Press Release

Consul General Melanie Rita B. Diano attended a briefing organized by the University of Chicago for newly-arrived Consuls General on 04 March 2025. Lithuanian Consul General Regimantas Jablonskas and Guatemalan Consul General Rosario Ovando Castro were also present in the said briefing.

University of Chicago’s Assistant Vice President for Global Initiatives & Strategy Katie Hrinyak and Associate Director for Global Initiatives & Strategy Carmen Bello-Gimeno presented the global initiatives of the University and its long-standing partnership with the Chicago Consular Corps, including specific joint programs such as internship programs, their Global CCC Awards, as well as specific collaborative activities with each Consulate.

During the briefing, Consul General Diano broached the possibility of reviving the University of Chicago Philippine Studies Program. The Program was established in 1953 with Fred Eggan as Director and Evett D. Hester as Associate Director, and ended in 1977. The purpose of the Philippine Studies Program was to help “provide the necessary scientific foundation for an adequate understanding of Philippine society and culture, and ... assess the role played by the United States in its development.”END