On August 31, 2016, the last day of Aura Matias as Dean of the College of Engineering, she was given a surprise party by friends, colleagues and staff, including past COE Deans Rey Vea, Ega Atanacio, and Rowena Guevara and UP President Fred Pascual. Also on hand at the testimonial were UPAE representatives Lilit Tumbocon, Dante Briones, Nicky Villasenor and Elise del Rosario. UPAE President Levy Espiritu was out of the country, and asked that his message be delivered by Lilit. The message reads:

“I am sorry that I cannot be with you today to bid goodbye to a Dean who has nurtured the UPAE, watered it, and watched it grow. Allow me, as UPAE President, to share a few thoughts about our Dean.

Firstly, we are truly grateful for the unconditional support that Dean Au has given to UPAE all these years. Fully concerned that we have a working organization, the Dean made sure that she attends meetings of the UPAE when her busy schedule allows. It is in these meetings that she discusses various College concerns from which two UPAE projects had been born.

She inspired the UPAE Study Now Pay Later program. With her concern and help extended to the students affected by Typhoon Yolanda, we all woke up to the reality that even without calamities, there are students who need to be assisted with their daily living expenses. She has since been fully supportive of this effort, even campaigning at some of our fund raising fellowship nights.

She initiated the CEO Forum Program which aims to improve the collaboration between the Academe and Industry of which the Alumni will continue to support and develop further for the College of Engineering,the PAE, UPERFDI and the University.

The other project is the internship project for College of Engineering students. She impressed upon us the need for UP graduates to be job-ready and therefore, giving them opportunities to be exposed to the real world. We had since studied how to make internship programs for College of
Engineering students work, through a project that we have included under our Linkages program.

Whenever we ask her to endorse our programs, she willingly does so, with passion. As we say, she has an unwavering passion for her work and compassion for her people.

It is therefore no wonder that we are in full support of her and her various programs. We just wish that we could go forward with having the College have a formal Alumni Affairs Office, which we are talking about right now. But maybe this is for the incoming Dean to think about.

In the meantime, on behalf of the UPAE, I thank you Dean Aura for the close cooperation and coordination that has been shown by your office with ours. We wish you Godspeed on all your future endeavors, which we are sure, will equally be, if not more challenging.”