“What kind of future does the UST Graduate School see for our country? What role will UST PhD graduates play in shaping and realizing that future?” These were the two important questions raised by Prof. Allan B.I. Bernardo, PhD, an academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and a professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Macau, this year’s St. Antoninus of Florence Professorial Lecturer of the UST Graduate School. The lecture was held on
February 10, 2018 at the Thomas Aquinas Research Complex Auditorium, UST, Manila.
Attended by Graduate School faculty and students, Bernardo’s lecture
delved into the topic: “Evolving practices and standards in PhD education in the global knowledge economy: Inputs for reflection on doctoral education in the Philippines.” The lecture centered on three key arguments: (1) PhD education is crucial for economic, social, and cultural growth of nations, (2) the PhD degree is (and has to be) an international degree; (3) many countries are moving towards common standards for quality assurance of PhD programs. Bernardo emphasized that doctoral degree programs play a particular role in developing human resources for innovation and for dealing with complex problems and opportunities that face countries.
Bernardo has published over 200 articles in psychology, education and other social and medical sciences.
He is the current editor of Asian Journal of Social Psychology, an SSCI and Scopus listed journal published by Wiley.
The St. Antoninus Professorial Lecture is an annual event held as a way of honoring the Graduate School’s patron saint, St. Antoninus of Florence. Previous lecturers include, among others, H.E. Diosdado Macapagal (1991),
Hon. Chief Justice Andres R. Narvasa (1998), Hon. Marvic Mario Victor F. Leonen (2014), H.E. Alicia Dela Rosa Bala (2015), Dr. Justo A. Ortiz (2016) and Dr. Margarita R. Cojuangco (2017). This year’s lecture by Prof. Bernardo was made more significant because it is one of the activities outlined for
the 80th founding anniversary of the Graduate School
