The 20th President of the University of the Philippines assumes office

U.P.'s 20th President, Alfredo E. Pascual troops the line

as U.P. Vanguard cadets dressed in rayadillo stand at attention

Finance expert Alfredo E. Pascual became the 20th president of the University of the Philippines (U.P.) today during a simple but historic turnover ceremony at the Quezon Hall in the U.P. Diliman campus when outgoing U.P. President Emerlinda R. Roman turned over the symbolic U.P. Mace to Pascual. He will serve as President until February 9, 2017.

The University Mace is the symbol of authority of the U.P. Presidency.

The U.P. Board of Regents, the highest governing body of the University, selected him from among eleven (11) nominees last December 3.

Pascual's assumption of the U.P. Presidency comes at the heels of the increasing public demand for higher education, increasing education costs, and diminishing state subsidies for state universities and colleges (SUCs).

As the first democratically-elected President who did not come from inside the U.P. academic community, Pascual brings to U.P. new perspectives on managing higher education institutions, financing higher education, and the role of U.P. as a national university in the development of the country.

In his vision paper (see: http://up.edu.ph/pdf/nominees/AEPascual_Vision_Paper.pdf), Pascual stressed the critical role of getting the commitment of the national government to underwrite the cost of U.P. education to maintain democratic access to U.P. education. In his vision of making U.P. a great university, Pascual also stresses the value of financial sustainability.

"A great university is a model for good governance to the country it serves. The U.P. leadership must observe the principles of democratic to the country it serves. The U.P. leadership must observe the principles of democratic governance based on collegiality, representation, transparency,  predictability, and accountability," Pascual said.

Pascual who has a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree from U.P. Diliman has made a name for himself in the Asia-Pacific region as a development banker and educator. For 19 years until 2008, he worked at the Asian Development Bank, where he pursued pioneering projects and institution-building initiatives. Before working at ADB, Pascual was an investment banker and also taught at U.P., Asian Institute of Management and Ateneo de Manila University. 

To access President Pascual's curriculum vitae, please click on this link: http://up.edu.ph/pdf/nominees/AEPascual_CV.pdf

President Pascual was alo lead convenor of the Automated Election System (AES) watch which monitored the preparation for and conduct of the country's 2010 elections. He was elected president of the U.P. Alumni Association in 2009.