Letter from Central Dear Centralians and Friends, Greetings from the campus! We are happy to share with you the speech of Mrs. Ann Catedrilla-Seisa, R.N., CPU College of Nursing Class '77 during the Dedication Ceremony of the Stage and Nursing Skills Lab on November 12, 2008. ------------------------------------ Warmest greetings to all Centralians, my classmates of Class '77, honored guest, nursing instructors, and above all to the students of the College of Nursing to whom I dedicate my efforts in building the College of Nursing stage and the renovation of the nursing skills lab. I was once a CPU student like you, but not under normal circumstances like any regular student. I come from the remote Barangay Agsirab, Lambunao, Iloilo. I was not privileged to have complete textbooks and sufficient financial support to get by. Yet managed to rise above life's circumstances and exceeded expectations of family, friends, and classmates. What I lacked before is what I have now and more than that. For this, I am grateful to God and from this bounty, I am sharing my blessings. It is in this context that I am acknowledging the CPU community for giving me the opportunity and the challenge to become what I am today. I am and I will be supporting worthwhile projects and programs in the name of quality education to the best of my efforts and abilities. The College of Nursing stage, which I and my husband, Loy, had generously supported, is in the honor of my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ponciano Catedrilla, who firmly believed in the quality of education of this University. They strongly insisted that I attend CPU to start and finish my high school and nursing degree despite of financial hardship. The stage is intended to create a venue to student nurses to express their talents and creativity, develop their skills in public speaking, foster leadership potentials and above all, promote and strengthen their self-confidence. It is my hope that our students will ultimately be equipped to face the world without unfounded doubts in what they are capable of doing. My desire is to foster hopes and dreams in the spirit of these young people so that in the face of uncertainty, they will look toward the vision of what can be and what shall ever give up their hopes and dreams for abundant, well-lived tomorrows. The second project, which is the renovation of the nursing skills lab, was made possible through the kindness of BSN Class 1977, especially: • Bill and Glenda Rivera-Geis, New York My classmates and I believe that we are who we are today because of the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes nurtured by our mentors at the CPU College of Nursing. The nursing skills lab is both a symbolic and an experiential place for development of the well-known and well-loved "Centralian Nurse", a title which the older generations of CPU graduate nurses like me have proudly carried all these years. We hope that you, my dear students, will live up to this name. Let me share with you what I believe a "Centralian" Nurse stands for . . . C- Commitment to quality patient care It is this reputation of the CENTRALIAN NURSE, as exemplified by Glenda Rivera-Geis who won not only the heart of Bill Geis, but also that of the Hudson community. That is why they are here to recruit Centralian Nurses. So far, Hudson has donated $10,000 for the College of Nursing. Our class will work very closely with Dr. Elmer Pedregosa and the Iloilo Mission Hospital and College of Nursing to develop a partnership to improve the quality of clinical training of our graduates. I would like to recognize the presence of my classmate Pamela Advincula-Sta. Cruz, our Centennial Queen from San Diego, California, who raised a total of 4.3 million pesos in 2004. Some of the funds will go to the College of Nursing Professorial Chair and the rest to the Endowment Fund for the faculty and staff's professional advancement of the College of Nursing and other departments of the University. I am sure that there will be many more projects to come in support of the College of Nursing and to our Alma Mater in the near future. I am working with concerned U.S. Alumni in establishing a foundation to channel our monetary contributions into relevant and effective projects for the College of Nursing and the University. Along this line, we are advocating for financial transparency because we believe that whenever we receive donations from our alumni and friends all over the world, we have the concomitant responsibility and accountability to ensure good stewardship. We have to earn their trust and respect; otherwise we cannot remain successful in our endeavors to provide the necessary funding for the University. As the Bible says: "for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." The main idea here is that we are accountable for the knowledge, resources, and abilities that God has blessed us with. If we have been given much, then He expects that much more from us. Accountability is a personal choice to rise above one's circumstances and demonstrates the ownership necessary for achieving desired results. It requires us to see it, own it, solve it, and do it. his means an attitude of continually asking ourselves, "What else can I do to rise above my circumstances and achieve the results I desire?" This requires a level of ownership that includes making, keeping, and answering for commitments. This kind of ownership requires us to be proactive rather than reactive in our efforts to fulfill our commitments and responsibilities. We are, in the final analysis, answerable to the results. We cannot pass on the blame for our own burden of responsibility. Accepting a commitment, therefore, whether it be marriage, a business contract, or simply accepting a donation, is a personal responsibility as well as an accountability which we should never take for granted. Stewardship is personal responsibility for taking care of another person's property or financial affairs, or in simple terms "taking care of finances". It is also used to refer to a responsibility to take care of something one does not own. In an organizational context, stewardship refers to management's responsibility to properly utilize and develop its resources, including its people, its property, and its financial assets. This includes thanking and recognizing donors and conveying the impact that the donors' gifts have had. I believe that as I and my fellow alumni in the U.S. continuously seek ways and means to hasten the growth of our foundation, we are in a contextual position to be partners with the CPU leadership within the framework of Christian stewardship for the gifts of kindness and generosity of our donors. It is my fervent hope and dream that this partnership will be afforded the necessary tools of sound financial planning and management, the main ingredients of good stewardship seasoned with a productive relationship built on confidence and transparency. I thank you for the honor. I share this with my family and classmates, fellow alumni and friends of CPU. Above all, I offer the honor afforded me to my husband who has been my significant other for 26 years and the wind beneath my wings, and to our children, Tristan and Andrea. Let this celebration today also honor our mentors and special mention of the memory of Miss Loreto Tupas to whom this building was named after, the late Dr.Rosita Hofelina, and the former Dean of the College of Nursing, Natividad Caipang. Again, thank you everyone, especially to the Dean Lily Lyn Somo for facilitating to make this event a reality. To Dr. Juanito Acanto, my sincere appreciation of your many years of unselfish service and dedication as a servant of this great University, with the support of your wife Ruth. To Dr. Ted Robles, congratulations as the newly appointed president of CPU. We are glad to hearthat you consider your position not as a career, but rather as a mission. Your leadership, effort, and commitment to restore integrity, transparency, fairness and high-impact governance with the Board of Trustees and the Corporation to resolve moral and ethical issues confronting the university at this very moment will become the defining challenge in the months and years to come. As concerned alumni, it is our earnest wish that you will reach out for our support. We look forward to working with you for our mutual love for CPU and as partners for a better future of this Christian institution Thank you and God Bless! ------------------------------------ May God richly bless us all! Sincerely, Rinand Caipang Escuban Francis Neil Gico Jalando-on |