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This article is about the University of the Philippines System. You may be looking for University of the Philippines, Diliman, University of the Philippines, Los Baños, or the other universities of the system. For other meanings, see University of the Philippines (disambiguation).

The Centennial Logo of UP

The University of the Philippines (Filipino: Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) or U.P. or State U is the premiere state university of the Philippines. It was founded in 1908 and is now composed of seven autonomous constituent universities around the country providing tertiary-level education in almost every field from agriculture, medicine, and law, to the natural and social sciences, engineering, creative writing and fine arts.

U.P. is a reputable school for tertiary education and postgraduate studies. Admission alone is very competitive. The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports that more than 70,000 students flock to UP campuses and test centers nationwide to take the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for undergraduate admission. The five-hour test covering Mathematics, Science, language proficiency and reading comprehension is administered in two batches (usually in August), and divided into morning and afternoon shifts. The top 50 qualifiers receive the U.P. Oblation Scholarships.

U.P. is also noted for its highly politicized student leaders who vigorously promote various causes as well as positions on pressing national issues.

The foremost symbol of U.P. is the Oblation. This is a figure of a naked man, arms outstretched and face pointed upwards, symbolizing selfless dedication and service to the nation. It also depicts the desire of new students for knowledge ("clothe me with knowledge").

U.P. has educated many of the country's political and social leaders, economists, lawyers, scientists, engineers, medical doctors, creative artists and entrepreneurs. Several Philippine Presidents have also attended courses in the University either as undergraduates or as postgraduate students.

The constituent universities

At present, the University of the Philippines System (U.P.) is composed of seven constituent universities located in over 10 campuses around the country. U.P. Diliman is the flagship campus of the university and specializes in liberal arts, law, engineering, social sciences, natural sciences, business and economics, and fine arts. U.P. Manila is geared mostly toward the allied medical professions like medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry. It also operates the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). U.P. Los Banos specializes in biotechnology, agriculture, development communication and forestry, while U.P. Visayas concentrates mostly on fisheries and oceanology. The U.P. Open University provides open and distance learning to working students and professionals.

For sporting events, the University of the Philippines is represented by U.P. Diliman in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) while U.P. Los Baños sends athletes to the Region IV (CALABARZON and MIMAROPA) assembly of the State Colleges and Universities Athletics Association (SCUAA) which is now known as the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)-IV Olympics.

Basic education

History

The University of the Philippines was established in 1908 as the American University of the Philippines by an act of the First Philippine Legislature Act No. 1870, otherwise known as the University Charter, specified the function of the University, which is to provide advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences, and arts, and to give professional and technical training. The University began with the College of Fine Arts, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Medicine and Surgery occupying buildings distributed along Padre Faura (Ermita district) and R. Hidalgo (Quiapo district) in Manila as well as a School of Agriculture in Los Baños, Laguna. A few years after, the university opened the College of Law and the College of Engineering in Manila, as well as academic units under the College of Agriculture and Forestry in Los Baños. It became necessary for U.P. to establish more academic programs, as well as to expand its facilities. The Board of Regents approved the need to look for a larger site, and a 493-hectare lot was acquired by the university in Diliman, then a town under the province of Rizal. Construction of the new campus immediately began in 1939.

During World War II, U.P. had to close most of its colleges except the Colleges of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Engineering. Meanwhile, the Japanese Imperial Army occupied two Diliman campus buildings: the College of Liberal Arts Building (now Benitez Hall) and the Colleges of Law and Business Administration Building (now Malcolm Hall). After the war, the new Diliman buildings were devastated. U.P. President Bienvenido Gonzales sought a grant of Php13 million from the US-Philippines War Damage Commission. A massive rehabilitation and construction effort was executed by the university during the post war years. For the first time, an extensive Diliman campus master plan and map were created in 1949. The map created what became visions for Diliman’s expansion projects. More buildings were to be built across the Diliman campus’ landscape: the University Library (Gonzalez Hall), the College of Engineering (Melchor Hall), the Women's Residence Hall (now Kamia Residence Hall), the Conservatory of Music (Abelardo Hall), the Administration Building (Quezon Hall), and the U.P. President's Residence . Most colleges and administration offices were temporarily housed in huts and shelters made of sawali and galvanized iron.

During UP's 40th anniversary in February 1949, central administrative offices of U.P,. were moved from Manila to Diliman together with the transfer of the Oblation. Administrative offices of U.P. and its regional units in Manila, Los Baños, Baguio, and Cebu were all housed in the Diliman campus. General commencement exercises were also held in Diliman for the first time in 1949.

