In scientia veritas, in arte honestas — in science truth, in art honor

(Closing remarks, 2013 Arts Productivity System and Scientific Productivity System joint awarding ceremony, Dec. 17, 2013)

Congratulations to our eight new UP Artists and 27 new UP Scientists who were awarded today. You have joined the ranks of outstanding scholars who have brought pride and honor not only to our University, but to our country as well. For the UP Community, you are models of excellence. The productivity you have achieved in your respective fields will surely inspire younger generations of UP students, faculty members, scientists, researchers, and artists.

Those from outside UP — in our country as well as our neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region — will also look up to you for knowledge, expertise and renewed insight into our humanity through the lens of science and the arts. As I have said before, you, our UP Artists and UP Scientists, serve as proof that UP is indeed taking a lead role in higher education and development, committed to shaping minds that shape the nation. It is through your skills, passion, and foresight that we can achieve our vision of UP as a great university — a great Asian and global institution of learning.

Today, as we bring together UP’s distinguished names in the sciences and the arts, we are somewhat reminded of the perceived, and oftentimes accepted, divide that separate the two domains from each other. In truth, I believe, there is no such separation. There is no demarcation line between the sciences and the arts. This has been demonstrated by our very own scientists, social scientists, and artists who have been working together on many multidisciplinary research and public service projects.

UP’s strength does not come from just one field, one unit or one campus. Our strength comes from the multiplicity of our nature — the fact that we stand upon the outstanding and pioneering achievements of all our units and experts in all our fields, from agriculture to theater and everything in between. We are strong because we are one University, one UP.

UP’s Arts Productivity System and Scientific Productivity System are programs instituted to recognize the critical contribution of each field to the development of the University and the country. My administration will continue to provide incentives to build up our scientific manpower and promote cutting-edge, innovative research that our country needs to develop. At the same time, we will foster a national culture, history, and arts program to encourage a vibrant creative work and performing arts scene in our campuses.

More importantly, we would like to see more collaboration between our artists and scientists and the softening of the lines that seem to keep their fields of expertise in separate boxes.   There is much to learn from each other so as to enrich each other’s work. In the world outside the academe, the union of the arts and sciences is becoming more and more real, as in the fields of industrial design and biomedical science.

In scientia veritas, in arte honestas — in science truth, in art honor. There can be no excellence without truth, and no true service without honor. For UP, an institution built upon the principles of honor and excellence in the service of the Filipino people, science and art are but two parts of a seamless whole.

May you, our UP Artists and UP Scientists, carry on and bear out the truth, honor and excellence that UP stands for.

* * *

To know more about Alfredo E. Pascual and his vision and initiatives for UP, visit www.up.edu.ph. E-mail at [email protected].