University of San Carlos

For the similarly named university in Guatemala, see Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.

Not to be confused with Colegio de San Ildefonso.

University of San Carlos
Unibersidad ng San Carlos
Latin: Universitas Sancti Caroli
Motto	Scientia Virtus Devotio
Motto in English	"Witness to the Word" "Knowledge Valor Piety"
Established	August 1, 1595
Type	Private, Catholic
Chairman	Dr. Conchita L. Manabat
President	Fr. Dionisio M. Miranda, SVD
Location	Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines
Campus	Urban
Nickname	Carolinians, USC Warriors
Website	www.usc.edu.ph

The University of San Carlos is a Roman Catholic university governed by the Society of the Divine Word since 1935 in Cebu City. It offers pre-elementary and basic education as well as undergraduate and graduate courses, and a broad spectrum of academic programs through its eight colleges.

It consists of four campuses in different areas of Metro Cebu – the Main Campus along P. del Rosario St., the Talamban Campus (a.k.a TC – Technological Center) along Gov. M. Cuenco Ave., the North Campus (formerly the Boys High) along Gen. Maxilom Ave., and the South Campus (formerly the Girls High) along corners J. Alcantara St. (P. del Rosario Ext.) and V. Rama Avenue.

History

University of San Carlos in Cebu City.

San Carlos makes the claim of tracing its roots to the Colegio de San Ildefonso founded by the Spanish Jesuits fathers Antonio Sedeno, Pedro Chirino and Antonio Pereira on August 1, 1595. It was closed in 1769 at the expulsion of the Jesuits. In 1783, the initiative of the Bishop Mateo Joaquin de Arevalo opened the Colegio-Seminario de San Carlos. In 1852, the management of the college was entrusted to the Dominican fathers, replaced in 1867 by the Vincentian Fathers then, in 1935, the Societas Verbi Divini or the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). The Second World War led to the interruption of the courses in 1941 because several buildings suffered various amounts of destruction. The buildings reopened as repairs were made over the course of 1945 and 1946. The Colegio de San Carlos was granted its university charter in 1948. The University was named after St. Charles Borromeo.

However, this position is contested by some scholars. According to Fr. Aloysius Cartagenas, a professor at the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos of Cebu, “following Church tradition, the foundation event and date of University of San Carlos should be the decree of Bishop Romualdo Jimeno on 15 May 1867 (turning over the seminary to the Congregation of the Missions) and the first day of classes in the history of what is now USC is 1 July 1867, the day P. Jose Casarramona welcomed the first lay students to attend classes at the Seminario de San Carlos.”^{[citation needed]} Thus, he says that San Carlos cannot claim to have descended from the Colegio de San Ildefonso founded by the Jesuits in 1595, despite taking over the latter’s facilities when the Jesuits were expelled by Spanish authorities in 1769. According to him there is “no visible and clear link” between Colegio de San Ildefonso and USC. San Carlos was specifically for the training of diocesan priests, and it simply took over the facility of the former, a Jesuit central house with an attached day school.

In 1924, San Carlos split into two under a Vatican decree that seminaries should only be for priestly training.^{[citation needed]} In the 1930s, the San Carlos college moved to a different location, P. Del Rosario Street, while the seminary remained at Martires Street. The Society of the Divine Word took over the college in 1935. It became a university in 1948. The seminary, meanwhile, was returned to diocesan control in 1998.

The Second World War saw the closure and occupation of CSC by Japanese troops. And shortly before Liberation, in 1944, bombs from US planes fell on San Carlos, almost reducing the school to rubbles. San Carlos became a university in 1948, three years after it reopened.

Following Communist persecution of the foreign clergy in China in 1949, the University of San Carlos would benefit from the migration of SVD priest-scholars to the Philippines. This accidental émigré culture in USC spawned pioneering research in anthropology, physics, engineering, philosophy, and other fields, here in the Philippines. This would have tremendous impact on the nation’s Post-War reconstruction.

Rapid expansion of the University during the 60s under the leadership of foreign priest-academicians came with the decade’s wave of militant nationalism, which culminated in calls for the Filipinization of the administration of all Catholic schools in the country. In 1970, Fr. Amante Castillo became the first Filipino president of USC.

University Governance

The University of San Carlos (USC) is a non-stock, non-profit Catholic educational institution. It is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees which is vested with the powers of the USC Corporation. The Board elects the President, who is the chief executive officer of the University, and appoints the Vice-Presidents, College Deans, Department Chairs, Directors, Principals, and other major officers of the University Administration.

Attached to the Office of the President are the University Cabinet, the University Chaplain, the Legal Counsel, the Director of the Office of International Linkages, the Director of the Human Resource Management Office, the Coordinator for Information Resource Management, the Presidential Assistant for Planning and Development, and the Assistant to the President for Alumni and External Affairs..

In the exercise of duties and powers, the President is assisted by three Vice-Presidents: The Vice-President for Academic Affairs, the Vice-President for Administration, and the Vice-President for Finance. Together, they constitute the University Cabinet.

