Finally the beloved PSU-OUS will be celebrating its first (1^st) Alumni Home Coming after its tenth (10^th) year anniversary, to boot. It is both intriguing and exciting to initiate a celebration worth remembering since this is the first time the alumni of the PSU OUS will be formally gathering together. This will be coupled with lots of activities and fellowship, as she goes back down memory lanes. It is intriguing because the meaning and reason for the gathering will be infused, for it to be attractive. It is exciting because, finally, she has arrived and has formed an association, for everyone to be heard, where everyone can now feel that sense of belonging.

What is the real concept of an Open University Systems? The activity of the Open University Systems (the Third Age, as they call it in Europe) is based on the principle that, in view of the geometric population explosion coupled with the growing awareness of the extreme need for continuing education, an alternative system to provide education on a large scale must be explored. In the third world countries this need becomes more urgent to avail of this opportunity for career advancement or change earlier in life as the conventional educational methods are becoming increasingly expensive. It must be emphasized, however, that in the OUS the previous achievements of the open learners must be recognized through credit transfers. The end effect of all these exercises is to effect development or a process of structural change in the economic, political, social and cultural, and moral domains, with people or the society is the primary and ultimate focus. National development is a broader objective. Education is a crucial aspect of development.

The key word in the OUS is distance learning, is a lifelong learning even after the productive working career is over. We are at an age of rapidly changing environment that poses tremendous challenges among each level of human existence in our journey to the dynamic human evolution. Continuous learning and self development is the by- word for all ages and ranks. Productivity, creativity, and innovation are life long concerns if only to find a meaning in the membership to society with a battle cry of "Social Responsibility" to the future learners. The elements of distance learning presuppose the separation of the teacher and learner as opposed to the conventional face-to-face teaching or private study under the influence of the educational institution. To achieve this method, technical and IT systems and two way communications must be employed to ensure the cohesion of the distance learner from the teacher and initiate dialogue. Occasional meetings are necessary for both didactic and socialization processes so as to participate in an industrialized form of education.

The OUS is concerned with academic education, a lifelong and continuing learning process, even at advanced age brackets. While studying is the key element, credits are not the end objective. Here the learners continue to pursue knowledge, both individually and vicariously, under the guidance of the wizened, dedicated, and highly qualified professors. The objective is to widen one?s horizon, to enlarge the scope of thinking, develop one?s personality, along with the tools to comprehend the outside world beyond self.

Cooperative planning is corollary to the OUS function. At the OUS academic freedom is exercised and practiced as the students are part of the total planning, to include even curriculum planning. To a certain extent the students get involved in the future planning of the university to allow those who may not have achieved credits in their younger lives but are qualified, through their varied experiences in their career, even if their age bracket may be far advanced. Adult education has never been emphasized except in an Open University System. But academic freedom cannot be interpreted in one's point of view only. It must have the spirit of social responsibility since one?s rights end where the rights of society, as a whole, begin. Freedom is not an open ended right.

Perhaps some important questions and challenges may be posed so that a solid starting point to make the rest of our lives, as graduates of PSU-OUS, more challenging, meaningful, productive, innovative, and generous to the rest of humanity. It is not what we get, but what we can give with our overflowing knowledge and experiences that must be shared. This is what society is all about.

"Damaged culture" and "the sick man of Asia" are now used, globally, to describe the Philippine situation today. These phrases interpose so many nuances in the thinking of the educated Filipinos today that need a lot of soul searching and brainstorming. In my younger years at the Ateneo campus, my professors and classmates never used such phrases nor discussed the negative aspect of the Filipino life. At that time (some fifty years ago) the Philippines was "an economic tiger of Asia" with its first airline, productive agriculture and humble accommodating culture. In many of the discussions I have attended among the philosophy graduates and professors, many answers and responses were given but no definitive answers were given with finality and conviction.

