The Varsitarian

September 9, 12:20 a.m.- THOMASIANS have more reason to be proud as UST nears its Quadricentennial -- the country's oldest University has become one of the largest contributors to the country's educated workforce.

Pointing to the University's consistent domination of state licensure examinations, Rector Fr. Rector Rolando de la Rosa, O.P. said UST's greatest contribution to nation-building "is the fact that it is the biggest producer of competent professionals in the country.”

In his yearly report to the Thomasian community, the Rector noted that UST alumni “manifest to the highest degree how our University is helping move the nation towards economic, political, social, and moral progress.”

“The 6,086 graduate students of the University, as compared to the 3,813 of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, have proven to have forged a fruitful marriage between number and quality, as the University manages to obtain the highest passing rates in board examinations,” de la Rosa said in the annual Rector’s Report at the Medicine Auditorium.

The Rector said the inscription “gateway to the history of the finest breed of Filipinos,” found on the Arch of the Centuries, is a fitting description for a landmark that serves as “the gateway [through] which Thomasians for four centuries have passed, coming in as hopeful students and coming out as among the finest breed of Filipinos.”

 De la Rosa also highlighted the University’s commitment to “ameliorate the sorry plight of our countrymen,” citing the public's continued patronage of UST Hospital because of “excellent” medical care provided by UST physicians. UST's outreach programs are also recognized for their "holistic approach to development, he said.

As in previous years, the event was punctuated by intermission numbers and testimonials. Several VIPs were in attendance, including Roberto Mayorga, ambassador of Chile; Donald C.T. Lee, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office; and Agnes Nyamande-Pitso, ambassador of South Africa who joined the UST Singers in a chorus of the song "Circle of Life."

Mayorga thanked UST for its contribution to the preservation of the "Spanish legacy" in the country, and its continued partnership with other universities in Spanish-speaking countries. Lee, meanwhile, vowed to help put up a Chinese language center in UST.

Tuguegarao Bishop Ricardo Baccay congratulated the University on the eve of its 400th year. News Team