In the 1950s, UP reformulated its approaches to tertiary education by establishing new academic units and degree programs. Another major reform, the General Education (G.E.) Program, was introduced in 1959. The G.E. program became a series of core courses prescribed for all students at the undergraduate level. Most of these courses were being taught at the old College of Liberal Arts. As a result, UP President Vicente Sinco saw fit to reorganize the college into a University College, which would offer the core subjects to be taken during the first two years of the undergraduate program. The College of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, on the other hand, offered major courses in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. During President Sinco's term, more institutes and colleges were established. These institutes and colleges include the Institute of Public Administration (1952), the Statistical Center (1953), the Labor Education Center (now the School of Labor and Industrial Relations, established in 1954), the Asian Studies Institute (now the Asian Center, established in 1955), the Institute of Library Science (1961), and the College of Home Economics (1961).

The administration of Carlos P. Romulo was marked by the founding of the Population Institute, the Law Center and the Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry Training Center in 1964, the Institute of Mass Communications, the College of Business Administration, and the Institute of Planning in 1965, the Computer Center, the Institute for Small-Scale Industries in 1966, the Institute of Social Work and Community Development in 1967 and the Asian Center in 1968.

During the Martial Law period U.P.'s administrators tried to sustain the university's educational priorities and institutional autonomy. At the height of activism in the university, U.P. President Salvador P. Lopez established a system of democratic consultation in which decisions such as promotions and appointments were made through greater participation by the faculty and administrative personnel. Lopez also reorganized U.P. into the U.P. System. In November 1972, the Los Baños campus was the first to be declared an autonomous unit under a chancellor. A Php150 million grant from the national budget boosted UP's Infrastructure Development Program. In Diliman, it funded the construction of buildings for the Colleges of Business Administration and Zoology, the Institute of Small-Scale Industries, the Transport Training Center, and the Coral Laboratory of the Marine Sciences Institute. Kalayaan Residence Hall and housing for low-income employees were also built around this time.

Onofre D. Corpuz declared U.P. Manila, then known as the Health Sciences Center, and U.P. Visayas as autonomous units. At the same time, the Asian Institute of Tourism (AIT) was established in light of the prioritization of tourism as a national industry. New centers for research and degree-granting units such as the Third World Studies Center (1977), Creative Writing Center, National Engineering Center (1978), U.P. Extension Program in San Fernando, Pampanga (1979), which is now in Clark Field, Angeles City, Institute of Islamic Studies (1973), U.P. Film Center, National Center for Transportation Studies (1976) were also established. U.P. celebrated its 75th year 1983.

Edgardo Angara's Diamond Jubilee project raised P80 million which was earmarked for the creation of new professorial chairs and faculty grants. Angara also organized the Management Review Committee (MRC) and the Committee to Review Academic Programs (CRAP) to evaluate and recommend measures for improving university operations. The MRC report led to a wide-ranging reorganization of the U.P. System, the further decentralization of U.P. administration, and the declaration of U.P. Diliman as an autonomous unit on March 23, 1983. U.P. Baguio was then placed under the supervision of U.P. Diliman. Meanwhile, the College of Arts and Sciences also underwent a reorganization to become three separate colleges: the College of Science, the College of Arts and Letters, and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy.

As the flagship university, U.P. Diliman leads the rest of the units in sheer size. On April 26, 1982, it was formally designated as a constituent university, almost a decade after the reorganization. Even if Diliman was the seat of the UP Administration, the campus was not immediately constituted after 1972 although it was administered, along with the Manila units prior to the organization of the Health Sciences Center, as a de facto university.

President Jose Abueva introduced the Socialized Tuition Fee Assistance Program (STFAP) in 1987. Abueva also institutionalized a Filipino language policy within the university. President Emil Javier established the creation of U.P. Mindanao at Silicon Gulf, Southern Mindanao, and the U.P. Open University in 1995. President Francisco Nemenzo’s legacy includes the Revitalized General Education Program (RGEP) and the institutionalization of more incentives for research and creative achievements by U.P, faculty members. President Emerlinda Roman is spearheading a Centennial Campaign Fund envisioned to upgrade the university’s services and facilities in time for U.P.’s 100th year in 2008.

Today, the University of the Philippines is composed of seven constituent universities (U.P. Diliman, U.P. Los Baños, U.P. Manila, U.P. Visayas, U.P. Mindanao, U.P. Baguio, and the U.P. Open University). Altogether, the University of the Philippines System has an aggregate of 48 colleges, more than 53,285 students, 4,135 faculty members and 10,044 non-teaching personnel.

Board of Regents (B.O.R.)

The Board of Regents is the highest decision-making body of the University of the Philippines. It is composed of 12 members.

The Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) serves as the Board's acting chairperson while the President of the University of the Philippines is the vice chairperson. The chairpersons of the Committees of Higher Education of the Senate and the House of Representatives are members of the UP Board of Regents concurrent with their functions as committee chairpersons. The president of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (UPAA) is concurrently serving as the alumni regent concurrent with the functions of his office. Students, represented by the General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC), and faculty members of UP nominate their own representatives- the student regent and the faculty regent, respectively- in the Board of Regents.

The remaining five members of the Board of Regents are nominated into the position by the President of the Philippines.

