Former Divinity School Dean Reminisces

by Bishop Erme R. Camba

 

          I was happy to be Field Education Director and later Formation Director, and teaching two other courses when the Divinity School (DS) faculty ask me to make myself available  for the Office of the Dean.

 

Infrastructure

I was already helping my late wife, Henie, who was then DS Alumni President, to rally the Alumni for the renovation Channon Hall.  Earlier, upon the request of Dean Everett Mendoza, President Mervin Misajon returned the DS the administration of Channon Hall.  Channon Hall became my first project as Dean. 

 

Used as classrooms of the Silliman High School, Channon Hall was so dilapidated. Since the Alumni did not have enough funds, I invited my friend from the Church of Westphalia, Germany to visit and give lectures to the Divinity School. I showed him Channon Hall and the Divinity School Village and asked the Church of Westphalia for financial support.

 

We restored Channon Hall to its original architectural design, tiled the first floor and supported Henie’s proposal to create rooms good for two to six students with provision for air conditioning, making Channon Hall one of the top dormitories on the campus. We placed our Divinity School female students in the big rooms and charged them reduced payment and rented the small rooms to non-DS students charging a university rate. Those who wanted air condition we charge extra for electricity. We made Channon Hall a Coop dorm so we added a kitchen, a dining hall and washing area at the back.  Because of the newly renovated dormitory with coop dining, many students from other colleges flock to Channon Hall.  We were always full to capacity.  The Vice President for Finance Nick Fontelo agreed that since we raise the money to restore Channon Hall, all income will go to the Divinity School like before.

 

Channon Hall was back as Divinity School Formation House for Women.  We appointed a pastor as Chaplain, instead of a “Manager.” She was considered staff of DS so she sat with faculty.  However, we continued to have a “notation” on ATESEA Accreditation because we did not have Formation House for Men.

 

When the High School was using Channon Hall Compound, they built a long building with six classrooms beside Channon Hall.  We demolished half of it and the remaining area became the Maquiso Liturgy and Music Center.  We used the extra lumber for the repairs and built the risers in the Chapel of the Evangel.

 

We built steel double decks beds both in Channon Hall and the DS Village and individual back to back study tables like what we had in Woodward Hall when we were students.  Since all the thick wooden tables on Channon Hall yard were gone, we rebuilt them.  Now the University have them back all over the campus.

 

The Divinity School Village also needed so much repairs.  As Dr. Noriel Capulong reports, when our students were taken out of Woodward Hall, DS male students were placed Coop Dorms.  Finally, DS placed them in some houses in the DS Village.  Dean Capulong reports DS built a Dining Hall and Kitchen for coop dining.  Because the common Coop Dining was not successful, the male students were allowed coop dining in their houses. 

 

When I first visited the dining hall, it had become the sleeping quarters of the single men.  It looked like a jail with clothes hanging all over.  I brought President Agustin Pulido there and showed him the sorry state of our male students. When it rained the road between the houses were flooded.  Electric wires hang so low that the children could reach them with sticks.  The sewage from the back which is also university housing passes through the DS village giving foul smell. We repaired the sewage system, re-organized the electric wires on new steel posts and filled up the road. We transferred the beds from the dining hall to the houses and the hall became again a place for common worship, meetings and conferences. 

 

Our student, the late Nestor Vanguardia, was a very efficient construction supervisor who assisted me in the reconstruction of the village houses.  He supervised the building of the four room graduate student housing, now called the Dia House.  The money came from the Rev. Gregorio Gonzales (BTh 1949) who requested that the house be named after Bishop Leonardo Dia.  It must be noted that Rev. Gonzales also donated P100,000.00 endowment for scholarship.  He donated their Duran House and lot in a far barangay in Dauin, but the relatives reclaimed it.

 

Nestor and I planned to build a men’s dormitory on the other side of the dining hall.  But instead of putting up that building, I wrote President Pulido several times to return Woodward Hall administration to DS. We never got a positive response from the University.  So I asked President Pulido if we can build a male formation house at the vacant lot at the end of Woodward Hall, where the organ houses were during our time.  He agreed and visited the area.  I asked our architect who built Shalom Center in Manila to prepare a drawing.  But the building would cost P4,000,000.00 and we had only P1,000,000.00 reserved for the male quarters in the DS Village.  Dr. Pulido promised to raise the P3,000,0000.00.  It never came. 

 

We used the money for other repairs in the McKinley and Rodriguez Halls.  We made the end classroom into Faculty Lounge, tiled it like Channon Hall and build a kitchen on one side.  We connect two faculty rooms as Field Education Office and the end as Stock room. 

 

In Rodriguez Hall, we re-organized the DS Offices and placed the Office of the Dean at the end for privacy in counseling with students and Deans visitors, It was also for small committee meetings.  We transferred the office of Grace Tabada to the renovated Maquiso Liturgy and Music Hall and closed the bookstore.  We rebuilt the toilets in the Rodriguez Hall and added two toilets for faculty.  Rodriguez Hall was designated as Student Lounge and common study area.  One room on the second floor became the Alumni Office.  The end room became the stock room for files.  We repaired the air condition in the Recording Studio, repaired all the equipment and put air conditioning in the Conference Room. 

