Dr. Malayang: ‘Day or Night, God is With Us'

“A great university does not exist in isolation,” Silliman President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III told students, faculty, and staff during the All-University Academic Convocation on November 14. “It is part of the world. It struggles with the world. The world’s struggles are its own struggles. And our struggles and your struggles within the University are also reflective of the struggles of the world.”

In his message, Dr. Malayang put into light how much of the world today is gripped with anxiety and uncertainty with the ascendance of new leaderships in many countries, including our own. He pointed out how the people are divided as to how to view our future.

The President stressed that for many people, there seem to be a new day dawning – a new day of great and added opportunities. Yet what is seen as a new day dawning by some is seen by others as a night falling unto us. “We do not know how to make sense of a world where some see it as day, and many see it as night; where some say we have a rule of law, and others only see the violation of laws; where virtuous vision is being replaced by a deconstructed sense of virtue that many of us could no longer understand,” he said.

Dr. Malayang then emphasized that we are without hope:  

We enter into the second semester to continue the business of a university of learning, creating new knowledge, advancing knowledge, yet somehow uncertain of what the future holds for all of us. But I believe, that in Silliman, we have great confidence in three things. 

First, whatever the future will give, we have confidence that our collective intelligence. The history of virtue in this University and our sense of grief will see us through.

There’s much uncertainty, even in our University. Where are we going? We’re ushering in a new age of new leaderships in our University. Already, our Board [of Trustees] is in the process of searching for new leaderships for Silliman. Anything new is always anxiety-ridden, but our collective leadership, our character, and our faith will always see us through.

Second, with confidence in the strength of our institutions; that however any of us goes into aberrant ways, aberrant behavior – institutional revolutions will see to it that we will not go to the extremes. There’s a way in which universities, countries, and people are able to make sure that we will able to survive even in the midst of great anxieties and uncertainties.

But the third and foremost, we can rely on God; that even when His people has been sent into exile for so long or sent into slavery, this is one God who sees to it that we get liberated and free. So however you see the day – a dawning of a new day or a coming of a very dark night – be very certain that day or night, we have a God who is with us, and that will make a total difference.”