By Michael Aaron Gomez
The Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) held its General Faculty Convocation for the School Year 2018-2019 Tuesday, 5 June 2018, at the Martin Hall, Jacinto campus. Faculty and administrators from all units attended the event. Held before the start of every school year, the General Faculty Convocation is a gathering where the University President provides a general direction to the university community for the new school year. It is also where newly hired faculty members are introduced to the university community.
Fr. Joel E. Tabora, S.J. gave his presidential address to open the convocation. He exhorted and challenged the faculty to “work together towards greater intellectual engagement for mission.” He also reminded them to remember why they had chosen to follow the teaching vocation and exalted the value of great teaching. “Excellent teaching and mentoring are life-giving,” Fr. Tabora said, “both for the student as well as for the teacher. The successful student is due to the successful teacher.”
He also reminded the teachers further that “Good teaching is impossible without a generous chunk of personal devotion, and free personal devotion is impossible without joy.” Finally, Fr. Tabora reminded the Ateneo community that working at the Ateneo de Davao is not only for “salary and benefits to be earned,” but it also for the “holiness to be gained.” “The Light calls us to truth in holiness,” he ended.
Concluding the faculty convocation was the presentation of agenda for the school year 2018-2019 and updates by the different office heads of the individual AFIRE units. The Academic Vice President Dr. Gina Montalan updated the assembly on the efforts of the Instruction cluster to improve its teaching services; Mr. Elvi Tamayo, Director of the Ignatian Spirituality and Formation Office (ISFO), also gave updates on the Formation cluster. In behalf of Dr. Lourdesita Sobrevega-Chan, Chair of the University Research Council (URC), Engr. Randell Espina shared the breakthroughs of the URC in terms of spreading research projects from AdDU faculty to the wider Philippine academic community. Chair of the University Community Engagement and Advocacy Council (UCEAC) Mr. Mark Paul Samante highlighted the council’s efforts at engaging external community particularly in terms of disaster relief, specifically for the victims of the Marawi siege. Finally, Atty. Niceforo V. Solis, Director of the Human Resource Management and Development Office (HRMDO), updated the community on the steps his office has taken to ease the administration of services to and ensure the efficiency of the employees of the University.
“A Challenge to Greater Intellectual Engagement for Mission”
President’s Address to the ADDU Faculty General Assembly, Martin Hall, June 5, 2018