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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Learnings from higher learning (Part 1)

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To our guest speaker, Hon. Acting Vice Mayor and Councilor Juan Miguel Flores, our dean, Dr. Brian Gozun, our associate dean, Dr. Hilario Caraan, our associate dean for research and graduate studies, Dr. Emilina Sarreal, administrators, fellow teachers, academic personnel, parents, fellow graduates, guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

I would like to start this response by praising and thanking God for making this milestone possible for us. I know the journey coming here has been a roller-coaster ride and has established all-time highs and lows in our lives. But beyond them all, God enabled us to emerge victorious by graciously walking with us in every step of the way. For that, congratulations to us and to our dear parents, guardians and benefactors!

I would like also to mention my dissertation mentor, Prof. Dr. Tereso Tullao Jr. My sincerest thank you, sir, for guiding me in coming up with a dissertation that puts humanity and ethics at the forefront of the fast and agile technological innovations that take place in today’s Fourth Industrial Revolution.

On behalf of the graduates in this hall, the same gratitude I am also extending to the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, its administrators, faculty, and staff, our panelists in thesis and dissertation, our friends, our families and to everyone who contributed to where we are today, thank you for the prayers, support, and understanding.

Thank you, big time, to De La Salle University for not only providing us a place to learn but also a space to commit mistakes and grow from them. From my end, through its faculty development program, I was able to experience Lasallian education both at the masters and doctoral levels. And for that, my heartfelt thank you, De La Salle University. You have not only provided me employment but also gave me security.

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This afternoon I will be sharing with you two nuggets of wisdom to reflect on as we immerse ourselves into the bigger world. These are: (1) keep going, live God’s purpose in your life; and (2) embrace your being a work-in-progress, do not settle.

Nugget of Wisdom #1

I first came to De La Salle University not to be a student but to be a teacher. I was a CPA with a promising career in commerce and industry then but I felt that I wanted something more. Turning a blind eye on the future value of my career in that sector, I pursued the academe. I became a full-time faculty member of the Accountancy department in 2005 and from then on I never left teaching. Just like a new-found love, I enjoyed the honeymoon days, months, and even years in the academe. But this started to fade when it dawned on me that I needed to pursue a PhD. Yes, being a student again!

After several encouragements and bombardments, I yielded and obeyed. I just thought that all I had to do was to switch hats from time to time. I could be a teacher at day and a student at night. It went so well. The terms went by with a steady mix of expected ups and downs. Ups happening during the first three weeks of the term, plateauing weeks after that, and taking its dip as the week of final exams and term paper submission came near. Everything was manageable not until the term where we needed to write our dissertation came. I held and reflected for a while. No, let me rephrase that. I froze, I thought of alibis, and took my “while,” a long while. Running out of reasons, I decided to face it because eventually I still would.

After what I went through, I am glad I took the leap of faith. If I had not, I would not have found that technological innovations would always be sensitive to human dimensions of teamwork and ethical conduct, that full replacement of humans with technology in the workplace would never happen, and that a person who does not use technology could easily be replaced by a person who does. That’s my dissertation.

Indeed, I was able to find nobler intentions as I sought for higher learning. It made me reach the depths of my thoughts and come to terms with my heart. I was transformed not only intellectually but also spiritually. Realizing that, I was able to redefine my sense of purpose and gained a better perspective of God, of others, and of myself. 

(To be continued next week.)
 

Dr. Tugas graduated October 14, 2017 with a degree of Doctor of Philosphy in Business. This was his response, given on behalf of graduating masteral and doctoral students, during the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business Recognition Rites. He is a full-time faculty member of the Accountancy Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. He specializes in Auditing and Assurance, Taxation, and Management of Information Technology courses.  He can be reached at florenz.tugas@dlsu.edu.ph.
 

The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

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