(Salutation of Dr. Jonathan Bayogan during Dr. Grace Lopez's investitute as 3rd president of the Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology, Mati, Davao Oriental) Good afternoon everyone.
More than ten years ago, I had the privilege of being chosen to head this College. As I reported for work, I felt the daunting task of filling the big shoes left to me by my predecessor, Dr. Julieta Ortiz. She didn't only leave strong foundations for the College to grow from, she also left indelible marks of service and leadership.
I knew from where I was starting from that I couldn't fit into the big shoes left, so I decided to follow in Dr. Ortiz's footsteps. I carefully studied how she laid down the academic, human and physical infrastructure of the College and how she faced the challenges of birthing and caring for a fledging institution with fortitude and singleness of purpose. I did my best to understand the internal and community dynamics that are potent and inevitable factors to institution building and discerned how best I could harness key players into effectively playing their respective roles.
My ten years, I would say, had been good years for the College as it developed from a Level 1 to a Level 3 SUC in spite of its being "small" in age, size and budget. A cursory look into all Level 3 SUCs immediately shows that DOSCST has the smallest budget and is one of the "youngest". This growth amidst the challenges was due mainly to doing the things that matter without fanfare.
So, my first wish or advise to Dr. Lopez - follow into the footsteps. But this time with greater strides. In the two weeks that I purposely spent to interface with Dr. Lopez before moving to another institution, I observed her work ethic and philosophy. These, plus her love for her work and people will carry her through.
In this special occasion, I also well remember Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers. He dropped out of Reed College but stayed on anyway to attend classes that interested him, specifically calligraphy. Ten years later with Apple, they developed the Mac with all those beautiful and proportionally spaced fonts that we all enjoy today. The company was so successful but success can be coupled with interesting twists and turns. At some point in the company life, he was fired. But he went back to his creative activities, started a company called NeXT which soon became the most successful animation studio in the world. Soon after, Apple bought NeXT and Steve Jobs is back to Apple with a technology that forms the heart of the company's business. All these is due to his passion for his work, his hunger to create. So my second advice, which is related to the first is, stay hungry. Stay hungry for achievement, for service, for things that matter.
The story didn't end there. Steve Jobs eventually contracted a deadly disease. He had a rare form of cancer and upon diagnosis, he was adviced to "go home and get his affairs in order". But until today, we see Steve Jobs turning out new products - ipods, iphones and all those nano-gadgets - with zeal, excitement and energy.
We realize that God doesn't give us everything, but He gives us enough to get our missions done. So, my third advice - stay healthy as you can be. That would be enough to get your own mission done.
All my best wishes to Dr. Lopez and the institution. And if I have to repeat what I'd been saying all along, it is my call for the college workers to support Dr. Lopez even more than you supported me and my predecessor. By doing this, you are not only helping the institution grow and achieve its purpose. You also help yourselves and above all, convey to the clients the services that they deserve and fulfill the reason for this institution's being.
