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University of Santo Tomas
 Main Building | |
| Native name | Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas |
|---|---|
| Latin name | Regalis et Pontificia Sancti Thomæ Aquinatis Universitas Manilana |
| Acronym | UST |
| Motto | Veritas In Caritate |
| Founded | April 28, 1611 |
| Type | Private, Catholic, Dominican |
| Rector | Herminio Dagohoy |
| Chancellor | Bruno Cadoré |
| Vice Chancellor | Gerard Francisco Timoner III |
| Secretary General | Florentino Bolo |
| Students | 33,013 |
| Undergraduates | 31,179 |
| Postgraduates | 1,834 |
| City | Manila |
| Country | Philippines |
| Mascot | Growling Tiger |
| Nickname | UST, USTê, Growling Tigers |
| Academic colors |  Gold, white and black |
| Affiliations | ICUSTA, IAU, ASAIHL, UAAP |
| Website | www.ust.edu.ph |
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomás, Catholic University of the Philippines, or simply the University of Santo Tomás, is a private Catholic university owned by the Dominican Order and located in Manila (Philippines).
At present, in terms of student population, it is the largest Catholic university in the world. It was founded on April 28, 1611, by the Spanish Archbishop Miguel de Benavides. It holds the oldest founding statutes in all the Philippines. It is the oldest university in Asia.
It is made up of numerous faculties, colleges, schools and institutes, each offering undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as basic education units. Several degrees are accredited by the Department of Education of the Philippines as Centers of Development and Centers of Excellence.
The campus is located in the Sampaloc district of Manila on a plot of some 220,000 square meters. The current campus was established in 1927, when the first campus in the Intramuros district became too small for the growing university population. The university is in the process of expanding with the construction of new campuses in Santa Rosa, in General Santos and abroad, in Negombo (Sri Lanka).
Many illustrious figures of the history of the Philippines have passed through the classrooms of this university, among whom saints, presidents of the Philippines, national heroes and religious figures stand out.
History
The Spanish Dominican Miguel de Benavides, third Archbishop of Manila, was the founder of the university. He arrived in the Philippines with the first Dominican mission in 1587. He became Bishop of Nueva Segovia until he was later appointed Archbishop of Manila in 1601. When Benavides died in July 1605, he donated his library as well as all his personal possessions to be used as the seed of this institution of higher learning. Friar Bernardo de Santa Catalina carried out Benavides's wish and was able to obtain a building near the Dominican church and convent in Intramuros for the college.
In 1609, King Philip III was asked for permission to open the institution, but it was not until 1611 that the permission finally arrived. On April 28, 1611, the notary Juan Illian witnessed the signing of the founding act by the Dominicans Baltasar Fort, Bernardo Navarro and Francisco Minado, who was designated that year as Father Provincial and also First Rector of the College.
The College of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary was established on April 28, 1611, thanks to the library of the late Miguel de Benavides. It later changed its name to the College of Santo Tomás, and Pope Innocent X raised it to the rank of university on November 20, 1645, through the bull In Supreminenti. This made the university the second royal and pontifical university of the Philippines, after the University of San Ignacio, which was founded in 1590 but closed in 1770 due to the expulsion of the Society of Jesus from the Philippines.
Its full name is Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomás, Catholic University of the Philippines. The title of "Royal" was granted by the Spanish King Charles III on March 7, 1785; "Pontifical" by Pope Leo XIII on September 17, 1902, in his constitution Quae Mari Sinico; and the appellation "The Catholic University of the Philippines" by Pope Pius XII on April 27, 1947.
The university was initially located in the walled city of Intramuros in Manila. It was raised by the Archbishop of Manila in the 17th century as a seminary for young aspirants to the priesthood, taking its name from Saint Thomas Aquinas, the great Dominican theologian. The first courses taught by the College of Santo Tomás were canon law, theology, philosophy, logic, grammar, arts, and civil code. In 1871 it began offering courses in medicine and pharmacy, the first in colonized Asia.