 

We tried to reclaim our Faculty Homes.  Finally, we got two houses in Bantayan Silliman Park, had them repaired for expatriate faculty.  I did not occupy the designated Dean’s House on campus.  When Dean Mendoza’s family vacated the house, we had it repaired and placed our Indonesian faculty there. We were not able to get back the Elwood and McKinley houses. 

 

With Mr. Bokingo, we planted mangoes in the Elena Maquiso lot in Bundo from the grant of United Evangelical Mission.

 

Faculty Development

            Faculty Development is a regular program of the Divinity School, reviewed every five years.  When I became Dean, I followed the ten year faculty development program of Dr. Capulong.  We intensified Faculty Development with an objective to reach a maximum of 80% faculty with doctorates within a period of another ten years. We invited 3 pastors to start the MTh Program while two have just finished M.Th.  By the end of my term all full time faculty members had MTh degrees.  One finished PhD in Systematic Theology.  Two others were enrolled in DTh under the SEAGST. 

 

Men, Women and Expatriate Faculty

            ATESEA required 50% female faculty and not more than 30% expatriate faculty.  By the end of my term, of the 13 full time faculty, only 4 were women (or 30% only). Of the 13 full time faculty, 4 were expatriate (or 30%)  But since some fulltime faculty were doing their doctoral studies, we had to hire part time and adjunct professors.

 

While some of our faculty members were studying, we continued to negotiate for visiting or exchange professors who have PhD or DTh degrees and who were on sabbatical leave, the newly retired, or exchange scholars from partner churches and seminaries.  During my time we had a couple from the United Church Canada, three from the Presbyterian Church in the USA, a couple from the Canadian Mennonite University and a couple from Germany.

 

I started negotiating for South to South faculty exchange. I invited a friend from Africa but he became a staff in Wuppertal. I tried negotiating through UEM a person who was in African music but I failed.  Finally we succeeded to bring two professors in New Testament from Indonesia, one after each other.  I am happy that we now have professors from Tanzania, Africa.

 

Peace Resource Center

            The Silliman Board of Trustees, upon the recommendation of Bishop Larry Gomez, mandated the Divinity School to organize a “Center for Peace, Reconciliation and Conflict Resolution.”  It took two years before we finally organized the Center, renaming it “Peace Resource Center” with Professor Rebecca Capulong of the Religion and Philosophy Department and who trained in Conflict Resolution became the Coordinator. Wendy Kroeker who was a trainer was in the staff.  The Office was in Hibbard Hall.

 

            The Center spearheaded the Peace celebration every September.  The Conflict Resolution Training Program expanded even outside the University.  We tried to find a person to go on a Master’s degree to take over the Center and for the University to offer a degree on Conflict Resolution.  Eventually Al Fuertes, one of pastors of Silliman Church, went to the US for training and obtained a doctorate but he did not come back.

 

Finally, not during my time, Myraluz Waddington got a scholarship from UEM and obtained a doctoral degree.  She is now the Coordinator Peace Degree Program under Department of Religion.  Later the office of the Peace Resource Center was transferred to the McKinley Hall.

 

Department of Religion and Philosophy

            Originally, the Bible courses were offered by the Silliman Bible Institute which became the College of Theology.  I learned that the Divinity School must be consulted on the hiring of religion teachers in all levels when the High School Principal consulted me.  Dr. Douglas Elwood was teaching bible courses in college and he recommended to merge Religion and Philosophy under the College of Arts and Science.

 

            The Department of Religion and Philosophy could not offer a degree on Philosophy.  The Divinity School wanted a degree on Teaching Religion.  So I recommended to the University Academic Affairs Council to separate the two: the Department of Philosophy under Arts and Sciences and the Department of Religion under the Divinity School.  Dr. Pulido recommended this to the Board of Trustees but he forgot to include in the recommendation of placing the Department of Religion with the Divinity School.  So the two Departments continued with the Arts and Sciences, until recently.

           

Recognition of Divinity School Degrees

            I consider the recognition of the DS degrees by the Department of Education as accidental because we did not make a formal application.  Even when the College of Theology became one of the colleges of the University, the DS degrees had no government recognition.   We had problems with foreign students who wanted their degree from DS to be certified under the Philippine Department of Education.  So we asked the Registrar what to do.  The Registrar wrote the Department of Education and got back a letter saying our degrees are recognized.  We were not anymore asked to submit documents.  So now our BTh can be used as a basic degree for enrollment in any master degree.  The problem is that from then on our students must follow all requirements of the Department.  For example, our students cannot anymore graduate without ROTC or its equivalent.  And we cannot easily change our curriculum.

 

Off Campus Program in Cagayan de Oro

            We started an Off Campus ladderized degree program in Cagayan de Oro City to respond to the demand of the churches to provide theological training to professionals who cannot leave their work.  It was approved by the University Academic Council and the Board of Trustees. After one group completed the starting Certificate in Ministry, we had to stop the Program.  We had Field Education problem and it was difficult for Faculty to travel every month to teach there.

