THIS YEAR’S Discurso de Apertura was historic–literally and figuratively–as it was the first to be attended by Thomasians on two separate campuses and focused on the four-century legacy of UST.
Artlets Dean Melanie Turingan on Friday delivered the inaugural lecture titled “Imbued with Unending Grace: A History and Legacy of the University of Santo Tomas,” which spotlighted Thomasian identity through the centuries.
Turingan’s lecture was streamed live at UST General Santos (GenSan), where the pioneer batch of students and staff tuned in as the Mindanao campus opened its maiden academic year.
“As Thomasians, we should be the first to know why the 413-year-old University still stands today,” Turingan said on Friday (Aug. 2). “Besides (UST) being the oldest, what else? What makes us stay?”
Recalling how the Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario was founded in 1611, Turingan said the vision of UST founders remained evident until now even after four centuries.
“The Fathers made sure that competent staff were already in place before they officially opened the doors of the University to students, just like what we are witnessing today in (GenSan),” she said.
Almost a century ago, UST transferred to the old barrio of Sulucan because “Intramuros itself could no longer expand even one inch more,” said Turingan.
Since then, UST has pursued expansion deliberately, completing the first edifice at UST Santa Rosa and opening UST General Santos, the largest UST campus to date, within a one-year span.
“The structures we once had, we currently have, and we will soon have are not just tangible cultures that we see and set foot in,” Turingan said. “These edifices symbolize UST’s rich history, values, and aspirations.”
A history professor, Turingan served as UST assistant registrar, College of Nursing secretary, and Department of Social Sciences coordinator before she became dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Asian studies (2002) and master’s in history (2004) at UST and her doctorate in Philippine studies (2016) at De La Salle University.
The Discurso de Apertura, adopted from the practice of universities in Europe, is a longstanding UST tradition dating back to 1866, wherein an appointed senior faculty member delivers a lecture to open the academic year. with reports from Marco Luis D. Beech, Fernando Pierre Marcel B. Dela Cruz and Amanda Luella A. Rivera
