THE RETIRING dean of the UST-Alfredo M. Velayo (AMV) College of Accountancy, Prof. Patricia Empleo, will deliver this year’s Discurso de Apertura.
Why it’s important: The Discurso de Apertura is a University tradition dating back to 1866, in which an appointed faculty member delivers a lecture to mark the opening of a new academic year.
Preview: Empleo’s lecture is titled “Internal Control: Key to Effective Enterprise Risk Management,” and will be delivered in the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church at UST Manila and live-streamed at UST General Santos.
- Empleo has been dean of the College of Accountancy since 2013.
- In 2023, she was designated chair of the technical working group on the Certified Public Accountants Licensure Examination Enhancement Project of the Board of Accountancy, a body under the Professional Regulatory Commission.
- She is one of 38 academic staff retirees for 2025.
Red Mass: The lecture will take place at 10:30 a.m. after the Misa de Apertura or the Mass of the Holy Spirit, also known as the “Red Mass.”
- There will be Eucharistic celebrations in the three UST campuses, including UST Manila Annex (MAx) in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
- Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit of the Diocese of San Pablo, whose territory covers UST MAx, will preside over Mass at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church at 9 a.m.
- Fr. Edmund Nantes, O.P., UST GenSan’s associate vice rector for finance and administration, will lead the Eucharistic celebration at the Mindanao campus at 8:30 a.m.
Background: Last year’s inaugural lecture, delivered by Artlets Dean Melanie Turingan, marked the first time students from UST General Santos joined the series of celebrations organized to kickstart the academic year.
