Creating ripples towards achieving sustainable food security: inspirations from a leader at the Nagoya University Entrance Ceremony

Los Baños, Laguna --- The positive transformation of the student while pursuing education that transcends boundaries from an excellent university will undoubtedly create a ripple effect towards achieving sustainable food security for the country and the region. This was the gist of the inspirational message from University of the Philippines System President, Honorable Danilo L. Concepcion, as he spoke to new and ongoing graduate students of Nagoya University during the Virtual Entrance Ceremony held on 4 October 2021. The ceremony was hosted by Nagoya University Asian Satellite Campus-Philippines (NUASC-PH) and co-hosted by the Office of the Chancellor, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna. The NUASC-PH is located at UPLB campus.

President Concepcion was one of four inspirational speakers at the ceremony. He congratulated the two new NU-UP scholars who will start their doctoral studies at the Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences in this Fall semester under the Transnational Doctoral Programs for Leading Professionals in Asian Countries. The two new students are Mr. Hadji C. Jalotjot, University Researcher III of the UPLB College of Public Affairs and Development; and Mr. Angelo Tapia, Assistant Professor of the UPLB Institute of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture and Food Science.

President Concepcion highlighted the fact that “just like Nagoya University, UP is a future oriented academic institution.” He stressed that “UP’s collaboration with Nagoya University cultivates a unique brand of hybrid education,” which defines the future of higher education. He thanked the administrators of UPLB, Nagoya University, JICA, SEARCA, and other funding agencies for their support to the programs of the students. He assured Mr. Jalotjot and Mr. Tapia that UP supports them all the way. He encouraged them to work hard, be inspired by their mentors and to always remember that what they do is “for UP and the country.”

Other inspirational speakers were Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA); Dr. Ajay Kohli, Director for Research at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI); and Dr. Andres Winston C. Oreta, Vice President of NU Alumni-Philippines Branch and Professor of Civil Engineering at De La Salle University, Manila. (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)


                    President Danilo L. Concepcion