Rector’s Message (Opening of School Year, 2012-2013)

The new school year 2012-2013 began on June 13 with the celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit. God is the beginning (alpha) and the end (omega) of the whole creation and it is only fitting that we thank and praise Him and invoke His name and ask for His blessings at the beginning of every good endeavor that we do. Glory and praise to Him forever and ever!

The opportunity to study is indeed a great blessing. To know the truth about God, ourselves, others and the world around us liberates us from the slavery of ignorance. Jesus said, “Know the truth and the truth shall set you free”. The more knowledge we acquire, the more chances we have to live in freedom.

In the olden times the words studies and discipline were almost interchangeable. It is more likely because studies require discipline not only of the mind but also of the heart and the senses. A student who intends to learn as much as he can should develop enough degree of self-discipline in order to focus his mental, emotional, and physical energies to the difficult but exciting process of learning. Nobody can do this for him. Being the principal agent of education, only he can make the commitment to really grow in knowledge - to come to class regularly and punctually, to listen attentively to lectures, to participate in class discussion and recitation, to do his homework, to review his lessons, to prepare himself for the different examinations, etc…

The parents, the teachers, the administrators, and all the other support personnel and structures of the university can only serve as facilitators. My hope is that with our teachers doing their best to really help the students in their quest for knowledge, with our administrators and non-academic personnel performing their work responsibly, and with the physical facilities in place, Aquinas University will be a home where committed students will develop their intellectual potentials to the full.

Moreover, Aquinas University purports to help our students to develop morally and emotionally as well. Being a catholic and a Dominican university, Aquinas is committed to produce graduates who are not only intellectually competent but also morally integrated and emotionally mature.

This vision sounds ambitious. In reality, however, it is attainable provided we all try our best to do our role in the university committedly and responsibly. In the end, not only the students will develop but also all of us who unselfishly contribute in different ways to their holistic growth. We cannot truly be agents of positive transformation in others without ourselves becoming better persons in the process.

Let us all enjoy this year of exciting journey toward more knowledge, more virtues, more emotional maturity, and more freedom. God bless us all.

Posted on: 06.13.2012