Adamson University

About

Adamson University (Filipino: Pamantasang Adamson; AdU or ADU) is a private Catholic university operated by the Congregation of the Mission located in Manila, Philippines. The university has academic programs in graduate school, law, the liberal arts, sciences, engineering, nursing, pharmacy, architecture, business administration, and education, as well as secondary, elementary, and preschool. It is one of the universities in the country to receive an autonomous status by the Commission on Higher Education.

Adamson is a member of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. In its 80th season, the university won first place in the cheerdancing competition.

George Lucas Adamson, a Greek chemist, founded the Adamson School of Industrial Chemistry on June 20, 1932 as a single-classroom school for industrial chemistry. His cousin, Alexander Athos Adamson, came to the country in 1932 to assist him in administering the then-newly founded school, where he served as its vice president, treasurer, and registrar. Alexander's brother, George Athos Adamson, arrived two years after to serve as a professor and dean of both the school and the College of Engineering. On February 19, 1936, the school was renamed as the Adamson School of Industrial Chemistry and Engineering. In 1939, George Lucas' wife, Evdoxia Savaides Adamson, began working at the school, serving as a professor and eventually dean of both Colleges of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences. She was soon followed by George Athos' wife, Sofia Adamson, who taught in the College of Education and briefly served as the Junior Normal College's Director. The school became university on February 5, 1941 upon the approval of the Department of Public Instruction. The Adamsons worked at the university after the Second World War, except for George Athos and Sofia, who left the country after the war. George Lucas Adamson served as the university's president for 35 years. During his tenure, the university became a probationary member of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines in 1952; it was granted full membership in 1971. On December 4, 1964, the university was turned over to the Congregation of the Mission and was incorporated into the Adamson-Ozanam Education Institutions, Inc. Its patron saint is Saint Vincent de Paul. Spanish priest Leandro I. Montañana became the university's second president, holding the office until 1985. He was succeeded by Fr. Rolando S. Dela Goza, C.M., the first Filipino president of the university. He held the office until 1994, where he was succeeded by Fr. Jimmy Belita, C.M. who served as president until 2003. Fr. Gregorio L. Bañaga, Jr., C.M. became the university's fifth president, a position he held until 2015. The university celebrated its diamond jubilee in 2007. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines designated the university as a historical site. A memorial was installed in front of the St. Vincent Building, the oldest building on campus, commemorating this heritage. Adamson University was granted autonomous status by the Commission on Higher Education in 2010, giving greater powers to the administration of the university independent to the commission. On November 16, 2012, the university inaugurated a museum dedicated to its founders, inside the St. Vincent Building. The inauguration was part of the celebration of its 80th anniversary. In 2013, the university received an ISO 9001:2008 Management Systems certification from TÜV Rheinland. On 2015, Fr. Marcelo V. Manimtim, C.M. became the sixth president of the university, succeeding Bañaga. On December 13, 2023, Fr. Manimtim stepped down as the president of the University, and Fr. Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, C.M., Ph.D., S.Th.D., became the 7th President and 3rd alumnus President of Adamson University.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.