Silliman University

Not to be confused with Silliman College.

Silliman University
Pamantasang Silliman (Filipino)
The University Seal
Former names
Silliman Institute
(1901–1938)
MottoVia, Veritas, Vita (Latin)
Motto in English
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
FounderDavid S. Hibbard
BenefactorHorace B. Silliman
TypePrivate, nonsectarian, research university, coeducational
EstablishedAugust 28, 1901
Religious affiliation
In covenant with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, but neither owned nor governed by the UCCP or any religious organization.[1]
Academic affiliations
ACUCA, UBCHEA, ACSCU, ASAIHL, PAASCU, ATESEA
ChairmanRicardo A. Balbido Jr.
PresidentBetty Cernol-McCann
Academic staff
490 (faculty)[2]
Administrative staff
290
Studentsapprox. 11,000
Address
Hibbard Avenue
,
Dumaguete, Negros Oriental
,
Philippines

9°18′46″N 123°18′24″E / 9.31278°N 123.30667°E / 9.31278; 123.30667
Campus
NewspaperThe Weekly Sillimanian
Alma Mater songSilliman Song
Colors  and   Red and white
NicknameSillimanian
Sporting affiliations
PRISAA, UNIGAMES[3]
MascotStallions and Mares
Websitewww.su.edu.ph
Silliman University is located in Visayas
Silliman University
Location in the Visayas
Silliman University is located in Philippines
Silliman University
Location in the Philippines
University rankings
Regional – Overall
QS Asia[4]551-600 (2023)
National – Overall
QS National[4]5 (2023)

Silliman University (also referred to as Silliman or SU) is a private research university in Dumaguete, Philippines.[5] Established in 1901 as Silliman Institute by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, it is the first American and Protestant founded institution of higher learning in the Philippines and in Asia.[6][7][8]

The university was named after Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman, a former businessman and philanthropist from Cohoes, New York who provided the initial sum of $10,000 for the establishment of the school. Starting as an elementary school for boys, the school expanded to become a college in 1910, acquiring university status in 1938. Silliman University was run and operated by Americans during the first half of the 20th century. After the Second World War, Filipinos began to assume more administrative positions, resulting in the appointment of the university's first Filipino president in 1952.[9]

In terms of accreditation, Silliman is one of top five universities in the Philippines with "Institutional Accreditation" by the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP). The Institutional Accreditation is the highest accreditation that can be granted to an educational institution after an assessment of its number of accredited programs, its facilities, its services, and its faculty is conducted on a whole.[10][11] Incidentally, Silliman also has the highest number of accredited programs in the country, twenty of which are on Level IV accreditation status, the highest level that can be granted to individual programs.[12][13]

Over 10,000 students attending the university from the Philippines and at least 56 other countries are enrolled in ten colleges, five schools, and three institutes.[14][15] It is registered as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute and is one of few private higher education institutions in the Philippines that have been granted full autonomous status by the Commission on Higher Education.[6][16][17] It is also a founding member of the Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia (ACUCA) and one of the recognized institutions in the U.S. Veterans Administration's list of approved educational institutions.[18][19]

Silliman University is historically associated with the Protestant Baptist founded Central Philippine University in Iloilo City and regarded it as its sister institution.

The university offers programs in the fields of early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, undergraduate education, as well as graduate education. Programs in the undergraduate and graduate levels cover disciplines such as arts, accountancy, agriculture, architecture, business administration, engineering, English, Filipino, information technology, law, medicine, nursing, anthropology, biology, chemistry, clinical sciences, pharmacy education, teacher education, economics, environmental science, fine arts, theater and performing arts, foreign languages, geology, journalism, library science, marine sciences, nutrition and dietetics, music, physics, theology, philosophy, psychology, public administration and social work. In addition to its academic undertakings, the university is involved in research and community extension projects.[20][21] Silliman's stature in the fields of environmental and marine sciences has led to its being designated by the USAID as a 'Center of Excellence in Coastal Resources Management.'[22]

  1. ^ The University is a separate corporation predating what is now known as the UCCP. It is governed by an independent Board of Trustees with the UCCP being merely one of three sectors represented in the Board. Pursuant to its Articles of Incorporation, five of the fifteen members of the Board come from the UCCP. Though Protestant in origin and to some extent in orientation, its academic policies are generally non-sectarian and is neither owned nor governed by UCCP or any religious organization.
  2. ^ "University Conference Achieves High Participation Turnout". SU NetNews. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  3. ^ Maricar Aranas. "SU to host UNIGAMES" Archived August 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Visayan Daily Star. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference QS Asia University Rankings 2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "CHED Taps SU for Research Network" Archived October 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Visayan Daily Star. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "NHI Resolution No.7, Series 2002". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  7. ^ "Siliman University rocked by bomb threat; suspends classes". ph. news.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  8. ^ "This School By the Sea Has Front-Row Seats to a Poetic Dumaguete Morning". SPOT.PH. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  9. ^ Tiempo, Maslog & Sitoy 1977, pp. 49–52
  10. ^ cebudailynews/community/view/ 20101217-309444/Silliman-University-granted-institutional-accreditation "Silliman University granted institutional accreditation" Archived July 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  11. ^ "FAAP grants Institutional accreditation to Silliman University ". Philippine Information Agency. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  12. ^ "14 Academic Programs Granted Highest Accreditation Status.". Silliman University. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  13. ^ page/12-Accredited-Programs "Accredited Programs." Silliman University. Retrieved April 21, 2015
  14. ^ "Enrollment up by 6%; 56 countries represented". Silliman University. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  15. ^ Silliman University. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  16. ^ Atty. Ignacio Bunye. "CSF program up in Dumaguete City" Archived July 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
  17. ^ "CHED Grants Silliman Autonomous Status" Archived April 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. SU Net News. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  18. ^ "Past and Future". ACUCA. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  19. ^ "WEAMS Institution Search.". US Veterans Affairs. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference BestResearch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "Extension program receives national award" Archived July 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. SU Net News. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  22. ^ "Philippines – Communication for Coastal Management". Center for Environmental Strategies. Retrieved March 22, 2011.