“UST Rector Richard Ang said ‘This is our gift to GenSan – Luzon meeting Mindanao.”
THE University of Santo Tomas inaugurated the Main Building of its General Santos City, South Cotabato branch campus on April 11, ushering in a fresh new chapter for the centuries-old institution and a new educational opportunity for the region’s college students.
The six-level UST GenSan Main Building is 52 meters tall and mirrors the original, similarly-named edifice at the España, Manila campus – it also has a large cross on its highest tower that is illumined in blue upon nightfall, and an open plaza in front.
Its construction began six years ago, in April 2018.
The new UST-General Santos City Main Building illuminated at night. Photo by Rainiel Angelyn B. Figueroa/The Varsitarian.
Several major activities were conducted in line with the inauguration. On April 9, a Mass and the blessing of the building was held with UST officials, employees, and guests in attendance.
On April 10, members of the Tomasinong SOCCSKSARGEN (an alumni group), along with UST and UST Alumni Association officials, spearheaded a gift-giving activity in the nearby Muslim community of Barangay Batomelong, General Santos City.
Thomasians at an outreach activity in Bgy. Batomelong, General Santos City, during the inauguration of the UST General Santos City branch campus. Photo by the UST Communications Bureau
This event coincided with the feast of Eid al Fitr (end of Ramadan). Some 300 persons from 150 families attended. UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P., said the activity was meant to “to strengthen [UST’s] fellowship” with the community and as a sign of “goodwill and solidarity.”
“Hindi lang po kami kaagapay,” he said. “Mga Pilipino po tayo, at tayong lahat ay magkakapatid.” [We are not only someone who stands by your side. We are all Filipinos, and we are all brethren.]
The 76.78-hectare UST GenSan campus is four times as large as the Manila campus.
The GenSan Main Building can accommodate 15,000 students.
Among its facilities are 77 classrooms, 25 laboratories, a 100-person capacity chapel, cafeteria, library, clinic, organization rooms, functional halls, auditorium, and administrative offices.
The initial schools onsite are the School of Health Sciences, School of Engineering and Technology, School of Business and Accountancy, and School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The first wave of an estimated 500 students will enroll in the 2024-2025 academic year in the following programs: BS Accounting Information System, BS Entrepreneurship, BS Industrial Engineering, BS Medical Technology, and BS Pharmacy.
Speaking in 2022 about the establishment of UST GenSan, UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., Ph.D., said the branch campus will “train and employ people from the surrounding cities to work with us as faculty and staff, we will also form meaningful partnerships with local industries which will lead to the generation of new job opportunities…
“This is our gift to GenSan – Luzon meeting Mindanao.”
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Founded on April 28, 1611, UST is the “oldest existing university in Asia” and the “largest Catholic university in the world in a single campus,” according to UST’s Communications Bureau.
Established by the Dominicans (the Order of Preachers), UST was initially located in Intramuros and called the Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario. It was later renamed in honor of the foremost Dominican theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas.
In 1645, Pope Innocent X elevated the college to a university, and in 1680 it came under Spanish royal patronage.
In 1902, Pope Leo XIII bestowed upon it the title “pontifical university.” These are titles the university carries in its official name: The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas.
In 1947, Pope Pius XII called it “The Catholic University of the Philippines,” a title the university uses in some of its branding.
As such, some of UST’s academic activities are religious activities, such as the annual commencement exercises, which are not known as such but as ‘solemn investitures’ (as I was informed by a fellow faculty member).
Among the prominent Filipinos who have attended UST are Jose Rizal, Emilio Jacinto, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Apolinario Mabini, Manuel Luis Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, Jose P. Laurel, Diosdado Macapagal, and many others who have proved outstanding in their chosen professions.
Three popes have visited the campus: Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Francis.
I’ve spoken to a long-time faculty member who was present at the visit of the latter two and still speaks about her experiences with tears in her eyes.
Follow UST’s Facebook page for enrollment advice and more information about the new campus: https://www.facebook.com/UST1611official
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