The P’s of going through graduate study: inspirations from a leader at the Nagoya University Virtual Entrance Ceremony

Los Baños, Laguna ---“Patience, patience, patience ….” These were very important advice from the inspirational message to new and ongoing students of Nagoya University, by Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) during the Virtual Entrance Ceremony of the Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campus-Philippines (NUASC-PH) held on 4 October 2021.

Dr. Gregorio was one of four inspirational speakers at the ceremony hosted by the Office of the Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). The NUASC-PH is located at UPLB campus. Dr. Gregorio exhorted the new graduate students to brace themselves for things to come as they tread the long journey towards earning the doctorate degree. He likened pursuing graduate studies as a growing plant where flowers may be bitter, but the fruits are sweet. He encouraged the students to take inspiration from people before them who became “movers”and “shakers”in their respective institutions, and to prepare for bigger responsibilities ahead as front liners of education and agriculture as they take over the lead roles when the more senior ones move forward to retirement. He went on to add more P’s aside from Patience such as Perseverance, Persistence, careful Planning, and a lot of Prayer. In the end, as the students reach their goals, he said they should take Pride of their achievements as Productive members of society.

The two new students officially welcomed at the ceremony who are also NU-UP scholars were Mr. Hadji C. Jalotjot, University Researcher III of the UPLB College of Public Affairs and Development; and Mr. Angelo Tapia, Assistant Professor of the Institute of Animal Sciences, UPLB College of Agriculture and Food Science.

Other inspirational speakers were Honorable President of the University of the Philippines (UP), Atty. Danilo L. Concepcion; Director for Research at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Dr. Ajay Kohli; and Vice-President of the Nagoya University Alumni-Philippines Branch (NUAL-PH), Dr. Andy Winston C. Oreta (read more feature articles about inspirations from speakers of this event at . http://asci.nagoya-u.ac.jp/philippines).

Officials who welcomed the guests and participants at the ceremony were Dr. Kazuhito Kawakita, NU Vice President for International Affairs, Planning, Evaluation and Institutional Research; Ms. Junko Sato, Director of Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) at the Embassy of Japan in Manila, Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr. Chancellor of UPLB; and Dr. Akira Yamauchi, Director of the NU Asian Satellite Campuses Institute. The ceremony was officially closed by Dr. Aya Okada, Dean of NU Graduate School of International Development.

The NUASC-PH is one of the six satellite campuses established in Asia. The others are located in Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The campuses offer the hybrid research-based doctoral programs for professionals in government positions who cannot leave their posts for long periods of time. The programs are offered in collaboration with the Graduate Schools of International Development, Law, Medicine, Bioagricultural Sciences, Environmental Studies, and Education and Human Development Every year, NU conducts the entrance ceremony to officially welcome new students admitted to the graduate program. This is the seventh since the satellite campus was launched in 2015 and the second virtually conducted since the start of the pandemic.
(Article written by Editha C. Cedicol)

                  Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio