(26 SEPT.)—Proposed policy directions affecting students, faculty and administrative personnel were announced by Atty. Danilo L. Concepcion during his investiture as the 21st president of the University of the Philippines on Sept. 20 at the University Theater at UP Diliman (UPD). In his speech “Compassion, Our Common Ground,” Concepcion highlighted UP’s overarching vision of “as a leading regional and global university in an environment that sustains 21st century learning,…

(AUG. 22)—Physics professor and former UP Diliman chancellor Dr. Roger D. Posadas passed away on Aug. 20. Posadas was Chancellor of UP Diliman from 1993 to 1996.  During his term, he organized the Technology Management Center (TMC);  the Center for Environmental Research, Education and Services; the Archaeological Studies Program and the Materials Science and Engineering Center. He was the first dean of the College of Science, which was created when the College of Arts and Sciences was split into three separate units.  He was dean from 1983 to 1993 and it was…

UP Diliman welcomes the memo from UP President Danilo Concepcion, which provides that “no tuition and other school fees shall be colelcted from Filipino undergraduate students” throughout the UP System.  The memo was issued “in the spirit of the recently promulgated Universal Access to Tertiary Education (Republic Act No. 10931) signed into law last Friday by President Rodrigo Duterte. The new law takes effect only in the next school year, 2018-2019 and would cover all state universities and colleges, but UP decided to bite the bullet and begin the implementation immediately, with the current schoolyear.  An existing tuition subsidy from…

“I am a grade conscious student, but I am the balanced type,” Arman Ali Ghodsinia said. He was the class representative at the 106th General Commencement Exercises held June 25. Ghodsinia, a summa cum laude (SCL) graduate of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (MBB), has a weighted average grade of 1.173. Ghodsinia is the first Maranaw Muslim to receive said honor. His father is an Iranian who became a naturalized Filipino. His mother is a Maranaw from Marawi City and is from the “Ali clan, one of the four Royal Houses of…

The University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno at its 106th General Commencement Exercises held June 25 at the University Amphitheater. The Doctor of Laws, honoris causa is the University’s highest academic rank and honor. It is awarded to public servants and lawyers who have contributed to international understanding, leadership and the rule of law, notes the Commission on Higher Education. Diokno is Professor Emeritus at the School of Economics where he has taught courses…

(JUL. 12)—There has been news going around that UP Diliman will no longer collect tuition fees this schoolyear. I need to clarify that this is a misinterpretation of our decision to suspend collection of any kind of fee during the ongoing pre-registration for the 1st semester, 2017-2018. The suspension of tuition collection is not unique to UP Diliman. Most of the other state universities and colleges (SUCs) did this as well because of the CHED tuition subsidy scheme. Under this scheme, undergraduate students will be prioritized by need and extended subsidies from a fund which for UP is P183 million for…

NIP Professor Jose Perico “Perry” H. Esguerra received the 2016 National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) Achievement Award last March 22, 2017 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. The NRCP Achievement Award is the highest recognition bestowed by the Council on its members whose works greatly contributed to the advancement of their respective fields of expertise and responded to the needs and challenges of various industries. The citation for Dr. Esguerra’s Award is as follows: “In recognition of his contributions to the statistical mechanics…

(JULY 5) —UP Diliman’s (UPD) eventful 106th General Commencement Exercises held on June 25 at the University Amphitheater was the talk of the town with 36 summa cum laude (SCL) graduates, a stirring valedictory speech by a Maranao student and the conferment of an honorary degree on a cabinet secretary. Summa cum laude.  This year, 36 SCLs led the 4,610 graduates from UPD’s 27 degree-granting units.  (For photos, click here.) A Latin phrase meaning “with the greatest honors,” the SCL is the university’s highest academic distinction for graduates…

Program Meet the Summa 2017 Super Summa Diokno to receive honorary doctorate degree Commencement Speaker Commencement Speech   The Chancellor’s Opening Remarks Message of the Class Representative Recognition Rites 2017 UPD General Commencement Exercises Photos

The Philippine Genome Center and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is holding an international workshop on “Genomic Epidemiology on Infectious Diseases in the Philippines” on 03-07 July 2017 at the National Science Complex in University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. This Workshop will bring together global experts on the study of genomic epidemiology of infectious diseases, particularly those affecting the Philippines. The Workshops aims to promote collaborations that will enhance the use of tools in bioinformatics, population genetics and statistics in infectious disease research. Days one and five of the Workshop, which will…