NEW YORK CITY: President Benigno S. Aquino III was conferred with the degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, by Fordham, an independent university in the Jesuit tradition that was founded in 1841.
The conferment ceremony was held at 1 p.m., Monday, Sept. 19 at the Keating Hall in the University’s Rose Hill campus, Bronx, New York.
Filipino and Filipino-American students, Filipino community members, Filipino staff members in the United Nations, along with Filipinos and Fil-Ams in the academe, business, media and civil society organizations, Fordham faculty and staff witnessed the conferment.
"We’re all very excited. I mean as soon as we all got the news, we couldn’t believe that the president would be coming here," said Janine Vicente, one of the Filipino students at the university.
"His [President Aquino‘s] presence at Fordham just echoed the excitement of not even just the students but [also] the faculty," Vicente said during an interview done by RTVM. "We are all so excited."
Matthew Novick, also a Filipino student and the president of Fordham University Philippine-American Club (FUPAC) said, it is an "incredible opportunity" for them to see him.
Before the conferment rites, the President was escorted to the building step named after his mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, who was also conferred an honorary degree in September 1986 by Fordham.
The names of over 30 world leaders conferred honorary doctorate degrees are carved on the steps of the "Terrace of the Presidents" at Keating Hall as part of Fordham tradition. The President’s name will be carved next to that of his mother. /MP
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