More than 500 graduate students attended the face-to-face Graduate Orientation Program last Sept. 17, 2022, at the UP Visayas Auditorium, Iloilo City campus.
The graduate faculty, programs, and academic policies were presented by the Deans of each college: College Secretary Dr. Liah Catedrilla on behalf of Prof. Encarnacion Emilia Santos-Yap of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Dr. Alice Joan G. Ferrer of the College of Arts and Sciences, Prof. Christopher B. Honorario of the College of Management, Dr. Ramer P. Bautista of the School of Technology, Dr. Patricia B. Arinto of UPV Tacloban College, and Dr. Rowena Paz L. Gelvezon of the Graduate School.
Prof. Nieves A. Toledo, University Registrar, presented the graduate students.
This year's inspiration message was delivered by Dr. Reynaldo G. Segumpan, MMPM alumnus Class of 2000. He is currently the Head of the Department of Business Administration, College of Economics and Business Administration, the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Ibri, Sultanate of Oman.
In his message, Dr. Segumpan highlighted the importance of research in a student's journey in the graduate program. He encouraged them to engage in research to make the most of their experience in UPV.
"Well, we know the transformative power of research, and to me, it's really the backbone of graduate education…I hope that our graduate students will make the most of their learning experience by engaging in research and ideally published work in local or regional journals…Through research, we can advance scholarship with significant contributions to the academic community and create and apply knowledge for the public good in other societal, economic, and environmental agendas," Dr. Segumpan shared.
This being the first time that graduate students are coming back for face-to-face classes since 2020, Dr. Segumpan believes that this is a season of possibilities.
"I have the impression that the academic atmosphere has been pulsating with opportunities for personal excellence. So our graduate students are highly encouraged to explore avenues to unleash and transform their personal potentials into acumen," he added.
Jose Marie Paolo D. Santos, Vice Chairperson for External Graduate Student Association for 2019-2021, also gave a message on behalf of the organization.
Prof. John Lorenz R. Belanio, Vice Chancellor for Administration, formally closed the program with an encouraging message.
Ms. Ysabella P. Cainglet, Director of the Gender and Development Program, was the Master of Ceremonies.