At the beginning of the 20th century, with the growing student population, the Dominican fathers bought land in the Sampaloc district of Manila and began construction of the new 220,000 m² campus. In 1927, with the inauguration of the Main Building (which was the first earthquake-resistant building in the Philippines), the new campus was declared open. That same year women were admitted. Over the preceding four centuries, the university gradually became an important institution of higher learning, offering studies in law, medicine and pharmacy, among others. Filipino national heroes, presidents and even saints have graduated from the university.
Since its founding, academic activity has been suspended on only two occasions: between 1898 and 1899 during the Philippine revolution against Spanish control, and from 1942 to 1945 during the Japanese occupation of Manila in World War II. During this period the Japanese turned the campus into a concentration camp for civilians, foreigners and prisoners of war. Some of the most brutal war crimes committed during the war took place at Santo Tomás.[1] Antonio Riestra del Moral, National Delegate of the Spanish Foreign Service, conveyed to the rectorate of this University of Santo Tomás in Manila a text from the SEU congratulating it on the entry of American troops "liberating that people from the domination of an Asian power".[2]
In recognition of the importance of the institution, a large number of foreign dignitaries have officially visited the university over the last three decades: Pope Paul VI on November 28, 1970; King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1974 and 1995; Mother Teresa of Calcutta in January 1977 and again in November 1984; Pope John Paul II on February 18, 1981, and January 13, 1995 (as part of the 1995 World Youth Day)
Today the university has approximately 38,000 students. Out of 50,000 applications for admission, the university admits only 10,000 new students each year, which amounts to 20%.
Seal of the University
The seal of the University of Santo Tomás is a shield quartered by the Cross of the Dominicans. Superimposed on the cross is the sun of Saint Thomas Aquinas, patron of Catholic schools, after whom the university is named.
Surrounding the cross are:
- In the upper left quadrant, the papal tiara, indicating that UST is a pontifical university.
- The upper right shows a lion taken from the coat of arms of Spain, indicating royal patronage during most of the university's existence.
- The lower left is occupied by a lion taken from the coat of arms of the City of Manila, the capital of the country, symbolizing the Republic of the Philippines.
- The rose in the lower right quadrant symbolizes the Virgin Mary, under whose patronage the university was originally founded.
The symbols are shown in gold (except for the Dominican cross, which is black and white), and the background in light blue, the Marian color.[3]
Campus
The main campus of the university is located in the City of Manila, covering an area of 220,000 m².
On the occasion of the fourth centenary of the university's founding, four new campuses are expected to open by 2011. These campuses are Santa Rosa (Philippines), with an area of 440,000 m², General Santos with 800,000 m², and Negombo in Sri Lanka with a 50,000 m² campus.[4][5]
Elcano Squadron
Eduardo González-Gallarza, together with Captains Joaquín Loriga Taboada and Rafael Martínez Esteve, formed the Elcano Squadron, which made the flight between Madrid and Manila on April 5, 1926. The squadron consisted of three Breguet 19 aircraft, and in 39 days they covered the 17,500 kilometers separating the two cities. They were received as heroes by the Filipino population and authorities. The Catholic University of Santo Tomás awarded them the title of "engineer honoris causa".
Alumni
Among others, José Rizal, Filipino national hero, passed through its classrooms, as did the presidents of the Republic Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, José P. Laurel and Diosdado Macapagal. In the 20th century, politicians and figures from the world of culture stood out, such as Brillante Mendoza. In the field of the arts, the musicians Champ Lui Pio and Roll Martínez, members of the alternative rock band Hale, stand out.
See also
- International Council of Universities of Saint Thomas Aquinas
- Education in the Philippines during Spanish rule
- Spanish universities in the Golden Age
- Arch of the Centuries
- List of honorary doctors of the University of Santo Tomas (Philippines)
- Filipinism
References
- ↑ Santo Tomas Internment Camp
- ↑ La extensión falangista en las Filipinas durante la guerra: La prensa española clamaba contra el hostigamiento japonés hacia españoles e incluso se vislumbró la posibilidad de una declaración de guerra al Japón. (in Spanish)
- ↑ Guía del estudiante de la Universidad de Santo Tomás. 2002 edition (in Spanish)
- ↑ Nuevo campus de la UST en Sri Lanka Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine The Varsitarian. Published in July 2004.
- ↑ Fr. Lana’s term (1998-2006) The Varsitarian. Accessed August 6, 2006.
