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Eleazar gives keynote address at Isabela State U's 30th Commencement Exercises
by Miko Jazmine J. Mojica

Eleazar delivers his keynote address to the 399 ISU graduates.

"Graduation is one of the great milestones in life.”

Thus stated BAR Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar at the 30th Commencement Exercises of the Isabela State University (ISU) at Andaya Student Multipurpose Center, Cabagan Campus on 9 April 2008, as the event's commencement speaker.

ISU was founded in 1978 and is mandated to provide advanced instruction in agriculture, natural and applied sciences and technology. The University is also tasked to engage in research and seek new technologies, promote sustainable development, and generate new knowledge in other professions. It has a wide offering of courses both in the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Exactly 399 graduates from ISU's Cabagan Campus, including those in the secondary, undergraduate, and graduate levels, were motivated by Director Eleazar towards taking a proactive stance in building their career paths during his keynote address.

Out of the graduates, 55 finished agriculture and agriculture-related courses, according to Ms. Melanie dela Cruz of the Office of the Registrar.

Eleazar recognized that Isabela, dubbed as the “Rice Granary of the North has a lot to answer for and contribute to the rice production in the country, being the biggest province in the Cagayan Valley Region.”

“Agriculture being the major industry of the people of Isabela, farming has gone a notch higher with its highly mechanized production. And with the presence of ISU, joint ventures and other foreign-assisted projects have become more viable in contributing to the high productivity in agriculture. I challenge you…to be part of this mission of a modernized agriculture sector,” Eleazar told the graduates.

BAR has been supporting agriculture R&D programs and projects of ISU for a long time now. The most recent of which is the “Technology Upscaling Program for Sweet Sorghum and Pigeon Pea” with Dr. Romeo R. Quilang, ISU's recently reappointed president, at the helm.

All of ISU's 10 campuses (except Ilagan campus) offer agriculture and agriculture-related courses with its main campus based in Echague. Its other campuses are located in Angadanan, Jones, Cauayan, Roxas, San Mateo, San Mariano, and Palanan.