UP's 100 years

Last Wednesday, the U.P. community celebrated its 100th birthday.

The University of the Philippines was envisioned by the Americans as the primary leadership training institution in the country. When it was founded, UP was small campus in Padre Faura, with only seven colleges. Today, it is a university system of 7 campuses, catapulted to the status of a national university by the new UP Charter. It offers 246 undergraduate and 362 graduate programs to over 50,000 of the country's brightest, most talented youth.

Before 1908, there was no non-sectarian university in the country, no public institution to train, educate and nurture the future leadership of the Philippines. UP discharged that role successfully, producing leaders in government, the judiciary, military and the academe. It provided world class education in medicine, law, agriculture, arts and letters, architecture and engineering.

Over the last 100 years, it produced 30 out of 31 national scientists, 34 out of 50 national artists, 7 out of 14 Presidents of the Republic, and 12 Chief Justices of the Supreme Court. It also produced 23,000 teachers, 15,000 doctors, 15,000 engineers and 8,000 lawyers. UP was the highest ranked Philippine university in THES-QS World University Rankings in 2006 and 2007. It also has the most number of National Centers of Excellence and Development among all higher education institutions in the country.

Indeed, UP's first 100 years had helped shaped the nation and its leaders. But UP's second century has its own set of challenges.

With about five million Filipinos in tertiary education, the competition among universities is now stronger than ever. Academic programs and research have become fully global. To keep its place, UP must be able to compete in a highly globalized, dynamic world where trained manpower and knowledge-intensive services are in great demand.

On its second century, the University must continue to bolster its position as the country's leading research university, firming up its science and technology programs, as well as strengthening its arts and humanities, making it comparable to the world's best institutions of higher learning.

It must sustain its legacy of excellence and service, like a true national treasure.