University of Mindanao


The University of Mindanao is the largest private, non-sectarian university in Mindanao located in Davao City on the Southern Philippine island. Established in 1946, the University of Mindanao has ten branches spread over thirteen campuses in Southern Mindanao. It is currently an Autonomous Status per CEB Resolution No. 076-2009 with Category A per CMO No. s. 2009 standing accredited by Commission on Higher Education. Its Accountancy, Computer Engineering and Information Technology programs are Centers of Development and its Business Administration, Criminology and Teacher Education programs are recognized as Centers of Excellence by CHED. It is the largest private university in Mindanao and hailed as the institution with the second highest number of programs accredited by PACUCOA in the country today.

History

In the midst of rebuilding the ruins of World War II, Atty. Guillermo E. Torres constructed the institution that would provide the education for socially, morally, economically knowledgeable, productive and responsible citizenry of the country.
Mindanao Colleges was incorporated on July 27, 1946. During the first year of operation, classes were held in four rented rooms of the Borgaily Building along San Pedro Street in Davao City. Thirteen teachers were hired and there were 381 enrolees. Dr. Efigenia C. Occeña was the Acting Coordinator. The permitted courses were originally the six year complete Elementary Course, two-year Secondary Course, two year Elementary Teacher Certificate, two-year Associate in Commercial Science, and two-year Associate in Arts. To accommodate the increasing number of Enrolees, the Board of Trustees decided to buy Club Royale along Legaspi Street and renovated to suit classroom requirements. New parcels of land were purchased along Bolton and Bonifacio Street which is the present location of the main campus and Embassy Area respectively. The University's influence erected more with the establishment of the Mindanao Collegian, the first free campus paper in Mindanao. It became the training grounds of the Davao newspaper men, a lot of them front liners of the city's local publications up to this date.
Foreign linkages were sparked when Atty. Torres left for the US for a sponsored study tour in May 1955. These bondages broaden the UM's scope and help it gear up for more challenging global competitiveness. Some of them were the University on the Air ; Sister University agreements with the John Dewey International University Consortium of America, New York City and the Fongchia College of Engineering and Business of Taipei, Taiwan.
The Open Education Program in the early 70s enabled the institution to help the poor but deserving college undergraduates employed in the business and factory sites and self-employed to earn a college education. From being a humble Mindanao Colleges in Bolton, it blossomed into the University of Mindanao on December 21, 1966 and has spawned 10 more branches to the outlying province in 1948 in Digos, Bangoy, Peñaplata, Tagum, Guianga, Ilang- Tibungco, Panabo, Bansalan, Cotabato, Toril and a sprawling learning ground in Matina. UM is the first non-sectarian university in Mindanao.

The University President

Dr. Guillermo P. Torres, Jr. finished his undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at De La Salle University, Manila. He took his Masters in Business Administration at Ohio University, USA. Finished his Doctorate at University of Mindanao.

Academic programs

The University of Mindanao has more than 10 colleges and schools located in three campuses. The Colleges of Business Administration, and Law and the Graduate School are located in Bolton Campus. The Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Nursing, Engineering, Computing, Architecture, Education, Forestry, Accountancy, and Criminology are located in Matina Campus. There are Technical and Vocational Courses are located in Bangoy Campus. Each college is supervised by Dean and Program Heads/Instructor Coordinator.
Most of its academic programs are accredited by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation and the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines. Its Electrical Engineering is the first in the country granted Level III Reaccredited Status. Level III status is the highest accreditation granted by PACUCOA—a seal of excellence and quality in a given academic program. Its Architecture Program is the first in the country to be granted Level I Accreditation. UM is the first PACUCOA school in Mindanao granted Level III for various academic programs and one of the top five schools in the Philippines with the most number of accreditation.
The Commission on Higher Education has granted Center of Excellence and Center of Development to its various academic programs, having the most number of COEs and CODs in Mindanao. The programs granted with COE are Teacher Education, Criminology, and Business Administration. The programs granted with COD are Accountancy, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. UM Digos College granted with COD on Information Technology program. UM Tagum College granted with COD on Teacher Education program.

Law, Graduate and Post-Graduate programs

College of Accounting Education

----
----
----
----
----
----
----

Elementary

----
----
----

Student Scholarships

The official student publication of the university is Primum, Latin term for first. Its predecessor, the Mindanao Collegian, which was later renamed as UM Saga and then EVO prior to its recent name. Since Mindanao Collegian, the publication has been producing top-caliber editors, journalists and columnists in the country not just in the entire region.

Broadcasting

The University of Mindanao Broadcasting Network is a commercial broadcasting company in Visayas and Mindanao founded in 1949 in Davao City. It runs AM and FM stations in Mindanao while its affiliate, Ditan Communications run the Visayas FM stations.

Newspaper

Mindanao Times, founded on the same year the University was founded, is an affiliate of University of Mindanao.

Most Notable Alumni