Saint Louis University (Philippines)

History

In 1907, the CICM missionaries arrived in the Philippines, mandated by the Vatican to Christianize the northern part of the country. They settled in Baguio because of its proximity to Manila and the mountain province of Benguet beyond the Cordillera mountain range, which was home to numerous indigenous tribes. In 1911, Rev. Fr. Séraphin Devesse, CICM, founded a one-room elementary school in Baguio for ten local boys, naming it the Saint Louis School.

In 1915, the St. Louis School expanded, becoming a vocational and trade school. In 1915 it opened a secondary branch. In 1952, the combined efforts of Msgr. William Brasseur and Rev. Fr. Rafael Desmedt founded Saint Louis College, then consisting of three departments: Education, Liberal Arts, and Commerce and Secretarial.

In 1955, the graduate-level programs of Saint Louis College were granted recognition. The real turning point came on 13 May 1963, when Saint Louis College was conferred university status by the Philippine government. The school started with only 75 students with Gerard Decaestecker, CICM, as the first rector. Other courses and developments soon followed under the guidance of the following rectors/presidents:

University seal and motto

The color of the seal of Saint Louis University are white and blue, with a big golden cross in the middle of a shield. The year 1911 shows the foundation date while the motto on the lower part of the seal, "Sapientia Aedificat", expresses the belief of its founders that "wisdom builds."

High school education

Saint Louis University - Laboratory High School (SLU-LHS) was formerly Saint Louis University - Boys' High School. SLU-LHS became coeducational in 2003. Although administered freely from the SLU system, there are some private high schools that link themselves with the university through academic and research exchanges. These are Saint Louis High School - Philex (SLHS-Px), Saint Louis School of Aurora Hill (SLAH), Saint Louis School of Pacdal (SLP), and Saint Louis School Center High School Department (Girls' High).

Elementary education

Saint Louis University - Laboratory Elementary School (SLU-LES) is on Gen. Luna Street, Baguio City. The elementary campus is beside the college campus, and some of the elementary campus' buildings are used by the College of Education (Gonzaga Building). Fr. Ghisleen De Vos Building and Fr. William Brasseur Building are used by the grade school pupils.

Student publications

White & Blue is SLU's official student publication. It is named after the colors representing the Blessed Virgin Mary, with which the CICM is associated. It is run by college students and is under the supervision of the publication adviser from the SLU administration.

There are two annual publications: Sapientia, a black-and-white themed magazine tackling current and relevant events, and a literary folio, Kuwaderno.

Performance

Saint Louis University has always been one of the top performing universities in the Philippines for its excellence in research and passing rates in board exams. SLU is on the top ten universities for their performance in Law, Medicine, Medical Technology (Medical Laboratory Science), Pharmacy, Engineering and Architecture. SLU is concurrently awarded by the Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines as the top performing school in Pharmacy and Medical Technology (Medical Laboratory Science) for its passing rate ranging from 90 to 100%.

Research

SLU's research units are as follows: Business Research Extension and Development (BREAD), Engineering Urban Planning Laboratory (EUPL), Environmental Research Laboratory (ERL), Information and Communications Technology Research Laboratory (ICTRL), Natural Sciences Research Unit (NSRU) and SLU Cordillera Research and Development Foundation (SLU-CRDF).

CICM system of schools

Other school campus include:

Notable alumni