Universitas Rewind presents this article written in 2005 by UA&P co-founder Dr. Jesus P. Estanislao in celebration of the 10th Charter Day of the University. The article first appeared in the August 2005 issue of Universitas.
Unlike many other institutions with fixation mainly on the here and now, universities like UA&P have their eyes on the broad horizon. Their time horizon stretches over decades and centuries; and they also have to grapple with timeless issues and concerns. In the case of UA&P, the geographical boundaries of its concern go well beyond those of our country: we do take in the Asia Pacific and—because of the open interconnection between this region and the rest of the world—also the rest of the globe. Our perspectives, then, are very long-term, even eternal. They are also regional, and even universal.
As UA&P celebrates the completion of the first decade of its formal institution as a university, the broad perspectives it takes on have to be given even fresher and deeper importance. The occasion should be used not only to look at what has been accomplished; and as many others would point out, those accomplishments are considerable. Nor should it be used only to draw up yet another strategic plan for the next ten years; and as those currently working in the University would attest, this is a task well worth undertaking. Rather, it should also be an occasion for re-dedication to its foundational values and its original charter, which must perennially shape and define the distinctive mission that the University has to carry out through the ages, not only for the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region, but for the world and global civilization as well.
A clear sense of mission has always given a distinctive edge to what UA&P has been attempting to accomplish from the time it was conceived and when it was formally inaugurated as a university. Central to its mission has been the unity of life of any person, who carries out a dialogue with other men and women from different ages of human civilization, and also works in solidarity with them so as to advance that civilization towards the apex of its accomplishment: this can be nothing less than the loving embrace with the Creator, even while living and working in this world as well as enjoying eternally in the next. The one word in the seal of UA&P is Unitas, which should be a perpetual reminder to everyone who comes into its portals of the singular and distinctive mission of the University.
UA&P fulfills its mission in every parent, faculty member, student, and important stakeholder of the University who lives a unity of life in whatever circumstances he finds himself in. In the final analysis, all the accomplishments of the University have to be measured against this core yardstick: Have they effectively promoted, instilled, and made operative unity of life in the individual person? Has that unity of life led into meaningful dialogue with others? And has that conversation—deep and substantive—led into acts of solidarity undertaken in concert with others for the good of society and the promotion of the welfare of the human community, at various levels, from the local and national, to the regional and global?
Against the standard that its mission sets for the University, UA&P should also measure its aspirations for accomplishments in the next ten years as well as for the next generation. The bar has to be set higher, not only because considerable experience has already been gained, but also because the challenge has become taller and broader. The world is changing. Civilization is moving ahead, perhaps in different directions that could lead it far from the apex of satisfying every person’s infinite desire for happiness. The region to which we belong is progressing very rapidly in material terms, but that progress may be getting farther from being so properly balanced as to be genuine and sustainable. Moreover, the nation appears to be lurching from crisis to crisis, with no hopeful sign that it can get out of the pits in the foreseeable future. Within this immediate, overly challenging environment, the University has to keep trying to carry out its core mission with a greater sense of urgency, deeper commitment, and higher level of creativity.
UA&P has its charter to give it a trustworthy, perennial compass. That charter provides the proper lens through which UA&P can look at and assess its considerable accomplishments in the past ten years. It also gives the University a sure guide on how more effectively and efficiently it can move forward even under very trying circumstances.
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