Further analysis shows different views, depending on the background and experiences of the proponents. It is evident however, that the crisis started only after the EDSA Revolution which has created a new culture. Without in depth consideration, many will agree that the real root of the problem or crisis of the Filipinos in the past three decades is moral in nature. The academic community, both private and public, was well aware of the root of the decline in morals and values of the Filipino people. In fact, after the People Power Revolution in 1986, the academic communities started reviewing the curriculum with infusion and emphasis on morals and values. Obviously, every one was aware that it is proper education of the young and old that could soften or ultimately solve the current crisis.

With the seriousness of the problem felt today in the midst of poverty, war, drug menace, widespread corruption both in government and private sectors, one can only hope for the better or utter a sigh of despair. It is indeed, a long process of social transformation, of value recovery, formation or transformation to overcome these. To start anew, we should identify clearly the hopes of our current culture and the values upon which they are built. These need a strong commitment to values essential for change. Improved quality of life of our Filipino people is the prime concern. But then it may be added, peace, social justice, economic self-sufficiency and patriotism leave much to be desired. This is the challenge posed upon all the alumni of PSU-OUS, and to the university, as a whole.

Moral recovery is an ambitious desire but we have to start in our effort to bring education to the forefront aligned with proper values. "Bahala na" is a common by-word but it can either be used as "self reliance" or "risk taking" for creativity and considered as a value. Or it can open the way to resignation and apathy, which is a disvalue. It is surprising that we even term and classify poverty as a "culture of poverty". This value ambivalence seems to be deeply inherent among many Filipinos, slowly eroding the very foundation of our positive choices necessary for both personal and national resurgence. Indeed, both cultures and values are so intertwined that one cannot subsist and be understood in the Philippine scene without the other.

We have to open the Pandora's box of the individual lives and experiences of the students and graduates of PSU-OUS to relate and align their own interpretation and understanding of life to the universal truth and the new awareness to open up the positive potentialities based on other disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, physics, sociology, and social sciences. All these disciplines are a must if they have to transcend the dimension of human life so as to fully comprehend and develop that sense of values and commitment to humanity. It sounds like a broken record as Fr. Joseph Roche, S.J., a metaphysics professor in the mid 60's, continuously blurt this concept. But, again, the truth is both universal and timeless. Aristotle's philosophy, some 2,500 years ago, is still used and quoted up to this new millennium. Here is where this issue may be considered as sensitive in the confines of our university and I, hereby, invoke my academic freedom, with due respect to the past and current administrations. The discipline mentioned above may not have been given due emphasis in our curriculum up to now. Philosophy will bring a different level of understanding to comprehend the meaning of life, values, and culture inherent in the search for the truth, the good, and the beautiful, happiness, and wisdom vs. knowledge. It is not only knowing the philosophy of value but, more importantly knowing the value of philosophy in our academic life at PSU. Our research and extension services have started to fade out some eight years ago, according to reliable sources, and yet these disciplines are the very qualifications to maintain the university status.

At the PSU-OUS, the start was dramatic. An international agency and some national agencies shared and supported the birth and growth of this institution. Funds from various sources supported the OUS critical programs for national development. The strategy was mostly partnerships with these international, national, and local agencies, and a few private sector organizations. As we celebrate this 10th year anniversary, the strategy is slowly shifting back to the traditional learning systems. So it seems. Quo vadis, PSU-OUS?

So, dear co-alumni, welcome to this new realization of the need to redirect our strategies and revisit our strengths in the open learning systems, living up to the original spirit of the PSU-Open University Systems. Let us look back and redefine our morals, values, and culture as our legacy to the generations to come in tandem with the exploding universe and rapidly surging human evolution. As our modest participation let us, together, join hands in building a people and building a nation, diverse but one, as part of our moral recovery program through the open learning systems.

Eladio A. Guevarra, Ed.D.
President, PSU-OUS Alumni Association
(I welcome interaction to learn from each other?s valuable experiences. Let's go IT.
My e-mail address is eladioguevarra@yahoo.com. Cell phone 0918-905-7421)