SU names 14 faculty and 8 staff members as 2024 Service Recognition Awardees

Silliman University (SU), through the Organizational Development-Human Resource Management (OD-HRM) named fourteen (14) faculty and eight (8) staff members from the different units and departments as the 2024 Service Recognition Awardees for twenty (20) years of service to the institution.

The ceremony was held at the SU Assembly Hall on April 30, 2024.

Lalaine B. Yap from the School of Basic Education (SBE) is the Faculty Service Awardee for SY 2020-2021.

Meanwhile, Dr. Lily Fetalsana-Apura from the SU Divinity School (SUDS), Asst. Prof. Geraldine G. Anque from the SU College of Nursing (SUCN), Sally S. Aurea (SBE), Asst. Prof. Leila Joy T. Cazon (SUCN), Asst. Prof. Jan Antoni A. Credo from the SU College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), Asst. Prof. Freshtille Mae S. Cuello from the College of Business Administration (CBA), Asst. Prof. Jin H. Genove from the College of Education (COE), Asst. Prof. Renante C. Lingcong (CAS), Dr. Dave E. Marcial from the Global Studies Center (GSC), Jafnah A. Odal (BSE), Mark Anthony Salve (SBE), Yancy Lou R. Sojor (SBE), and Dr. Flora M. Yrad (CAS) are the Faculty Service Awardees for SY 2023.

Marcial, faculty member awardee who represented the others in his speech, described the 20 years of service as “an achievement and a milestone.”

“Twenty years ago, stepping into this campus was realizing a lifelong dream,” Marcial recalled.

“Silliman University has shaped my professional trajectory and molded me into who I am today–a testament to the transformative power of education and community,” he added.

The Staff Service Awardees for calendar year 2023 are Erelyn R. Academia (SUDS secretary), Princeton E. Apura (Student Housing and Residence Division head), Atty. Eduisa Rositte C. Diocos (Internal Audit chief), Regina S. Flores (CAS Biology secretary), and Jill Arlyne L. Llosa (Student Accounts officer).

“Our university is blessed with individuals, so many of us faculty and staff, who exemplify the spirit of service,” Academia said.

“Twenty years is not just a measure of time. It’s a testament to commitment, dedication, and the unwavering spirit of service that runs through the veins of this institution,” she added.

At the same time, three (3) staff members were conferred the Layague/Johnson Award for Professional Excellence. The awardees are Hera T. de Guia (guidance counselor), Ana T. Santisteban (librarian), and Joanne V. Pino (Office of Registration and Records Management officer).

Santisteban expressed gratitude to the administration, her unit head, and colleagues for all the support, the guidance, and trust “that ignited our skills to create programs and services to our dear Silliman.” She also thanked her family for being her inspiration.

The Layague-Johnson award was established in 2003 to recognize outstanding professional service to particular groups of Silliman employees and honor the memories of Carolina Layague, who served as a librarian, and Aquilino Layague, who served as a History professor here at Silliman. Their daughter who married a Johnson has funded the award in its conception, hence the name. It is a two-fold grant: enrichment and merit in recognition of guidance counselors, librarians, and Registrar’s Office personnel for their long-time dedication and loyal service.

Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, SU president, thanked both faculty and staff members for their “unwavering dedication to their vocation and their admirable perseverance,” recognizing “the indispensable role the faculty and staff play in realizing and concretizing the university’s mission and vision.”

“Work in any academic Christian institution is a form of ministry. It is a blessing, enabling us to cultivate people’s potential and providing us ample opportunities to be a positive force in young people’s lives,” McCann said in her message, addressing the faculty members first.

“Considered the lifeblood of the university, the faculty collectively carries on their shoulders the weight of ensuring that learners develop competencies needed for them to seamlessly integrate into the workplace and, at the same time, inculcate in them the values that will make them rise above the standards of the world,” she added.

In her message to the staff members, McCann dubbed them the “unsung heroes in the operations of the university.”

“The staff members… are essential in the operations in the university. They provide specialized instructional support or support students when they utilize university facilities. In many ways, they are the glue that holds the university together,” she added.

Collectively, McCann emphasized, the awardees serve as pillars to the university.

Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel L. Villordon, Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) officer-in-charge (OIC) and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) dean, spoke about this 20-service as a testament of love to SU.

“Your service to Silliman University is a testament of your love for Silliman, and I think that’s the reason why we’re all here [working in Silliman]. Our role in the university is vital to the formation of our students so that we can attain the highest quality Christian education,” Villordon said.

“As we continue to serve Silliman twenty years onward, I pray and hope that we continue to spread the joy in our hearts that can be seen in our services for the students,” she added.

Present at the ceremony were Atty. Ebenezer Y. Lim, vice president of Finance and Operations (VPFO); Rev. Jonathan R. Pia, SU Church senior pastor and minister; Margaret Helen U. Alvarez, Graduate Studies dean; Dr. Wilma M. Tejero, College of Business Administration (CBA) dean; Rev. Dr. Van Cliburn M. Tibus, Divinity School dean; staff members of the OD-HRM; faculty, and staff members.

Organized by the OD-HRM, the Faculty and Staff Service Recognition Day is an annual celebration that honors twenty years of service to the university.