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| (Image Source: Manila Bulletin/Mapúa University) |
Mapúa University, the Philippines’ leading engineering and technological educational institution, marks nearly a century of providing quality education to Filipinos with its 98th Founding Anniversary. Aptly themed “Great at 98! Vision Realized”, the celebration highlights the pioneering, progressive, and transformative education that the University has been known for decades.
In the past year, Mapúa was included in the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023, where only four Philippine universities were ranked, and the QS Asian University Top 100 best universities in Southeast Asia Rankings. The university also received a QS-Wharton Digital Readiness Gold Award for its Ubiquitous Online Experience (ÚOx), the University’s initiative in delivering fully online programs through its very own digital learning platforms. It also cemented international collaborations with Arizona State University for its business and health sciences programs, the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) of the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, and Fintech Alliance.Ph (FTAP) for its Fintech and Regulatory Innovation (FTRI) program. “These accomplishments are the fruits of our unrelenting efforts to gain national and international credibility and accreditation so students are always assured of quality education and, at the same time, have a definitive competitive advantage when they start their careers,” said Mapúa University President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea.
This was seconded by Prof. Dante Sauquillo, chair of the Department of Physics, which hosts the 98th-anniversary celebration. “This year’s theme commemorates the achievement of our vision to be among the world’s best universities. Thus, it is but fitting to celebrate with all the people who supported this vision, starting from the administration, non-teaching staff, faculty members, alumni, and our students,” said Prof. Sauquillo. In keeping with its victory theme, the university will host The Cardinal Excellence Awards recognizing outstanding students in their co- and extra-curricular activities and the Service Awards honoring loyal and dedicated teaching and non-teaching staff. Competitions such as the “Outcomes-Based Education Research and Best Practices", Technopreneur Pitch Contest, Essay Writing Contest, Ethics Bowl, Leadership Seminar, Filipino Writing Contest, Physics Olympics, and Math Wizard will also be conducted to encourage academic excellence among students.
The educational institution will also distribute gift packs to 98 disadvantaged families to share the blessings that the Mapúa community received in the past years. While 20 communities in Bangued, Abra will receive access to affordable and free energy through solar panel installations. This effort is part of Mapúa’s commitment to addressing the 7th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG), Affordable and Clean Energy, covering the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) until 2030. To cap the festivities, the premier technological and engineering school will unveil its Centennial Logo which heralds the official countdown to its centennial anniversary in 2025. It will also launch the Mapúa Centennial Lectures, a series of 100 lectures led by school officials and alumni that touch on research, education, technology, innovations, internationalization, the school’s history, and other special topics. While the university’s anniversary is a culmination and celebration of its recent achievements, it also ushers in another year of projects, innovations, and milestones. The institution is expected to launch new business and health sciences programs in collaboration with Arizona State University, produce its first batch of FTRI graduates through its CCAF and FTAP partnership, and increase its globally accredited program offerings via the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) Network.
Mapúa University was founded in 1925 by Don Tomas Mapúa as a private university that offered engineering courses. In 1999, the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC) acquired ownership of the University, and after 20 years, merged its educational institutions under iPeople, Inc. with the Ayala Corporation Education, Inc., with iPeople, Inc. as the surviving entity. Since its establishment, the University has grown and evolved into one of the world’s best universities and it is envisioned to continue to be so in the years to come.
