Manila, Philippines – Dr. Amado Gabriel Esteban, a University of the Philippines (UP) alumnus, has earned the distinction of being the first Filipino- American and Asian-American to serve as president of the prestigious Seton Hall University, the oldest and largest Catholic university in the state of New Jersey in the United States.
Esteban is the university’s first lay president in a generation. At his investiture last week, Esteban’s Filipino identity was given prominence during the actual ceremony.
The Philippine flag was proudly paraded along with the United States flag and the different colorful banners of Seton Hall University and its various schools and colleges.
Filipino-American students belonging to the Filipino League at Seton Hall proudly sang the Philippine national anthem.
When it was time to give gifts to Esteban, Newark Archbishop John Myers, Seton Hall Board of Trustees chairman and president of the Board of Regents, presented him with a Bible printed in Tagalog.
During the luncheon, the Philippine Chamber Rondalla of New Jersey Inc. played traditional and popular Filipino music.
Esteban was born in the Philippines and earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Master in Business Administration at UP.
As the 20th president of the 155-year-old university, he oversees more than 900 faculty and 1,800 employees and nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
In his investiture address, Esteban disclosed the personal and professional journeys that brought him to Seton Hall University. He challenged the university to continue to “promote understanding of its rich Catholic intellectual tradition and to encourage deepening of faith among the members of the university community.” (Roy C. Mabasa)