De La Salle University-Manila

De La Salle College as depicted on a 1921 postcard

Early history

De La Salle College as depicted on a 1921 postcardDe La Salle College was founded in 1911 when the Brothers of the Christian Schools opened their first school in the Philippines on Calle Nozaleda in Paco in the city of Manila. The first classes were conducted in Spanish for the first 125 boys of varying ages and grade levels. During the early years, the Brothers were allowed to offer the full primary and intermediate programs and a three-year commercial secondary school program. The Commercial High School Diploma was first conferred in 1915 to three graduates. In November 1917, the school was allowed to confer an Associate in Arts degree.

Due to the lack of space on the Nozaleda Campus in Paco, the Brothers made a decision to build a new school in Taft Avenue. Br. Acisclus Michael FSC then secured a vacant space at the southernmost boundary of Manila. The Paco property was then sold in March 19, 1920 to a wealthy shipping magnate. Classes on the Taft campus formally started in October 3, 1921, while the building was completed in December 15, 1924.

In 1920, the school opened a two-year commercial course. The school's catalog for 1925 listed courses for an Associate in Arts, a two-year Commerce curriculum, and a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts although these last two degrees were never conferred before World War II. In 1930, the College was authorized to confer the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Science of Education. The last pre-war arts degree holders graduated in 1931. The Associate in Arts program was then discontinued because of the department's lack of staff. The Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree was first conferred in 1931 after a third year had been added to the initial two-year program.

World War II
During the Second World War, the Japanese forces in Manila forcibly took over the College grounds and turned the campus into defense quarters. Classes continued during the War but the curriculum was severely reduced. Repeated bombings of the vicinity resulted in the total destruction of the college gymnasium, its library holdings, as well as laboratory equipment. On February 12, 1945, as American forces were making their way back to Manila and its environs, a small group of Japanese soldiers massacred 16 Christian Brothers, as well as several families who had taken refuge with them in the school chapel.

The end of the War brought the imprisoned American Brothers back home from the Los Banos concentration camp. They resumed classes in July 1945 in spite of lacking manpower and facilities; 1945 saw 60 boys graduating from high school at the end of the school year. Recognizing the role of education in reconstructing the Philippines, the Brothers expanded the Commerce curriculum into a four-year program.[3]

Presidents of DLSU
Br. Blimond Pierre FSC, 1911-1912
Br. Goslin Camille FSC, 1912-1915
Br. Acisclus Michael FSC, 1915-1919
Br. Albinus Peter FSC[4], 1919-1923
Br. Acisclus Michael FSC, 1923-1927
Br. Celba John FSC, 1927-1930
Br. Dorothy Joseph FSC, 1930-1933
Br. Marchian James FSC, 1933-1936
Br. Flannan Paul FSC, 1936
Br. Egbert Xavier FSC, 1937-1945
Br. Lucian Athanasius FSC, 1945-1950
Br. Antony Ferdinand FSC[5], 1945-1946
Br. Hyacinth Gabriel FSC[6], 1950-1959
Br. Denis of Mary FSC, 1959-1961
Br. Crescentius Richard FSC, 1961-1966
Br. Hyacinth Gabriel FSC, 1966-1978
Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC, 1978-1991
Br. Rafael Donato FSC, 1991-1994
Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC, 1994-1998
Br. Rolando Dizon FSC , 1998-2003
Dr. Carmelita Quebengco[7], 2003-2004
Br. Armin Luistro FSC, 2004-incumbent

Post-war recovery and development
The post-war years saw the establishment of numerous undergraduate schools and units. In 1947, the undergraduate school of Engineering was established, followed by Arts and Sciences in 1953, Education in 1959, Industrial Technology in 1973, and Career Development in 1980. De La Salle's Graduate School of Business Administration was established in 1960, followed by Education in 1963. In 1979, the College of Industrial Technology was merged with the College of Engineering as an Engineering Technology Program. In 1981, the Center for Planning, Information, and Computer Science was organized prompting the initial offering of the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program. Beginning school year 1984–1985, the Computer Science Program was spun off as a program under the College of Computer Studies. In 1982, the La Salle Teacher Training Center was put up to revive an earlier education program and in 1987, this center was elevated to the La Salle School of Education.

