SU Celebrates 121st Founders Day
Silliman University (SU) celebrates its 121st Founders Day (FD), introducing the Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) learning, offering whole-person education offline and online, the same way the FD activities will be held from July 30 to August 29, 2022.
Dr. Earl Jude Paul L. Cleope, SU Vice President for Academic Affairs (Photo by Nadja Brittany L. Tobias, SU Camera Club)
Dr. Earl Jude Paul L. Cleope, the university’s vice president for academic affairs and also the FD Committee chair, explains that there are activities that will be done face-to-face and those that shall be done virtually especially those involving the students.
However, Cleope emphasized that the activities that are scheduled in a face-to-face manner shall strictly follow health protocols as prescribed by the SU Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee following the mandate from the IATF.
Last Sunday, August 7, 2022, Cleope officially opened the celebration explaining that in the past, the festivities for Silliman’s founders day celebrations officially began two Sundays before August 28 but in 2018, the celebrations started on the first week of August instead.
He added that the “purpose was to accommodate the growing number of activities with the growing number of students and alumni.”
“We begin the 2022 Founder’s Month activities with the excitement of finally meeting face-to-face after more than two years,” said Cleope.
With the theme “Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness and our Resiliency,” the celebration recognizes how SU weathered numerous challenges and difficulties throughout its 121-year history, establishing a legacy of fortitude to find light and hope in the midst of unforeseen difficulty and overcome with new strength.
121st Founders Day Opening Worship Service (Photo by Nadja Brittany L. Tobias, SU Camera Club)
“Silliman University has never wavered from her trust in the God of the Bible. In times of abundance and in times of want, Silliman University has drawn upon her faith in the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The steadfast faith of Silliman University has assured her of resiliency to find a new beginning beyond every storm,” said Dr. Jeaneth Faller, Divinity School dean.
Faller explained that: “SU is turning a corner as we are set to resume face-to-face classes and launch the new academic year with the campus alive with students and faculty alike. The storm clouds are passing and we are rising from the depths of one of the most challenging and unexpected realities the world has ever faced. The global pandemic brought us to our knees, and for two years we were grappling to find our way as an academic institution forced to pivot to online and virtual teaching.”
The winning entry for the 121st Founders Day T-Shirt & Logo Design Contest and the official logo for the 121st Founders Day, designed by Eazel Sevilleno, an incoming second-year Bachelor of Performing Arts, Major in Speech & Theatre student.
Meanwhile, this year’s FD logo is designed by Eazel Sevilleno, an incoming second-year Bachelor of Performing Arts, Major in Speech & Theatre student.
“In line with this year’s theme relating to standing firm, the number of years being celebrated (121) is designed into a shape that is suggestive of the long-standing Silliman University Church, including its cross. This represents God’s faithfulness and our resiliency which we shall continually proclaim as one Silliman community, even amidst the most trying times. The design also features classic elements from the original Silliman seal: the lighted lamp and the Bible,” Sevilleno said about the logo.
The Miss Silliman Pageant, Parada Sillimaniana, Outstanding Sillimanian Award, and the Hibalag are some of the major activities during the FD that will be held either face-to-face or virtual.
For the complete list of events, SU’s 121st FD Calendar can be accessed at https://su.edu.ph/event/121st-founders-day-calendar-of-activities/.