 

The Ecumenical Fellowship

            When I came back to Dumaguete, I revived the idea of ecumenical relations that Dr. Lauby started many years before.  With Fr. Eric Lozada of the Roman Catholic Church and Bishop Ga of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) we organized the Ecumenical Fellowship in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental.  The Core Group used to meet at the DS Dean’s Office.  The Divinity School, therefore, pioneered again the ecumenical group of clergy, nuns, and lay members from the Roman Catholic Church, the Philippine Independent Church, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines (UUCP) and the Methodist Church. The ecumenical fellowship became one of the means by which our own students became exposed to the wider circle of the ecumenical community.  Students of Roman Catholic St. Joseph Seminary have a regular fellowship meeting.

 

The UCCP Archives

            I recommended to the UCCP National Council to organize the UCCP Archives and have it located in Silliman University. Negotiations were made and a Memorandum of Agreement was signed with Dr. Pulido.  Dr. Pulido put up a sign board on the UCCP Archives. Sam Gregorio was appointed by the UCCP.  He started an office in the University Library.  He worked on a Manual of developing the UCCP Archives. The Library set aside an area for the UCCP Archives.  But UCCP was too slow in setting it up.  The University finally removed the signboard.  We waited for a UCCP person in Silliman to become an archivist. Now we have Arnel Faller.

 

The UCCP Hymnal Project

            I recommended to the UCCP to publish our own UCCP Hymnal and offered our Liturgy and Music Center to host it.  We asked Grace Tabada to have the UCCP Hymnal as a project of the Liturgy and Music Center.  Finally she became full staff of the Hymnal Project. UCCP obtained grants from partners to support the Project.  Sally Villagante was appointed Chair of the Committee with DS faculty as members. 

 

The UCCP Hymnal was finally completed and named “Hymnal of a Faith Journey.” The hymnal contained 50% original Filipino and Asian compositions.  I suggested we retaining the original language of the hymns with the English translations. The hymnal was launched during the UCCP General Assembly in 2002.  The plan was to publish translations in major Philippine languages.  We have now hymnals published in three languages,  

 

Publications

            Among books launched during DS Church Workers Convocation, the following written by DS faculty or in collaboration with the Divinity School were:

Levi Oracion: God With Us: Reflections on the Theology of Struggle in the  

                        Philippines,  Silliman University Divinity School, 2001.

Proceso Udarbe: Biblical Foundations of the Faith, Silliman University Divinity  

School, 2002.

Noriel C. Capulong: Reading and Hearing: The Old Testament in Philippine

Context, New Day Publishers, 2003

            UCCP Hymnal Committee: Hymnal of A Faith Journey, United Church of Christ in  

the Philippines in cooperation with SU Divinity School), 2003

            UCCP Hymnal Committee: Alawiton Sa Panaw Sa Pagtuo (Hymnal of a Faith Journey,

Cebuano Translation, United Church of Christ in the Philippines in cooperation with SU Divinity School), 2003

 

We celebrated the Protestant Centennial and UCCP Golden Anniversary in 1998 with a series of monthly lectures on Protestant Reformed Tradition.  The six lectures were published exclusively in one Volume of the Silliman Journal (Vol. 41, No,1, January-June,2000).

 

The Mack Endowment Fund

            The College of Theology used to offer a BTh in Radio Ministry in partnership with Radio DYSR.  Bill Sitoy and I took courses in radio announcing during our time.  Remembering Dr. Henry Mack who founded and directed DYSR for many years, I started communications with Mrs. Margaret Mack and her daughter Patricia on the situation of Camp Seasite and Radio DYSR.  I suggested to set up an Endowment Fund in the name of Henry and Margaret Mack.  Pat started sending some dollar checks to the Divinity School and encourage her brother and friends to do the same.

 

Patricia wanted the Fund for the Camp Seasite development; Mrs. Mack wanted it for scholarship for seminary students or pastors who will take up Christian Mass Communication. It was finally decided that the proceeds be divided 50% for Divinity School Scholarship in Christian Communication and 50% will for repairs and maintenance of Camp Seasite.  Mrs. Mack included in her Will 3/16 of her remaining estate be sent to the Divinity School for the Endowment Fund. When Mrs. Mack died the amount of US$77,693.11 was sent to Silliman University for the Henry and Margarett Mack Endowment Fund.  This was added to the amounts sent earlier.  The Endowment Fund is in the care of the University.  Only 80% will be divided between the DS and Camp Seasite and 20% is plowed back to the Capital.

 

Concluding Word

            I took one semester leave from the Dean’s Office to accept the invitation of the United Church of Canada to be a Visiting Professor at Emmanuel College of the University of Victoria, University of Toronto. I thank Dr. Noriel Capulong for being OIC Dean in my absence.  My term as Dean ended in 2002, but I was asked to stay for another year until a new dean was appointed.

 

            I thank God and the Silliman University for the privilege of serving as Dean of the Divinity School for 6 years.  Thank you, too, my colleagues in seminary teaching.  It had been a very meaningful ministry for me to serve in the formation of church workers of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines as well as ecumenical organizations in other countries. 

 

Greetings to all alumni of the Divinity School.  

 

Blessings to our DS Centennial Celebration.