Notable alumni

• Sergio Osmeña - Second President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines grandfather of Sen.Serge Osmeña and Rep. Tommy Osmeña.
• Vicente Sotto - Former Senator of the Philippines, the "Father of Cebuano Literature" and grandfather of Sen.Tito Sotto.
• Filemon Sotto - Former Senator of the Philippines and brother of Vicente Sotto.
• Sergio Osmeña III - Also known as Serge Osmeña, Senator of the Philippines.
• Emilio Mario Osmeña - Also known as Lito Osmeña, is the former Governor of Cebu (1988–1992), founder and chairman of PROMDI Party (Probinsya Muna Development Initiative or Provinces First Development Initiative).
• John Henry Osmeña - Also known as Sonny Osmeña. A former Senator of the Philippines.
• Antonio Abad - was a Premio Zobel winner in 1928 and 1929. He was a poet, fictionist, playwright and essayist from Cebu, Philippines.
• Sotero B. Cabahug - Former Secretary of National Defense and Public works and former associate justice.
• Jose Maria Cuenco - He was vicar general of the Cebu Diocese in 1925 and founding parish priest of the city’s Santo Rosario parish in 1933. He became auxiliary bishop of Jaro in 1945. Six years after, he became Jaro Archbishop.
• Mariano Jesús Cuenco - Former Senator of the Philippines (1941–1964). Served as Senate President and Chairman of the Commission on Appointments from 1949 to 1951.
• Hilario Davide, Jr. - Former chief justice of the supreme court. Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, March 2003. He is also the Truth Commissioner of the Philippines.
• Raul del Mar - Former member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. He represented the First District of Cebu City. HE is also the father of Rep. Cutie del Mar.
• Aniano A. Desierto - Former Ombudsman of the Republic of the Philippines.
• Rene Espina - Former Senator of the Philippines.
• Jesus Estanislao - Former secretary of the Department of Finance. He is the recipient of the 2002 International Corporate Governance Network Award (first and only Filipino to receive such award to date) and the Philippine Legion of Honor in 1992. He was the founding Dean (1998) of the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo. He also served as the founding president (1992–1997) of the University of Asia and the Pacific, which grew out of the Center for Research and Communication, of which he was the founding Executive Director (1969–1981).
• Pablo P. Garcia - Incumbent deputy speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. Served as governor of Cebu from 1995 to 2004.
• John L. Gokongwei, Jr. - Filipino industrialist and tycoon; founder of JG Summit Holdings, Inc. (JGSHI) and Chairman Emeritus effective January 1, 2002; #34 of Southeast Asia's 40 Richest (2005)
• James L. Go - Brother of John Gokongwei, Jr. He is the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JG Summit Holdings, Inc. (JGSHI).
• Marcelo Briones Fernan - Former Senator of the Philippines. He is the only Filipino to have served as both Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and as Senate president. Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of San Carlos.
• Ramon Fernandez - Former Philippine Basketball Association player, who bore various nicknames: "The Franchise", "El Presidente" and "Don Ramon" during his playing days. Considered by experts to be the greatest Filipino basketball player of all time.
• Juan Gorordo - First Filipino bishop of Cebu.
• Gregorio Larrazabal - Incumbent Commissioner of the Philippine Commission on Elections.
• Lauro Mumar - Is a former Filipino basketball player and later served as the national team head coach of India and the Philippines. He was one of the greatest Filipino players of his time, playing alongside compatriot legend Carlos Loyzaga. He led the San Carlos College of Cebu City (now the University of San Carlos) to the first post-war Inter-Collegiate basketball championship in 1946.
• Napoleon G. Rama - was a journalist, columnist, a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, and in 1987, became the floor leader of the Constitutional Convention. He was awarded the Premio Zobel in 1992.
• Vicente Rama - Former Senator of the Philippines and former mayor of Cebu City.
• Julius Caesar Herrera, vice-governor of Bohol, 2001 to present.
• Augusto Go - president and founder of the University of Cebu
• Napoleon L. Nazareno - President and CEO of Smart Communications and PLDT
• Manuel Briones - In 1918 he began his political career with election as a member of the House of Representatives , where he for four consecutive legislative sessions until 1931, represented the interests of Cebu
• Alvin N. Garcia - former Mayor and Vice-Mayor of Cebu City
• Ernesto Herrera III - aka Ernest, son of former Senator and Congressman Ernesto Herrera Jr. became town mayor of Bohol.
• Philip Tan - Mayor of Tangub City, Miss. Occ.
• Romeo Jalosjos - one of the producers of the Philippine Film industry and Political Clan in Zamboanga Peninsula.
• Alexis Wayne Valdevia - Chief of Staff of Sen. Miguel Zubiri. Has worked with former senators, Ernesto Herrera Jr., Loren Legarda and Francis Pangilinan. Leading Adviser to Tingog Carolinian Party of the USC-Supreme Student Council.

External links

• Official website