NEWS & UPDATES
April 2009
SURP
graduates 44 students
April 26, 2008---The
School of Urban and Regional Planning recognized the forty-four
graduating students in a ceremony held at the UP SURP Firmalino Room,
just before the 98th University Commencement Exercises.
Dean
Candido A. Cabrido, Jr. and Prof. Rosario D. Jimenez, the College Secretary
distributed commemorative pins to the twenty-three (23) Diploma (Urban
and Regional Planning (DURP)); ten (10) Master of Arts (Urban and
Regional Planning) MA URP; nine (9) Master of Science (Regional
Development Planning (SPRING-Asia Program)) and two (2) Ph.D. (Urban
and Regional Planning) candidates for graduation who were presented
during the 2009 Recognition Program.
The current president of the UP Alumni Association (UPAA)
SURP Chapter, Mr. Tomas A. Cabueños, Jr. was the occasion’s
guest speaker. He identified some of the current trends and
opportunities in the planning profession by discussing heritage
conservation, eco-tourism, agri-ecotourism, and health and wellness
retirement village. He proceeded to enumerate the challenges that
planners have to face and address. He adopted the acronym GPS for the
challenges relating to Governance, Partnership or networking, and
Sustainability.
Mr. Cabueños,
who was himself a graduate of the MA URP program and a Rural
Development Consultant of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR),
underscored the important role planners have in building a better
Philippines: a country which continues to provide better opportunities
for its people; protects its environment for future generations; and
commands the respect of other nations because of its people, history,
and cultural integrity. Finally, he invited the graduating students to
register as members of the UPAA SURP Chapter and participate in the
association’s flagship project of School improvement, particularly of
the Gerardo Calabia Mini-Theater.
Dean Cabrido and Prof. Jimenez awarded the Dean’s
Medallion to Ma. Anna P. Manga
and Mark Anthony M. Morales, both students of the MA (URP) program
and Katherine Mitzi H. Co who finished MS (RDP). The SURP Dean’s
Medallion is given to graduating students who have maintained a
general weighted average (GWA) of 1.25 or better.
The class valedictorian, Ms. Manga who obtained a GWA
of 1.182 and Mr. Renan Ma. Tanhueco, a PhD candidate delivered responses
on behalf of the graduates.
The 44 SURP students, who were accompanied by the School's Graduation
Marshals: Dr. Marideth R. Bravo, Graduate Studies Director and
Prof. Jose Edgardo A. Gomez Jr., were later
conferred with their respective diplomas and degrees during the
University Commencement Exercises.
SURP’s vision for the next 100 years is to be a competitive
learning and research institution in the development of innovative
theories, tools, and sustainable practices in the fields of urban,
rural, and regional planning. In keeping with this, the School looks
forward to more students and graduates who will specialize in various
planning fields. The incoming students for Academic Year 2009-2010
will enroll under the recently approved SURP Curriculum for Fields of
Specialization.
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