expelled from the island, the local Catholics found a leader in the humble De La Salle Brother. Chosen as president of the Catholic Union of Madagascar, he effectively ran the Church during these years, making himself the very soul of its Catholic population. While doing so, he was exposed to threats and insults from some of his fellow citizens, in spite of which he held strongly to his faith and his vocation.

Once French control was reestablished on the island, he resumed his work along with the missionary Brothers who returned to Madagascar. In time, his efforts of various kinds were recognized when he was named a member of the Academy of Madagascar and given the Medal of Civil Merit for his successful efforts to normalize relations between the

island and the colonial power. He endured one more trial when

in December 1915, he was imprisoned because of an unfair accusation. He was, however, exonerated in February 1916. He again devoted himself to his religious life and his apostolate through which up to the time of his death in May 1919 he exercised a most salutary influence on his fellow citizens. On June 7, the Church will recognize and honor the virtues and the devoted zeal of a humble religious Brother. At the same time, though, it will provide another model for all members of the worldwide Lasallian family of educators.

—Brother Gregory Wright FSC, Ph.D., Visiting Professor of History

is published bi-weekly by the Marketing Communication Office (L-163, intercom 144). Editorial deadline is 3 p.m. Tuesdays. Contributions should include the name, office and signature of the sender. Materials may be edited for clarity or space.

Johannes Leo Badillo (badilloj@dlsu.edu.ph), Operations Director; Ma. Ruby Carlos (carlosm@dlsu.edu.ph), Editor; AARichela dela Cruz, Anne Alina, Magsy Magbanua, Mark Pitoc, Writers; Peter Varona, Art Director; Luis De Vera, Ave Gaile Peraz, Ricky Binoya, Graphic Artists; Virginia Umacob-Gases, Secretary; Raymond Menor, Office Assistant. 2401 may be accessed online through the URL: http://www.dlsu.edu.ph

Research proponents who completed their projects for Academic Year 2008-2009 were honored by the University Research Coordination Office (URCO) in the Annual Faculty Research Recognition at the Marilen Gaerlan Conservatory last March 27.

Urco hoLDS annUaL triBUte

to facULty reSearcherS

Over 80 completed internally and externally funded research projects of faculty members were recognized during the ceremony. The awards given were based on projects completed or articles published within the period of March 1, 2008 to February 28, 2009.

Also for this year, 39 faculty researchers from the College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and College of Science were recognized for having works published in ISI journals.

Three University-published journals, MALAY, The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher (TAPER), and Asia-Pacific Social Science Review (APSSR), also received special awards. MALAY was given citation for having the most number of downloaded articles in

the website Philippine Journals Online, TAPER for being listed in the Thomson Reuters ISI Master List of Journals, and APSSR for being listed by SCOPUS as one of the world’s leading journals.

During the program, awards were also given to the completed concept paper for the Community-based Monitoring System and the 20 outstanding concept papers submitted for “Towards a Cleaner and Greener Community,” a special project launched by URCO that focuses on environment and safety. Submissions center on initiatives that address environmental issues and concerns in the DLSU campus and its immediate surroundings. Out of the 20, five were selected to receive a grant of P100,000 each to expand their concept papers to full research proposals.

Special recognition was also given to Dr. Alvin Culaba, Mechanical Engineering full professor and director of the Center for Engineering and Sustainable Development and Research (CESDR) and Dr. Raymond Girard Tan, Chemical Engineering full professor.

Culaba was elected last year as Academician, the highest honor given by the National Academy of Science and Technology. Tan was honored for having the most number of citations in SCOPUS for a faculty with ISI journal publications. CESDR was likewise cited for being the first runner-up in the regional level of the Commission on Higher Education’s Best Higher Education Institution Research Program Award.