The events of the 1970s were crucial to the development of De La Salle as a social institution. The College began admitting female students in 1973. That same year, a blueprint called De La Salle Ten Years was published, projecting the planned improvements of the school from 1973 to 1983, and was updated yearly.[3]

Attaining university status
On February 19, 1975, De La Salle College was granted university status and became known as De La Salle University. Another milestone school year was 1981–1982, when the university adopted the year-round trimestral calendar for all units instead of the traditional semestral academic schedule. The trimestral system allows its students to graduate earlier than their counterparts in other schools that employ the semestral system.[3] In 1987, the De La Salle University System was established under the term of Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC and the university became known as De La Salle University-Manila.

In March 28, 1994, De La Salle University-Manila had full Internet connection[8], and was one of the first Philippine schools to be connected to the Internet[9]. The university then created its official website, dlsu.edu.ph in December of the same year[8]. In 1996, graduate and undergraduate students were given internet accounts[8], and the university became the first Philippine educational institution online[10]. During school year 1995–1996, DLSU Professional Schools was established, comprising the College of Computer Studies and the Graduate School of Business. Both were granted semi-autonomous status, which allowed them certain freedom to come up with their own academic and hiring policies, pay scale, among other things. In 2002, the College of Computer Studies was reintegrated into DLSU-Manila.

In October 2006, Globe Telecom introduced the Animo SIM, a personalized SIM card for DLSU-Manila students. The Animo SIM contains all the usual features of a regular Globe SIM card with additional features. Students will be able to follow up their grades and schedules and receive special announcements from the university through SMS, and have their own personalized La Salle menus using the SIM.

Academics
The university is part of the establishment of consortium agreements with other major universities in the Philippines. These consortia have made exchange programs of students and faculty between the different schools, as well as the sharing of specializations which are inherent in to individual schools possible. At present, De La Salle has consortium agreements with St. Scholastica's College, the Philippine Christian University, St. Paul University of Manila, the Philippine Normal University, the Ateneo de Manila University, and the University of the Philippines. Through these agreements, both the faculty and students of De La Salle are able to use the facilities of these schools and to work with their counterparts in the consortia.[11]

Religious and lay professors and instructors trained in European, American, Asian, and Philippine institutions of learning compose the teaching staff of the University. The majority are professional educators while part-time professors and lecturers are also regularly invited to teach certain special and professional courses in commerce, engineering, education, computer studies, and arts and sciences.

The trimestral calendar being used by the university consists of three regular trimesters of about 13 to 14 weeks each and trimestral breaks of about two weeks each. Ideally, under this system, students are be able to finish their studies in less time than their counterparts in the regular semestral program. Under this calendar, the subjects for each trimester employ a more evenly-paced schedule.

Every year, the University receives 16,000 applications for undergraduate admission to the University although only about 3,000 are finally accepted, an acceptance rate of roughly 19%.[12]

Colleges
The university is composed of six colleges which provide undergraduate and graduate programs:

The College of Business and Economics, established in 1920, is currently the largest college of the university in terms of students. Many of its alumni have distinguished themselves as assuming top-level positions in the academe, business and industry, and government, such as Jose Diokno, Alberto Romulo, and Enrique Zobel.
The College of Computer Studies is the youngest member college of the university and was established in 1981 as the Center for Planning, Information, and Computer Science, offering only a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. The department was formally declared as a college in 1984.
The College of Education is one of the oldest colleges in the university where it dates back to 1936 when De La Salle College was authorized to confer the degree of Master of Science in Education. The College of Education seeks to train students to be holistic, interdisciplinary, innovative, and culture-sentitive mentors. While it is the smallest college in terms of undergraduate student population, it is the biggest college in terms of graduate student population.
The College of Engineering provides high quality engineering education in the Philippines. It is quite successful, attaining some of the highest passing rates in the Philippine board exams, and is the only private institution in the Philippines selected by ASEAN to be part of the Southeast Asian Engineering Education Network (SEED-Net). It plays a major role as a leader in human resources development in engineering and information technology in Southeast Asia. Currently, the college earns the highest accreditation in engineering education in the Philippines given by the Commission on Higher Education, with three of its departments granted the title as Centers of Excellence. [13]
The College of Liberal Arts, formerly known as the College of Arts and Sciences that was founded in 1918. In 1982, the College of Arts and Sciences was split into two colleges, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Science. The CLA provides students with a liberal education enough to develop the student in humanities and the social sciences. The college is the second most populous college in the university, after the College of Business and Economics.
The College of Science was formed when the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics separated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1982. In October 6, 2006, all of its Science and Mathematics programs have been granted the recognition of Center of Excellence in the Philippines by the Commission on Higher Education. It is the only private institution in the Philippines to be given such a distinction. [14]