THE UST Philets and Artlets Alumni Association will carry forward the momentum of the Faculty of Arts and Letters’ (AB) 60th anniversary celebration by launching an awards ceremony that recognizes the legacies of outstanding alumni from the past six decades.
Modeled after the Distinguished Thomasian Alumni Awards, the “Legacy of Excellence: Alumni Recognition Night” will honor Philets and Artlets graduates who have made notable contributions to their respective fields and communities.
The yet-to-be-dated event will be dedicated to ten “sterling” alumni from each decade, covering 1964 to 2024. They will make up the final roster of 60 awardees.
UST Philets and Artlets Alumni Association president Prof. Henry Tenedero said the initiative, which may be done annually or biennially, would help the alumni deviate from what he called “donor fatigue.”
“In any organization to stay in a sustainable fashion, you have to come up with activities that go beyond mere fundraising. There are a lot of alumni associations that die because they’re having donor fatigue, they always [participate in] fundraising,” Tenedero told The Flame.
“[W]hat we want for the alumni association is to be more significant. So, what we thought was… why don’t we identify 60 sterling alumni coming from different decades?” he added.
The alumni group has identified the UST Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. building and Manila Hotel as possible venues for the ceremony.
The formal announcement of the award, including the succeeding nomination of candidates and judging process, will be held during the alumni grand homecoming on March 1.
Tenedero explained that there would be committees to oversee the selection and make the final decision on the alumni to be conferred the award. The selection committee will be in charge of managing and processing the rough nominations while the judging committee, alongside the association officers, will determine the final 10 alumni from each decade.
“There will be a selection and judging committee. It’s composed of people with impeccable integrity and unquestionable temperament… It’s going to be evidence-based. There will be documents needed to be submitted like achievements in the community, what you have done, how you lived, with the traces of being a Thomasian,” he said.
To be considered valid, a nomination must be made by an alumni from the corresponding decade.
“It’s not self-nominating. You have to be nominated by a colleague, by a peer. That’s why we have to strengthen the foundation from concept to execution of this idea, to at least minimize to a lesser degree the people who will be giving not-so-welcome feedback. As in any awards, feedback comes along with it. So we want to highlight more of the positive note,” Tenedero said.
In addition to civic and professional achievements, candidates for the “sterling” distinction will also be evaluated based on their embodiment of the University’s three core values: competence, compassion and commitment.
The upcoming alumni gala night carries the theme “From Pens to Pixels: Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future,” in celebration of the faculty’s “digitally-driven” future while paying homage to the artistic heritage and academic traditions that defined its legacy. It will be held at the Manila Hotel on March 1.
The Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, the predecessor to the present Faculty of Arts and Letters, merged with the College of Liberal Arts in 1964. The faculty houses 13 departments and has produced national artists, renowned philosophers, linguists, historians, journalists and other distinguished professionals. It has over 3,000 enrolled students, the highest number among the University’s colleges. F
