The University of Santo Tomas, through the UST Research and Endowment Foundation Inc. (UST-REFI), formalized its partnership with the DivinaLaw Foundation Inc. to pave the way for scholarship grants for academic staff of the Faculty of Civil Law. This was formalized in a Memorandum of Agreement signed on April 8, 2024 at the Rector’s Hall.
The agreement was signed by Rector Very Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., PhD, DivinaLaw Foundation, Inc.’s Founder Atty. Nilo T. Divina, JD. Serving as witnesses were UST Graduate School of Law Dean Jacqueline O. Lopez-Kaw, DCL and DivinaLaw Foundation, Inc. Corporate Secretary Atty. Lean Jeff M. Magsombol.
With the support of the DivinaLaw Foundation, this partnership aims to provide scholarship opportunities to faculty members and those wanting to explore the Master of Laws and Doctor of Civil Law programs offered by the UST Graduate School of Law. Likewise, this scholarship program will cultivate the next generation of Thomasian legal scholars, advocates, and leaders.
For the Rector, the scholarship program is pivotal to the University’s commitment to fostering academic excellence, advancing faculty development, and creating an environment where knowledge is actively utilized to address real-world challenges. “The University’s mission as an institution of higher learning is geared toward generation, advancement, integration, dissemination, and the application of knowledge,” fr. Ang said.
Dean Divina, who has been leading the Faculty of Civil Law since 2009, said, “To attract the best, you have to offer the best.” Thus, this partnership is their contribution to the University’s cause. “This scholarship program represents our unwavering belief in the transformative power of education. It is our way of saying we are committed to adjusting standards and raising the bar,” Divina said.
According to Dean Kaw, the scholarship grants are more than just faculty development programs. “They are investments not only to the individual aspirations of the deserving candidates but also to the advancement of the legal profession,” Dean Kaw said.
