Feature story by Ms. LYSETTE NARSHAL-SANDOVAL

The 19th University of the Philippines President, Prof. Emerlinda R. Roman, will be the Commencement Speaker during the UP Mindanao 13th Commencement Exercises on April 21.

President Roman, the first woman president of UP, believed that women could do as much for our country as men. But more importantly she believed that it is education that pushes women to become equal with men. Education will change the seemingly unequal rights of men and women in society. According to her, "For women to be truly equal to men, we need structural changes. More importantly, we need attitude changes. And we are all aware that attitudes can only be changed through education, and that education begins in the home."

Perhaps, nobody better could have been honed for the position of UP President than Prof. Emerlinda Ramos Roman. She started to build her dreams in UP when she was in her teens in UP Rural High School in Los Banos, continued her career with the university taking up Agricultural Economics as her undergraduate degree and pursued further studies perfecting her every step. It was as if fate was molding her to be who she is now.

Having been appointed as the first woman President of the University of the Philippines in February 10, 2005 and the centennial president at that, Prof. Emerlinda R. Roman has always shown how dedicated she is in weaving her dreams for the betterment of the university. She took her undergraduate degree in Agriculture in 1972 from the University of The Philippines Los Banos. This true daughter of the university has worked her way up to the top.

Prof. Roman and her professional career began when she moved to Diliman to take up her MBA while working as an instructor at the College of Business Administration (CBA). During her stay, she also occupied several positions in the CBA such as college secretary, student relations officer and director of undergraduate studies.

She stepped out of her college and continued to serve the university in several other positions. She was chosen as Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1991 and again in two consecutive terms in 1999-2005. It was in those years that she had learned to love the university and perhaps it was when she started to build her dreams for the university. As she led the biggest maybe even the most challenging campus among UP units with ease and determination, she was able to push UP Diliman at the forefront of quality education keeping it stable in the midst of changing times.
Prof. Emerlinda Roman had the passion to enhance education to achieve excellence. At the end of her term as chancellor of UP in Diliman, she has held several other positions. In 1995, she sat as the Faculty Regent in the Board of Regents. Prof. Emerlinda Roman also worked as Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents in 1988 and Vice President for Administration of the UP System in 1990.

Prof. Roman also headed several committees that say a lot about how involved she was not only in the classroom but in the other aspects of the university as well. She headed the Committee on Faculty Welfare, Conduct and Discipline from 1996-1999 and the Committee to Study Guidelines for Dealing with Intellectual Dishonesty Cases in 1995.

Prof. Emerlinda Roman has edited several management related publications, did extensive research works, co-authored and co-edited a number of papers on Business Administration and Management. She authored a chapter in the book, Managing a Modern University in the Philippines. She also published her own researches like in 2003, Financing Higher Education Trends and Reforms, Political Dynamics in and around Boardrooms and other researches similar to the two given. It is in the products of her contributions to the University can we see how dedicated she is in improving the kind of education the University provides.

All of these administrative positions she has held had molded her into becoming the best person for the position of the University President. Prof. Emerlinda R. Roman, truly a successful figure in the academe.