SLG prof appointed Visiting Scholar at UPenn's global affairs hub

Dr. Robin Michael Garcia, Assistant Professor at UA&P's School of Social Sciences, Law, and Governance's Political Economy Program, has been appointed as a 2023-2024 Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania's (UPenn) Perry World House.

Perry World House, a hub that draws on the expertise of the 12 schools of the University of Pennsylvania to conduct relevant research to solve the most pressing global issues, recently selected 24 leading scholars and policymakers who will be engaging in academic research, which they will be sharing to the students and faculty of UPenn.

Dr. Garcia will be in Pennsylvania for a few weeks to produce written output and engage in lectures and forums focused on the US-China-Taiwan dynamics and its implications for the Philippines. He will collaborate with Mr. Thomas Shattuck, a specialist on Taiwanese domestic and foreign affairs and the Global Order Program Manager of Perry World House.

Congratulations, Dr. Garcia!

CAS faculty member receives literary recognitions

Mr. Vince Agcaoili, a faculty member of the Department of Literature of the College of Arts and Sciences, won 2nd place at the 2023 Maningning Miclat Award for Poetry last September 27.

His winning collection, "Opening," received high praise from Filipina poet Grace Monte de Ramos, who captured its essence in the citation below:

“‘We’re all walking in a museum of grief and are given options: To let the works themselves speak to you and make you so little or let the curator’s labels explain them. I’m hearing the timbre of the doctor’s voice, and I’m choosing to be shattered.’

Thus speaks the persona in ‘Fragments’, one of the poems in ‘Opening’, a collection which explores grief intensely and extensively; that is to say, choosing to be shattered. The first lines of the first poem declare ‘When they closed the casket, I opened / My heart’, referencing the death of a beloved grandfather, and from there the poet tackles ‘the cascade of pain’ that comes with the loss not just of loved ones, but also the sorrows arising from lost opportunities, absentee parents, abandoned homes, and blasted loves, in the process excavating a range of emotions – rage, resentment, guilt, regret, loneliness – that death unearths in the heart of the bereaved. Everything is personal, each detail specific to the persona, but to anyone who knows loss, these poems resonate keenly. After all, ‘Each heart is full of holes’.

Writing about grief, of course, betrays the need to understand. That the poet has found the language to articulate his grief so seductively is perhaps the first step out of the museum of grief and into acceptance and eventually towards healing and peace.

I close with the lines from the poet himself:

‘I look into your eyes, and I’m winning / A battle inside my heart. I think now you are teaching me / How much wound the earth can take, how much / Hurting it swallows in birthing trees. I suppose / This is how we say goodbye. I will have to bury you / In poems and nurse you for the days of my life.’”

In addition, Mr. Agcaoili's selected poems, "Animal," "After This Rain," "Incarnare," "Field," and "Fragments," have been published in the 6th issue of the Santelmo Literary Journal, which features contributions from prominent figures in contemporary Filipino writing, including National Artists in Literature Dr. Gemino Abad and Virgilio Almario. A copy of the issue can be obtained here.

Mr. Vince Agcaoili (center) as he receives his award.

Dalawang guro ng CAS, PASADOng Best Presenters 

HInirang ang dalawang guro ng College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) bilang best presenters ng kanilang mga saliksik sa ika-20 Pambansang Seminar ng Pampelikulang Samahan ng mga Dalubguro (PASADO).

Sina G. Louise Vincent B. Amante ng Departamento ng Filipino at Dr. Leodivico C. Lacsamana ng Humanities Program ay hinirang na best presenters sa naturang seminar. Paksa ni G. Amante ang tungkol sa araling adaptasyon ng Mondomanila na mga maikling kuwento, nobela, at screenplay ni Norman Wilwayco. Tinalakay naman ni Dr. Lacsamana ang iba pang mga pananaw sa pagbasa ng mga nobela ni Jose Rizal na Noli Me Tangere at El Filibusterismo.

Tema ng nasabing seminar ang “Rebolusyong Industriyal 4.0: Eksplorasyon at Perspektiba sa Wika, Pelikula, at Panitikan”.  Bukod kina G. Amante at Dr. Lacsamana, may apat pang hinirang na best presenters ng kanilang mga saliksik na nakaugnay sa naturang tema. Ang direktor ng nasabing pambansang seminar ng PASADO ay si Dr. Moreal N. Camba, kasalukuyang tagapangulo ng Departamento ng Filipino ng CAS.

Ginanap mula Setyembre 22 hanggang 23 ang naturang seminar ng PASADO sa National Teachers College, 629 J. Nepomuceno Street, Quiapo, Manila. 

Si Dr. Leodivico Lacsamana (ikalawa sa harap, mulang kaliwa) at si G. Louise Vincent B. Amante (una sa likod, mulang kanan) at iba pang hinirang bilang best presenters sa ika-20 Pambansang Seminar ng Pampelikulang Samahan ng mga Dalubguro (PASADO). (Retrato mula sa PASADO website.)

Si Dr. Leodivico Lacsamana ng Humanities Program. 
(Retrato mula sa PASADO website.)

Si G. Louise Vincent B. Amante ng Departamento ng Filipino.
(Retrato mula sa PASADO website.)

Certificate Courses in Data Governance

The School of Management (SMN) Professional Education in Business Analytics is pleased to announce the offering of the Certificate Program in Data Governance.

This two-course program on the basics of Data Governance is designed for data owners/stewards and managers, data scientists and analysts, and experienced data professionals. 

1. Essentials of Data Governance and Understanding its Business Impact

November 11, 25, and December 2, 2023

2. Unlocking the Value of Data Through Data Governance Program

February 10, 17, and 24, 2024

Each course runs for 3 days and can be taken as a stand-alone course or as a combined course. Participants who complete both courses will earn a 2-unit elective course credit under the Master in Applied Business Analytics (MABA) Program for SY 2024-2025. More details about the Certificate Program in Data Governance are available at www.bit.ly/DataGovInfo.

For more information, please contact Sonny Raymundo at (63) 8637 0912 local 207 or email [email protected] or UA&P-SEABS at [email protected].