THE 85th anniversary of the Philippine Association of the Colleges and Universities (PACU) gathered together some of the most distinguished educators of the country in the ballroom of the Conrad Hotel. Celebration was in the air not only because at 85 this oldest educational association in the country counts among its ranks major movers and shakers in Philippine education today: Dhanna Kerina Bautista-Rodas, Caroline Enriquez, Anthony Tamayo, Vincent Fabella, Ester Garcia, Michael Alba, Reynaldo Vea, Ma. Christina Padolina, Francisco Benitez, Peter Laurel, Karen de Leon, Guillermo Torres, Jr., and many others. But it was celebrating also because in the recent journey towards the passage into law of the Universal Access for Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA or RA 10931), PACU played the strongest role among the Coordinating Council for Private Educational Associations (Cocopea). A breakthrough in that journey was when the Cocopea officers, quietly arranged by PACU, met with Sen. Ralph Recto and found in him a powerful supporter of the complementarity between public and private education, with private education underscored. It was only fitting then that Senator Recto deliver the celebration’s keynote address on PACU’s 85th.