West Visayas State University


West Visayas State University is a public normal research university located in Western Visayas region of the Philippines with its main campus in La Paz, Iloilo City. It was formally established in 1924 as Iloilo Normal School under the tutelage of the Thomasites, but dates back its founding in 1902 as a part of Philippine normal school system established by the American colonial government. It later became West Visayas State College in 1965 and acquired its university status adopting its name to West Visayas State University in 1986.
The university is one of the accredited Philippine Universities of the University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific and one of the most prominent institutions in the Philippines in the field of Teacher Education, Nursing and Medicine.
The West Visayas State University is a university system composed of different separate campuses and the West Visayas State University Medical Center. The main campus is composed of nine schools and colleges and one institute. The Philippine Commission on Higher Education has also designated the university through its main campus as the Center of Excellence in Teacher Education and Center of Development in Nursing while the Lambunao Campus as Centers of Development in the programs of Agriculture and Forestry.

History

West Visayas State University was founded on June 16, 1902, as part of the early Philippine normal school system under the American occupation.
Known as the Iloilo Normal Institute and later the Iloilo Normal School, WVSU was one of the five tributary schools created to address the need to train Filipino teachers under the tutelage of the Thomasites. In 1916, it was a secondary school complete with elementary and training departments. In 1924, with the completion of its main building and laboratory school building, INS became a distinct educational institution itself. It was also when a secondary normal school program, which eventually became a four-year normal college course, was established.
In 1954, the Bachelor of Science in Education major in Elementary Education was offered, pioneering teacher-training institution in Western Visayas. It was named a Center of Excellence by the late Sen. Blas P. Ople and Center of Excellence for Teacher Education by the Commission on Higher Education.
The INS became the West Visayas State College by virtue of R.A. 4189 on May 4, 1965, and commenced the offering of the bachelor's degree in education for both elementary and secondary teaching, Bachelor of arts; Master in Education. Also established were the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Sciences, offering courses in the university level.
The period from 1974 to the early 1980s was one of marked growth, witnessing the establishment of the School of Medicine, the second state medical school in the Philippines in 1975, the School of Agriculture in 1976, and the School of Nursing in 1977. The doctoral program of the Graduate School was also founded in 1977. The B.S. in Biological Science, AB in Mass Communications, and B.S. Forestry programs began in 1981.
On January 27, 1986, the College became the West Visayas State University, integrating the Iloilo National College of Agriculture into its system. In 1987, the University acquired the Don Benito V. Lopez Memorial Hospital which became the WVSU Hospital, a 150-bed tertiary, teaching and training hospital. The University further established in 1993, the Sports, Athletics, and Cultural Arts Center which later became the degree-granting PESCAR Institute and later PESCAR College in 2000. In 1993, the Department of Mass Communications became the degree-granting Institute of Mass Communications, which was later converted into a College in 2000. In 2001, the Board of Regents and the Department of Health approved the conversion of the WVSU Hospital to WVSU Medical Center that it is now.
The enactment of the Higher Education Modernization Act brought more developments in the University. In 2000, four CHED-supervised schools in Calinog, Janiuay, Lambunao, and Pototan were integrated into the WVSU System. The University Distance Education program through the Diploma in Teaching course began in Summer 2003. By 2005, The Local Government Unit of Himamaylan entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the WVSU for the establishment of the WVSU Himamaylan Campus. Meanwhile, two new degree-granting units were also opened in the University: the Institute of Information and Communications Technology in 2002 and the Institute of Management in 2006 which later became the College of Business and Management.
In February 2008, the university hosted an international research conference in Iloilo City, in conjunction with its year-long centennial celebration.
In July 2020, the West Visayas State University College of Law was established, the first public law school in Western Visayas.

Flagship programs

Commission on Higher Education
Philippines
----
Centers of Excellence
Center of Excellence in Teacher Education '
Centers of Development
Center of Development in Agriculture '
Center of Development in Forestry '
Center of Development in Nursing '

WVSU programs in Nursing, Social Science, Biology and Education have been awarded for achieving Level 4 Qualified status by the Accrediting Agency for Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines Inc. WVSU College of Nursing had three of the top scorers on the 2014 Nurse Licensure Examination, and the school posted a 100% passing rate in the June 2016 NLE plus five top scorers. With the 100% passing rate, WVSU retains its record, for the fourth consecutive year, as Number 1 performing school in the NLE in the country.
Also at present, WVSU is one of the top performing schools in the Philippines for the Physician Licensure Examinations.
Among non-board examination courses, the University has an excelled reputation through its academic courses in English, Political Science, and Biology with specialization in Microbiology, Biotechnology and Pre-Med, these three programs were submitted for accreditation to the AACCUP and were recently granted with Level 4 Qualified status. Its courses in Information Science and Technology, Cooperatives Management, and Mass Communications are also producing graduates who are sought after in the region.
West's has also been cited with in the Western Visayas region through its programs in advanced education in the following disciplines: Arts and Letters, Sciences, Social Sciences and Governance, Education, Agriculture, and Communications. In 2010 the university was authorized to offer a graduate program in Hospitality Management in the College of Business and Management.
In July 2020, the legal education board approved and authorized WVSU to offer a Juris Doctor program under its newly established college of law, the first public law school in Western Visayas.

Accreditation

West Visayas State University is one of the first institutions to have its academic programs accredited to higher levels having surpassed the quality standards for instruction, research and extension. At present, programs are accredited by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines and Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities for its College of Medicine. Programs recognized with Level III Re-accredited status are academic offerings in undergraduate and master's degree levels specifically Physical Education, Forestry, Agriculture, and programs in Communication. Level 4 qualified status was awarded to Nursing, Teacher Education, Arts and Social Sciences and Biology.
Over the years, the University has etched a mark in professional licensure examinations. Medical doctors, nurses and teacher education graduates have consistently topped exams all over the country and the university passing percentage in various exams have been well-above the national mean.
In 2004, WVSU was recognized by the Professional Regulation Commission as among the "Top 5 Performing Schools" in the Philippines in the National Board Examinations.

Governing body

The governance of the University is vested upon the Board of Regents of the West Visayas State University as constituted by P.D. no. 2019 and P.D. no. 1437. The Board of Regents exercise policy-making function in accordance with general policies, plans and programs on education as formulated by the Government.
The administration and the exercise of the University corporate powers are vested exclusively in the Board of Regents and the President of the University. It is an august body and works for the best interest of the University.

Academics

WVSU is accredited by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines and Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities. The AACCUP is a member of the National Network of Quality Assurance Agencies, Inc. in the Philippines. AACCUP and PAASCU are both members of Asia Pacific Quality Network based in Hong Kong; and International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education based in Dublin, Ireland.

Official Symbol

Spire - official yearbook
Forum Dimension - official university school paper
Urn - monument found in front of Quezon Hall
Quezon Hall - one of the oldests structure in the campus
WVSU Hymnn:
From a dream a university grew,
Stirring hearts with a heroes refrain.
Out of darkness faith renew
That our toils should not fade in vain.
West Visayas State University,
Hold thy banner high,
Let genius bridge the earth
And boundless sky.
Set the youth to task half begun,
Seek their rightful place ‘neath the sun.
West Visayas State University,
Let that dream come true,
Not far away the goal
Comes in to view,
As the youth their tasks fully done,
Find their rightful place ‘neath the sun.

Notable alumni