The university held its 36th Commencement Exercises on April 3 at the sprawling 1,500 square-meter Sunken Garden whose blossoming sunflowers at this time of the year have come to symbolize the emergence of successful professionals, this year numbering 1,972.

At 3 p.m., the graduates from the various colleges of the university followed the MMSU colors as they marched from the lawn of the University Main Library to the Sunken Garden.

Breakdown of graduates

Of the 1,972 candidates for graduation, 1,816 finished their studies in the second semester while 60 and 96 completed theirs in the first semester and summer term, respectively.

The CBEA had the biggest number with 565; followed by CTE, 364; COE, 257; CHS, 249; CIT, 232; CAFSD, 122; CAS, 114; GS, 48; CASAT, 18; and COL, 3.

Among the undergraduate programs, the Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) produced the biggest number of graduates with 224. It was followed by BS Industrial Technology (BSIT), 160; BS Business Administration major in Management Accounting (BSBA-MA), 142; Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSE), 140, BS Nursing (BSN), 120; and BS Hospitality Management (BSHM), 111. The BS Meteorology program had the smallest number with only 2. It was the first time the Philippines produced meteorology graduates. (See story on page 2.)

Academic awardees

MMSU Class of 2014 was led by 115 honor graduates: 6 magna cum laude and 109 cum laude.

The highest GWA (general weighted average) of 1.3268 was obtained by James Ceasar A. Ventura who graduated magna cum laude under the BSE program.  Santiago, his father, is a farmer while his mother, Lourdes Nida, is a teacher. Their family is from Solsona, IlocosNorte,

Second in rank was Jo Erika F. Marquez who graduated magna cum laude under the BSBA-MA program. Her very inspiring speech during the recognition program of CBEA has gone viral in the Internet, and has drawn praise and admiration even from those who are not from MMSU. Paralyzed from the waist down, the wheelchair-bound Marquez shared that disability comes in many forms, not just physical. She even considered herself lucky because people notice her disability right away while other people have to suffer “in solitude and silence, waiting for someone to listen and understand.” In order to succeed, Marquez said that “one’s dreams must be bigger than her excuses” because “how we rise above our handicaps is what really matters at the end of the day.”

Other magna cum laude awardees were Ofe Marie L. Balalio, BA English Studies (ABES); Charles Jourdan S. Agres, BS Accountancy; Valerie Joy M. Limbauan, BS Accountancy; and Kaye Ann G. Gacho, BSBA-MA.

The programs which produced the most number of academic awardees were BS Accountancy and BSBA-MA – each with 22 (2 magna cum laude, 20 cum laude). These were followed by BEEd (19 cum laude) and BSE (1 magna cum laude, 17 cum laude). The ABES program produced 1 magna cum laude and 3 cum laude recipients.

The following programs also produced cum laude graduates: industrial technology, pharmacy, and tourism management – 4 each; biology and marketing management – 3 each; economics and electronics engineering – 2 each; and cooperative management, development communication, fisheries, nursing, and ceramic, chemical, civil, and computer engineering – 1 each.

ETEEAP graduates

The Expanded Tertiary Education, Equivalency, and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) produced four graduates, all under the industrial technology program. Of the four, three are MMSU employees: Freddie Michael S. Balanay of PPGSD, Efren A. Miguel of ITC, and Norman D. Viernes of the Food Service. The fourth graduate, Clifton L. Moreno, is an administrative aide at the Laoag City Hall. The successful completion of their studies, says ETEEAP chief Elma B. Santos, shows the university’s strong resolve to deliver quality education through various modalities. Prof. Santos believes that equipped with a college degree, the four graduates will now have better career opportunities.

Commencement speaker

Dr. Joven R. Cuanang, Board of Trustees chairman of the St. Luke’s College of Medicine-William H. Quasha Memorial, delivered this year’s commencement address. One of the country’s top neurologists, he served from 2004 to 2013 as senior vice president for medical affairs and chief medical officer of the St. Luke’s Medical Center. He also acted as dean in 1987-1993 of the UERM Memorial Medical Center where he obtained his medical degree in 1962 as cum laude. He has post-graduate training from the Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital and underwent a fellowship in neurology at the University of California Davis.

Aside from being a medical giant in the Philippines, Dr. Cuanang is a known art patron. Among his many creative ventures are the Pinto Art Gallery in Antipolo City and the Sitio Remedios in Currimao, Ilocos Norte.

A native of the City of Batac, he stressed to the graduates the importance of Ilocano values in attaining success. He said that knowledge and talent must always be coupled with hard work, patience, and a strong heart not only for survival, but for excellence.