Far Eastern University

History

Far Eastern University was founded in 1934 when the Far Eastern College and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance (IABF) merged. Far Eastern College (now Jose Rizal University), founded in 1919 by Don Vicente Fabella, had been a liberal arts college in Quiapo; the IABF had been established (originally under the name Institute of Accountancy) by Dr. Francisco T. Dalupan Sr. and Dr. Nicanor I. Reyes, Sr., head of the Department of Economics of the University of the Philippines, with a number of other prominent educators in 1928. IABF had been originally predominately used by night students, and the new university, which was supported by the tuition provided by its students rather than government grants.

In its earliest days, FEU was housed in a converted tobacco factory already present on the four hectare (nearly 10 acre) plot which would eventually host the current campus. Reyes Sr. was appointed the first president of the University, which spent its early years establishing several of its institutes, including those of Law and Technology. Reyes commissioned Brother in law Arch. Pablo S. Antonio Sr., who would later be titled National Artist of the Philippines, to construct a building for the school. In 1939, the Nicanor I. Reyes Hall, which would later house the library and Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, opened. Two other buildings by Antonio, the Girls’ High School Building and Boys High School Building, followed in 1940 and 1941, by which year FEU had 10,000 registered students, with an international student population of 400.

During World War II, the campus was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army, who left only its shell unharmed. Dr. Nicanor I. Reyes Sr. having been killed during the occupation, Atty. Hermenegildo Balbino Reyes was appointed the second president of the University when it reopened in 1945.

Thereafter, FEU continued to expand, with the opening of a Science Building and the establishment of the Institute of Medicine and the School of Nursing. In 1955, the FEU hospital was opened. Humanities were introduced in 1959, and in 1970 the Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts opened. Also in 1970, the for-profit status of the Institute of Medicine, School of Medical Technology, FEU Hospital and the Student Health Service Clinic was altered, when these were converted in the FEU Dr. Nicanor I. Reyes Medical Foundation, a non-stock, non-profit educational foundation.

1989 introduced substantial revitalization to FEU that took place over a number of years, with renovation and modernization of facilities and grounds and upgrading of the University's educational standard. This resulted in the accreditation of the Institute of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Education, and the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, and, in the mid-1990s, the Deregulation of the University by the Commission on Higher Education. Enrollment and financial systems were computerized with the help of Oracle in 2001, resulting in efficient archival and retrieval of data. The auditorium was upgraded to accommodate modern stage productions and the new twice-monthly presentations by local and international artists established by the President's Committee on Culture.

University emblems

Manila Campus

Among the buildings on FEU's campus complex, five by late Arch. Pablo S. Antonio Sr. garnered recognition for FEU in 2005 from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), who bestowed the Asia Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage on the university for "the outstanding preservation of its Art Deco structures." The buildings include the Nicanor I. Reyes Hall, the FEU East Asia College of Engineering and Computer Studies, the Law and Nursing Building, Auditorium/Administration Building and the Science Building. The Cultural Center of the Philippines also recognized the historical legacy of the buildings with a marker. Other historical buildings on the campus include the 1950s FEU Chapel, FEU Hospital, and the Arts and Sciences Building, which also represent the International Style.

History

During the 1930s, there was a heavy influence of American culture especially in the field of technology and construction that was reflected in the lives of the Filipinos. Concrete and steel were used by the Americans and was found to be the suitable materials for the tropical environment. These were materialized by Arch. Pablo S. Antonio Sr., a National Artist in creating the FEU campus buildings that reflected both the university's and the country's vision and showed his personal transition from Art Deco to the International Style. The buildings were constructed between the years 1939 to 1950.

Nicanor I. Reyes Hall

The Nicanor I. Reyes Hall is a long, low-rise U-shaped building facing Quezon Boulevard The distinct character of the massive facade are the sets of protruded vertical volumes located on both ends of the structure.

Attention to details is another design focus of the architecture of Pablo S. Antonio Sr. The heavy influence of Art Deco in his architectural style is seen even in transitional elements like the stairs. The outdoor stairs that joins the walkway at the second floor has layers of thin concrete slabs that swirl in waves above the rigid geometry of the handrail.

The physical envelope of the Main Building, now Nicanor I. Reyes Hall, is one of the examples of classic Philippine Art Deco emphasizing the play on geometric forms.

Administration Building

The FEU Administration Building was also constructed by Arch. Pablo S. Antonio Sr. a decade after the Nicanor I. Reyes Hall. It is located at the opposite end of the campus quadrangle that features a facade with geometric architectural details, horizontal windows, and a balcony that extends into a viewing deck at the second floor to observe the activities in the quadrangle.

The Art Deco-inspired FEU Theater can be found inside the Administration Building. it also houses the works of the known Filipino artists, most of them in the Art Deco era. One work is a mural done by Antonio Gonzales Dumlao in the Administration Building which conveys the university mission. At the quadrangle, there is a group of Vicente Manansala copper-sheet sculptures which represent the professional disciplines offered by the university. There are also murals from National Artist Botong Francisco hung in the chapel. Francesco Riccardo Monti also did a bas-relief depicting the American Regime in the Philippines.

Law Building

The Law Building is one of the twin edifices flanking the Administration Building. It is the third building designed by Arch. Pablo S. Antonio Sr. also in the Art Deco Style. Constructed in 1941, it is used to house the Boys' High School which is originally an early basic education program of the university.

The Law Building is one of the twin edifices flanking the Administration Building. It is the third building designed by Arch. Pablo S. Antonio Sr. also in the Art Deco Style. Constructed in 1941, it is used to house the Boys' High School which is originally an early basic education program of the university.The whispers in the morning

Admissions Building

Built in 1940, the FEU Main Building is the mirror image of the Law Building. The building was initially used by the Girls' High School and in 1983 became home to the Institute of Medicine (which now has its own campus in Fairview, Quezon City). In 2015 the building has been renovated and changed its name from FEU-East Asia College Building to the FEU Main Building which was used before by FEU-EAC students. Since there is a newly created building for EAC students they were transferred now to the FEU-Institute of Technology Building located just across FEU campus in Ricardo Papa street.

Science Building

The seven-story building erected in 1950 was also designed by Arch. Pablo S. Antonio Sr. in what is considered a transition of style between Art Deco and the post World War 2 International Style. In 1990, an earthquake caused structural damages to the building making it necessary to demolish the top two floors. By the late 2013 a sixth floor was added. The building now houses the Department of Medical Technology, Psychology, Biology and Mathematics.

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FEU Senior High School

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Athletics

A member of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, FEU participates in 19 UAAP sports, including Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Chess, Fencing, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, and Volleyball for both men and women. Among the many athletes who have attended FEU are Alberto Nogar Sr, Lydia De Vega, Elma Muros, Anthony Villanueva, and Johnny Abarrientos. FEU's teams are named after the tamaraw, a buffalo with a reputation for ferocity.