Three National Artists, three National Scientists, a former UP President, former chancellors of UP Baguio, UP Visayas, and UP Open University, and over 40 UP Professors Emeriti issued late Wednesday evening a statement supporting the candidacy of Dr. Fidel Nemenzo for the UP presidency.
“It is our most informed and judicious view,” declares the statement, “that, among the current aspirants for UP President, only UP Diliman Chancellor FIDEL R. NEMENZO fulfills all of our criteria for an ideal and exemplary academic leader.”
The signatories are well-respected, highly accomplished members of the Philippines’ academic, artistic, and scientific communities. They come from a diverse range of disciplines and UP campuses, such as Baguio, Cebu, Diliman, Los Baños, Manila, Visayas and Open University.
Growing up in UP and coming from a family of academics, Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, a mathematician, rose through the ranks, from instructor to professor, and eventually became chancellor of UP Diliman in March 2020.
National Artists and National Scientists have made “significant contributions to the arts and letters,” and to science and technology, respectively.
Two signatories are “Academicians,” a label that refers to membership in the prestigious National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).
“Professor Emeritus” is a title conferred on select retired faculty members for their “exceptional achievement and exemplary service to the University.”
The UP Board of Regents, the university’s highest policy-making body, will vote on the next UP president on 9 December 2022. The other nominees are Patrick Alain T. Azanza; Salvador B. Belaro, Jr.; Angelo A. Jimenez; Benito M. Pacheco; and Fernando C. Sanchez Jr.