I would like to share this lecture to everyone. May we learn something from the "great old man", the founder of the University of Pangasinan, Dr. Blas F. Rayos, Sr.

… Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning!

At this moment, I am a little passionate for obvious reasons: 1. I am emotionally excited with the 81st Foundation Anniversary of our university in whose campus during my college years (1954-1964) my life was tended to educational pursuit and guided towards what I am today; and 2. The great man, Dr. Blas F. Rayos, Sr.- founder of this university- is not physically present anymore to tune in for inspiration in doing our obtaining tasks in the campus to enhance the university standard and improve students’ performance. May his wisdom continue to shine in the campus, in the offices, in the classrooms, and in every mind as it was in his time.

Even the theme, “Revisiting the University of Pangasinan at 81: Towards Building a Community Within”, reminds me of a foot-note Dr. Blas F. Rayos, Sr. wrote in my appointment paper copy I received as an instructor in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Education effected on Summer 1964, and I quote:
“Melanio, as long as the Dagupan Colleges institution of learning stands, stick around”. I knew right then that this was intimately frank statement.

Until now, I am deeply flattered by such an expressive “trust” and “confidence” accorded to my humble self, considering that I was fresh and young graduate at the time, and that I can hardly imagine how I could fit myself into such fatherly intimate encouragement in my life, forty one (41) years ago.

There were seven (7) colorful instances in my college years whereby Dr. Blas F. Rayos, Sr. palyed major role in orienting me what is right to do and do it well, namely: 1. President, Liberal Arts Student Council (1962-1963); 2. President, Dagupan Colleges Student Council (1963-1964); 3. President, Creative Idea Club (1962-1964); 4. President, Dagupan Colleges Glee Club (1962-1964), 5. Member and/or Captain, Dagupan Colleges Varsity Debating Team (1961-1964); 6. Dagupan Colleges Delegate, Provincial and National Student Conferences; and 7. Dagupan Colleges Delegate, YMCA Summer Work Camps in various places in Central Luzon and Ilocos Region.

In all of these colorful occasions I have had in my college years, I learned nine (9) principles of life through the encouraging and inspiring example of the university founder which he consistently upheld and shared with others, namely:

Benevolence powers the practitioner into more blessings in life. Indeed kindness
begets kindness.

Learn to love your work and do it well. Consistency in doing your work well in no
less best.

Advocate appropriate ideas and skills to achieve success and happiness. The joy
of achieving is natural.

Share others because you truly care. It is better to serve than merely obeserve.

Reaching out for others’ welfare is reverence to God. It is not our need that others respect us; but we ought to respect others significantly.

Always avail our life into righteousness, loveliness, and refinement of character.

Youngsters’ growth and development rest in the shared tasks of responsible parents, teachers, and leaders.

Obedience to God and respect for authorities is meaningful and substantive living.

Service is to serve well; and to serve well is to live with sacrifice- the ability to gladly take risks.

The university founder himself emphasized that in all these principles of life, the user must always be an intense bearer of true friendship, goodwill and understanding in all personal and social relationships. The obvious reason for this is the fact that the user/ practitioner is the ultimate and greater beneficiary of joy and peace of mind.

In my own humble assessment, these principles of life significantly exemplified the phenomenal culture of the university founder’s life constantly created and enacted by his honest to goodness interactions with others. And he spread this cultured principles of life to the level of university organizational structure and even down to the sub-groups in the organization. Dr. Blas F. Rayos, Sr.’s presence in the campus everyday during his time did clearly show how his principles of life inspired, influenced, shaped, embedded, and developed the faculty and employees’ culture and loyalty, both to the university and to the particular organization. I strongly believe that these dynamic principles of life were the essence of his perceptive leadership which has always been felt around the campus. Nonetheless, professionalism in the university community has always been the by-product uniquely associated with his leadership culture. No doubt, he inspired and developed leaders around him.

In my stint as a student leader, he often called me in his office for orientation about how to achieve for excellence. He often made it to a point that to achieve excellence in any endeavor, we have to: 1. Develop our potential by learning to build our own strengths and improve our personal qualities that are the keys to doing our tasks well. As administrators, professors, instructors, employees and supportive staff, we have so many talents that can certainly be turned into engines of success. Yet, according to our university founder, the best performance does require more than talents. A good performance involves developing and improving personal strengths, including vision, determination, and confidence; 2. Update our own skills. Whatever stage we have in our career, it is very vital to keep learning. By adequately widening and appropriately applying our knowledge, we can dramatically improve our performances. Indeed, we are never too old to learn; and the need for learning increases, rather than decreases, as our career advances and jobs become more complex and important. Time for study may be hard to find, but it pays off for good in more ways than not; 3. Become more effective and efficient. There are a number of tools and techniques that can be used to improve our performance. With a little know-how, we can be more confident to maximize the use of our personal resources. Most people think that creativity is best left to the talented few. This is erroneous perception. Everyone of us has creative powers, and we can learn to use them. By opening our minds and making our approaches more adaptive, we will find out that ideas come out without difficulty. Truly, if we are united for good, we stand; and divided, we fall; and 4. Achieving for excellence by reassessing our goals every now and then. Our collective success in the university mission hinges on our ability to manage our task and career well. And we enlist each other’s help sincerely to further our own progress in achieving for excellence.

To make sense of a university organizational culture, in the light of Dr. Blas F. Rayos, Sr.’s principles of life which he had gladly shared with others, we have no option but to remember clearly that we cannot and should never take for granted: 1. Our personal competencies which determine how we manage ourselves by knowing our strengths and limitations as well as our self-worth and capabilities; 2. Our self-regulation by keeping our disruptive emotions and impulses in check; and by sustained comfortability with noble ideas, new informations, and innovative approaches; and 3. Our motivations or emotional tendencies to guide and facilitate reaching our goals, doing our commitment faithfully, and keeping enthusiasm to achieve for excellence.

With these concepts in mind, I cannot forget to share with you what I learned form a great educator and conscientious leader, Dr. Blas F. Rayos, Sr., who said in one campus convocation we had in 1962, to wit:

Wiser indeed for us to be up and doing moment to moment to share our students the needed quality services because we truly care for them. Much wiser to have harmony and collective action to provide our students the best tips for study and learning activities. It will be kinder of us to avoid pestering our students as “subsidizers” of fund-raising for any sort by authority of personal whims and caprices; all because they are no income earners yet. Much kinder still of us, as surrogate parents, to feel the pulse of the parents and share somehow more understanding in aid easing financial burden.

From this day on, may we have the enthusiasm, day in and day out, to “build community within”. Then and only then, we will continue moving forward the spirited legacy of the University of Pangasinan for eighty one (81) years. Hopefully UPang will remain “magiliw” and “kapakipakinabang”.

Again, Good morning to all of you. Carry on with the nice day, and thank you so much for your indulgence in listening.

Author's Note: The author has the consent of Dr. Malicdem for the posting of this lecture.