PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

We’ve been online for the past two years, and now are re-opening our campus to welcome youback. Much has happened, even if the campus has been physically silent. We’ve embraced the online environment, faculty have trained hard, and we’ve investment in content and the equipment needed to get you students through what will be the learning classrooms of the future.

To this end, we have converted almost all our classrooms, from Grade 1 to the Graduate School, to hyflex classrooms. Safety continues to be our priority, and these classroom conversions (and the entire campus) and our protocols are of course compliant with the requirements of the Department of Health, the Department of Education, and the Commission on Higher Education.

Hyflex is a style of hybrid learning that allows faculty and students to learn face-to-face (inside the classroom) and online at the same time. Many educators have felt that hyflex is the method of delivery for the future, and we think so too. The COVID pandemic has shown that online learning has its promises and potentials, but so too does traditional face-to-face learning. The best learning environments of the future will need both, in terms of classrooms and teachers ready to run in these environments – and JRU has these for you!

JRU is now a 3-star university, rated by Quacquarelli Symonds, one of the top international raters of quality education, and a sign of the international caliber of a Rizalian education. Few Philippine universities have this accolade, so much that we have been recently recognized by the Commission on Higher Education for this achievement. This sits well with our other quality achievements, including FAAP accreditation for our graduate, college and basic education programs, ISO, autonomous and center of excellence recognition, and students placing in PRC exams.

We’ve also opened the Centennial Building – nine and a half floors of learning at the center of the campus – which we commenced as part of our 100th year celebration in 2019. The top one and a half floors will house a state-of-the-art performance theater that sets 500, which we expect to finish this second semester. The Centennial Building itself houses classrooms, numerous student areas, an expanded eating center, and a re-imagined library on the fifth floor, called the Learning Commons. The Learning Commons is especially worth visiting, as it incorporates an understanding of the library as an information commons (information, in all its forms) – the new international model for libraries. The second floor has a wonderful open area for students looking out on the quadrangle, surely one of the best views in the city.

JRU also welcomes the College of Criminal Justice Education, which houses our Bachelor of Science in Criminology degree. The conversion of criminology from a program to a college is our commitment to this exciting discipline. The College of CJE will complement our other colleges – BAA (Business Administration and Accountancy), CSE (Computer Science and Engineering), NHS (Nursing and the Health Sciences), HTM (Hotel and Tourism Management), and EAS (Education, Arts and Sciences) – each a fantastic home of learning for you, the future leaders of
this country.

The Elementary School, the Junior High School and the Senior High School have also been busy preparing for the reopening. All schools have converted likewise to hyflex, making them probably among the very few nationwide with hyflex capabilities. Our teachers in each school – already known for their experience in expertise in learning – have undergone (and many time, have demanded more!) the specialized training to deliver hyflex learning. This is particularly impressive for the Elementary School, which less than a year ago was a full-fledged mega-vaccination site for the city, part of our continued commitment to fight the virus.

The Law School and the Graduate School equally welcome you. It is never to early to think about what you might do after college, and making a graduate degree (masteral, doctoral, Juris Doctor) part of those plans is a good step. Our graduate programs continue to be excellent – with topshelf accreditations and consistent bar performance surpassing the national averages – and are great homes for the highest levels of education in the country.

The Graduate and Law Schools are primarily online, but face-to-face classes are also available. The main focus on online delivery reflects both faculty recommendations, and the request of many working students who have found our online delivery a great experience.

Lastly, we are introducing a new tagline, “Find Your Inner Hero,” as part of the post-pandemic, next-100 years brand of JRU, “Husay Rizal.” Husay Rizal (composed of Talinong-, Talentong-, Taos Pusong- and Tagag-Rizal challenges) reflects the excellence of our national hero and the University, and challenges our faculty and students to become their best selves – their own heroes – because that is what our communities and society need.

Much is new, and exciting for all of you, returning students and new students! We need to remind everyone that at the core of all these opportunities are the guiding principles of the university: our Mission, our Vision and our Core Values (look them up at jru.edu!). We want the next 100 years to be amazingly better than the last, and we want each of you to take us all there.

I’ll see you at JRU. Mabuhay Rizal!

Vincent K. Fabella