As of 2006, the members of the U.P.-B.O.R. are as follows:

Honorable Carlito S. Puno, Chairman
Honorable Emerlinda R. Roman, Vice-Chairman
Honorable Juan M. Flavier, Member (Chairman, Senate Committee on Higher Education)
Honorable Cynthia Villar, Member (Chairman, House Committee on Higher Education)
Honorable Jaime S. de los Santos, Member (President, UP Alumni Association)
Honorable Abraham F. Sarmiento, Member
Honorable Nelia T. Gonzalez, Member
Honorable Edmundo M. Varona, Member
Honorable Romulo G. Davide, Member
Honorable Roland G. Simbulan, Member (Faculty Regent)
Honorable Raffy Jones G. Sanchez, Member (Student Regent)

The Secretary of the University and the Board of Regents is Dr. Lourdes E. Abadingo, professor of Political Science in the Department of Social Sciences at U.P. Manila.

Officers of the University of the Philippines System

As of October 2006, the officers of the University of the Philippines System are as follows:

Dr. Emerlinda R. Román - President
Dr. Amelia P. Guevara - Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Ma. Concepción P. Alfiler - Vice President for Planning and Finance
Prof. Martin V. Gregorio - Vice President for Administration
Prof. Ruperto Pascual Alonzo - Vice President for Development
Prof. Cristina P. Hidalgo - Vice President for Public Affairs
Atty. Marvic Mario Victor F. Leonen - Vice President for Legal Affairs
Dr. Lourdes E. Abadingo - Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents

Dr. Florinda B. De Fiesta-Mateo - Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Cynthia Grace C. Gregorio - Assistant Vice President for Administration
Prof. Arthur S. Cayanan - Assistant Vice President for Planning and Finance
Dr. Jaime D.L. Caro - Assistant Vice President for Development
Dr. Lydia Arcellana - Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs and Director, Office of Alumni Relations
Dr. Arlene A.Samaniego - Assistant Secretary of the University and of the Board of Regents
Prof. Arthur S. Cayanan - Assistant Vice President for Planning and Finance
Prof. Elizabeth A. Pangalangan - Director, University Center for Integrative Development Studies
Dr. Ma. Luisa T. Camagay - Director, UP Press
Prof. Isabelita O. Reyes - Director, System Information Office
Prof. Joselito G. Florendo - Director, System Budget Office
Dr. Carolyn I. Sobritchea - Director, University Center for Women's Studies

Presidents of the University of the Philippines

The President of the University of the Philippines is elected for a single six-year term by the university's twelve-member Board of Regents.

As of 2005, two Americans and 17 Filipinos served as President of the University of the Philippines. The current president of U.P. is Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman, a professor of business administration and the chancellor of U.P. Diliman prior to her election as president. Roman is the first female president of the University of the Philippines. She will lead the university in the celebration of its centennial in 2008.

Murray S. Bartlett (1911-1915)
Ignacio B. Villamor (1915-1921)
Guy Potter Wharton Benton (1921-1925)
Rafael V. Palma (1925-1933)
Jorge Bocobo (1934-1939)
Bienvenido M. Gonzalez (1939-1943 and 1945-1951)
Antonio Sison (1943-1945)
Vidal A. Tan (1951-1956)
Enrique Virata (1956-1958)
Vicente G. Sinco (1958-1962)
Carlos P. Romulo (1962-1968)
Salvador P. Lopez (1969-1975)
Onofre D. Corpuz (1975-1979)
Emanuel V. Soriano (1979-1981)
Edgardo J. Angara (1981-1987)
Jose V. Abueva (1987-1993)
Emil Q. Javier (1993-1999)
Francisco Nemenzo, Jr. (1999-2005)
Emerlinda R. Roman (2005-present)

Chancellors of the Constituent Universities

Each constituent university of UP is headed by a chancellor, who is elected on a three-year term by the Board of Regents.

Unlike the president, who is elected on a single six-year term without re-election, the chancellor maybe re-elected for another three-year term but it is upon the discretion of the members of the Board of Regents.

U.P. Diliman - Dr. Sergio S. Cao
U.P. Los Baños - Dr. Luis Rey I. Velasco
U.P. Manila - Dr. Ramon L. Arcadio
U.P. Visayas - Dr. Glenn D. Aguilar
U.P. Mindanao - Dr. Gilda C. Rivero
U.P. Baguio - Dr. Priscilla Supnet-Macansantos
U.P. Open University - Dr. Grace J. Alfonso

International affiliations and memberships

External links

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 For sporting events, the University of the Philippines is represented by U.P. Diliman in the [[University Athletics Association of the Philippines]] ([[UAAP]]) while U.P. Los Baños sends athletes to the [[Southern_Tagalog|Region IV]] ([[CALABARZON]] and [[MIMAROPA]]) assembly of the State Colleges and Universities Athletics Association (SCUAA) which is now known as the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)-IV Olympics.
-* [[University of the Philippines (Baguio)]]
+* [[University of the Philippines Baguio]]
 * [[University of the Philippines, Diliman]]
 * [[University of the Philippines, Manila]]