SU celebrates its 122nd Founders Day

Silliman University (SU) officially kicked off its month-long 122nd Founders celebration with an opening worship service, August 6, 2023 at the SU Church with Dr. Margaret Helen U. Alvarez, dean of the Graduate School, as the guest preacher.

In her sermon, titled “For the Living of these Days,” Alvarez talked about serenity, courage, and wisdom to find meaning and inspiration in the present and the future.

Alvarez said that while serenity is drawn from faith, having “good courage” can be learned from understanding chapter 1, verse 9 of the book of Joshua  in the Bible.

“To ‘be of good courage’ is to possess an inner quality that enables a person to confront danger and difficulty without fear, and with calmness, boldness, confidence, strength, and trust instead,” she added.

As for having wisdom, Alvarez quoted English essayist William Hazlitt and said, “‘The seat of knowledge is the head, but the seat of wisdom is the heart. We are sure to judge wrong if we do not feel right.’ In the world we live in we need to distinguish between the fake and genuine; between what destroys human life and what enhances.” 

 

Founders Day theme

This year’s Founders Day theme is “Embracing the Future as God’s Gift,” anchored in the Bible verses 1 Corinthians 13:13 and Jeremiah 29:11.

Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, College of Performing and Visual Arts dean and co-chair of the 122nd Founders Day Committee, said the theme was conceptualized to “bring forth goodness,” to “move forward, leaving behind the mess the pandemic wrought,” and to “fully embrace the future with open minds and open hearts.”

“(The theme) is a proclamation of God’s unending faithfulness in our lives, [making us] confident, assured, and excited that in the future, there is that present, that gift, awaiting that final moment to be unwrapped,” she added.

As she declared the Founders Day celebration officially open, Vista-Suarez reminded the Silliman community to look back on their experiences.

“We celebrate the people who have helped us grow in this prestigious institution. We celebrate what is valuable to us, so [that] once again we can commune together and renew the bonds that have tied us together, clinging on to the hope that God always stays true to his promise: the promise of stability, of protection, prosperity, and growth,” said Vista-Suarez.

 

Official logo

SU also announced last July 12 the official logo for its 122nd Founders Day celebration, which Jami Belle Jareño, an incoming second-year Bachelor of Science in Psychology student, designed.

In her description of the logo, Jareño said: “The design includes the illustration of the elements from the original Silliman logo, such as the lighted lamp, the vine, and the Bible. Also, the shape of human hands connecting to the Silliman Church represents the University’s culture of excellence and virtue of prosperity embracing its heritage while pursuing the future as God’s gift to its stakeholders.”

Jareño’s design won the 122nd Founders Day Logo & T-Shirt Design Contest, for which she received a cash prize of P10,000 and a recognition plaque.

Highlights of this year’s celebration include the 61st Outstanding Sillimanian Awards, with five alumni to be recognized for their exemplary character and contribution to their respective fields; the induction ceremony of UBIX Corporation to the Order of Horace Brinsmade Silliman, through its president, Atty. Edilberto B. Bravo; the annual Parada Sillimaniana and Unity Prayer; the 77th Miss Silliman Pageant, and Balik Talent lectures of expert alumni, among others.

SU was established on August 28, 1901 by American missionaries. It was named after Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman, a philanthropist of Cohoes, New York, who donated the initial amount of $10,000 to establish a school in the country.

See the 122nd Founders Day Calendar of Activities at https://su.edu.ph/event/122nd-founders-day-calendar-of-activities/ 

(Photos from the Silliman University Camera Club)