UNO-R Core Values, Logo, and Religious Administrators

Core Concepts and Definitions

  • Core Values (General Definition)

    • Traits, principles, or qualities representing an individual’s or an organization’s highest priorities and deeply-held beliefs.

    • Act as fundamental driving forces; the “heart” of what a community stands for.

    • Source reference: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/core-values-are-what-you-believe

Augustinian Foundational Values

  • Three Pillars of Augustinian Education (Baker, 2016)

    • Unitas – Unity

    • Veritas – Truth

    • Caritas – Love

  • Significance: These three concepts frame all subsequent Augustinian-inspired charisms, educational aims, and community expectations.

Expanded Augustinian–Recollec

  • Interiority

    • Maxim: “Do not scatter outside. Enter into yourself because truth dwells in the interior man.”

    • Calls for self-reflection, inward search for God, personal honesty.

  • Truth

    • Maxim: “The voice of truth does not keep silent, the lips do not move, but it yells to the heart.”

    • Emphasizes interior conviction over external display.

  • Freedom

    • Maxim: “True freedom is living not as slaves under the law, but as free persons under grace.”

    • Highlights responsible liberty rooted in grace, not mere license.

  • Community / Common Good

    • Maxim: “The common good first before one’s own and not one’s own before the common good.”

    • Grounding principle for social ethics and institutional decision-making.

  • Friendship

    • Maxim: “To love and be loved is the most important thing for me.”

    • Encourages authentic relationality; echoes the Augustinian stress on communal search for God.

  • Solidarity & Justice

    • Maxim: “It would be better if nobody would feel hungry and thus you would not give somebody something.”

    • Pushes the community to create structures that prevent deprivation rather than simply offering charity after the fact.

UNO-R Core Values (Mnemonic: “SMILE PLE”)

(Simple Service and community; Marian; Interiority; Love; Excellence; Peace, Justice)

1. Service

  • Desired sub-values:
    • Solidarity
    • Genuine commitment
    • Responsibility
    • Passion & zeal

  • Goal: Form a humble, generous community aimed at the common good in concrete action.

2. Community Life

  • Desired sub-values:
    • Other-centeredness
    • Family spirit
    • Reciprocity
    • “Unity in diversity”
    • Sense of belonging

  • Vision: UNO-R as a “seedbed of people for others,” equipping members for vocation, profession, and mission in harmony with all.

3. Interiority

  • Desired sub-values:
    • Contemplation
    • Interior silence
    • Prayer
    • Truthfulness
    • Communion

  • Process: Constant search for truth by “returning unto itself,” rediscovering Christ, and recognizing Him in each member.

4. Marian Dimension

  • Desired sub-values:
    • Openness
    • Sensitivity to others’ needs
    • Selflessness
    • Witnessing
    • Obedience

  • Model: Mary under the title “Our Lady of Consolation,” first disciple who listens to God’s Word and bears fruit through perseverance.

5. Moral Integrity

  • Desired sub-values:
    • Uprightness
    • Transparency
    • Honesty
    • Conscientiousness
    • Justice
    • Decency

  • Orientation: Living a Gospel-based life across personal and institutional spheres.

6. Peace & Justice

  • Desired competencies:
    • Valuing justice
    • Peace & harmony
    • Care for nature and resources

  • Commitment: Give what is due, uphold fairness and lawfulness for unity.

7. Love

  • Desired sub-values:
    • Acceptance
    • Commitment
    • Empathy
    • Forgiveness
    • Respect
    • Trust

  • Goal: Build a community so rooted in love of God and neighbor that people desire to belong.

8. Passion for Excellence

  • Desired sub-values/skills:
    • Proficiency
    • Love of knowledge
    • Vision
    • Patience
    • Humility to learn

  • Aim: Couple academic mastery with Christian charity, ensuring excellence serves love.

University of Negros Occidental–Recoletos (UNO-R) Logo

Central Theological Symbols

  • Heart – Love of God for humanity; God at the center of human existence.

  • Arrow Piercing the Heart – The Word of God impacting and directing human life (cf. Romans 13:13−1413{:}13{-}14).

  • Flame – Human restlessness and perpetual hunger for God (Augustinian “inquietum est cor nostrum”).

  • Book – Sacred Scriptures and official teachings of the Catholic Church.

Augustinian–Recollect & Institutional Symbols

  • Star (Star of Tolentino) – Honors St. Nicholas of Tolentino, University Patron Saint; also guides the academic community.

  • Eagle – Symbolizes the bold spirit of UNO-Rians to “soar” toward their dreams; alludes to the loftiness and enduring relevance of St. Augustine’s theology.

  • Color Palette • Blue – Tranquility of mind & compassion of heart (Caritas). • Gold – Quality education & academic excellence (Scientia).

    • St. Augustine’s quote: “Let knowledge be used as a kind of scaffolding to help build the edifice of love and understanding which shall endure even after knowledge itself shall be destroyed.” (Epistolae 55, 21, 39)

  • Sugarcanes
    • Represents the Negros sugar industry.
    • Purple Sugarcane (“Negros Purple”) – Cultivar propagated by Fr. Fernando Cuenca, pioneer of the regional sugar industry.
    • Green Sugarcane – Broader reference to the province’s agricultural heritage.

Integrative Challenge

  • The collective imagery urges every UNO-Rian to emulate St. Augustine:
    • Return to the heart.
    • Listen to God’s Word.
    • Find refuge in the Church’s teachings.

  • All university dimensions—moral, religious, organizational, pedagogical—draw inspiration from the Augustinian theme Caritas et Scientia (Love and Knowledge).

Patron Saint of UNO-R

  • St. Nicholas of Tolentino

    • Feast: September 10

    • Titles: Patron Saint of UNO-R and of Poor Souls in Purgatory.

    • Embodied in the logo’s star; model of contemplation and charity.

Current Religious Administrators (OAR)

  • Fray Joel Alve, OAR – University President

  • Fray Amadeo Lucero, OAR – Vice-President for Administration & Finance / Director, HRMDO

  • Fray Romeo Ben A. Potencio Jr., OAR – Vice-President for Academics & Research / Director of Basic Education

  • Fray Jose Alden B. Alipin, OAR – Vice-President for Identity and Mission / NSTP Director / Director of Scholarships

  • Fray Cristituto A. Palomar, OAR – Director, Religious Education Department & Campus Ministry Office

  • Fray Samuel Eyas, OAR – Property Administrator

  • Fray Joaquin Jamelo, OAR – Coordinator for Security

Logical & Ethical Connections

  • Core values echo the original Augustinian triad (Unitas, Veritas, Caritas) but contextualize them for present-day university life.

  • The university’s commitment to social issues (solidarity, justice, environmental stewardship) translates theological ideals into practical, community-oriented ethics.

  • Marian spirituality complements Augustinian interiority: attentive listening, obedience, and active service.

  • The logo serves as a daily visual catechesis, reminding stakeholders of both academic mission (Scientia) and evangelical charity (Caritas).

Practical Implications for Students & Staff

  • Daily decisions—academic, administrative, personal—should be filtered through the eight UNO-R core values.

  • Engagement in campus ministry, outreach, and scholarly pursuit becomes a lived response to “Caritas et Scientia.”

  • Excellence is pursued not for self-promotion but as a scaffolding toward lasting love and understanding.

  • Administrators’ roles indicate an integrated governance model combining spirituality, pedagogy, and social responsibility.