Mapúa University

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Mapúa University

Former name	Mapúa Institute of Technology (1925–2017)
Motto	Learn, Discover, Create
Type	Private, Nonsectarian, Research
Established	1925; 96 years ago (1925)
Academic affiliations	Intramuros Consortium, PACUCOA, ABET
President	Reynaldo B. Vea
Academic staff	approx. 900
Undergraduates	approx. 16,000
Location	658 Muralla St. Intramuros, Manila , Metro Manila , Philippines
Campus	Urban Main Intramuros Campus: 1.79967 hectares (17,996.7 m2) Satellite 'Makati Campus: .8500 hectares (8,500 m2)
Hymn	"The MIT Hymn"
Colors	Red Gold
Nickname	Mapúa Cardinals
Sporting affiliations	NCAA (Phil),
Mascot	Cardinals
Website	www.mapua.edu.ph

Mapúa University, formerly named Mapúa Institute of Technology and also referred to by its acronym MU is a private, non-sectarian, research-oriented higher education institution located in Intramuros, Manila and in Makati.

It was founded in 1925 by the first registered Filipino architect, Tomás Mapúa, a graduate of Cornell University. After he died, the tradition was continued by his children, Óscar M. Mapúa Sr., a graduate in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Gloria M. Mapúa-Lim.

The university's Civil Engineering program has been granted the Level IV Accredited status by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA), which is one of the first engineering programs to be accorded such status.^[1][2] The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has also recently recognized Mapúa's Mechanical Engineering (ME), Computer Engineering (CpE), Civil Engineering (CE),Environmental and Sanitary Engineering (EnSE), Chemical Engineering (CHE), Electrical Engineering (EE), Information Technology (IT) and Electronics Engineering (ECE) programs as Centers of Excellence for Engineering (COE), while Industrial Engineering (IE) and Computer Science (CS) programs as a Center of Development.

Mapúa University is also the first Philippine and Southeast Asian educational institution to have ABET certification.

History[]

Early activities[]

The institute was founded on January 25, 1925, by Tomás B. Mapúa, a graduate of Cornell University and the first registered Filipino architect and Civil Engr. Gonzalo T. Vales. At first, the institute only offered architecture and civil engineering programs. It is the first educational institution in the Philippines to offer a bachelor's degree in architecture.^[4] When the school opened in 1925, there were 75 students and 15 faculty members. Classes were held in a rented commercial building in Carriedo Street near Feati University in Quiapo, Manila. In 1928, the Mapúa Institute of Technology Pre-Engineering High School was established in Doroteo Jose Street (now present site of Amaia Skies Tower Avenida developed by Ayala Group) through Rizal Avenue Sta. Cruz Manila. Then in 1930, Mapúa joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association as the Mapúa Cardinals.^[4]

World War II and after-war development[]

During World War II, Mapúa's Intramuros Campus was used as a garrison by the Japanese forces during the occupation of Manila, and all classes and organisations were suspended. The Institute would continue to suffer throughout the war as the effort of the Institute to continue the studies of the students were suspended and Senior students were forced to prematurely graduate. In 1945 the Institute suffered total destruction during the liberation. As a part of the rehabilitation program, the former De Luxe Fashion School in Doroteo José was Leased Lot property for 50 years (1948-1998) and housed the high school department in 1948. In 1951, the Don Tomas B. Mapúa family acquired a piece of land from the La Corporación Fransicana where the present Intramuros Campus stands. The campus opened at 1956 and the building construction was completed in 1963. All college programs under deanship of Engr. Gonzalo T. Vales were transferred from the Doroteo José campus to the Intramuros Campus in 1973. Tomas B. Mapúa died on December 22, 1965 and his son Óscar Sr. took over the presidency until his death in 1998.^[4]

It was under Tómas B. Mapúa, and later his son Óscar Sr., that the institute gained prominence as an engineering school. During this period, the institute took the top 10 and even the top 20 slots in most licensure exams for architecture and engineering.^{[citation needed]} It also achieved the highest passing rates in the board exams among other competing schools in architecture and engineering.^[4]

Yuchengco administration[]

When Oscar Mapúa Jr., grandson of Tomás B. Mapúa, took over the presidency of the school, he served his duties until December 1999 only. He was replaced by Reynaldo B. Vea as the Mapúa family sold the institute to the Yuchengco Group of Companies (YGC) headed by Alfonso T. Yuchengco

In 2002, the old RCBC Building on Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. in Makati was purchased and converted into the Mapúa Makati Campus, where the School of Information Technology was moved from the Intramuros Campus. A spin-off of the School of IT, the Mapúa IT Center, as the Makati Campus is named, was established. The MITC offers 2-year diploma programs that eventually lead into an associate degree ladderized to the bachelor's degree (4-year) IT courses of Mapúa.

Starting 2002, Mapúa, which originally was on a semestral system, adopted the quartem system. This academic system was intended to allow students to graduate faster (e.g. the original 5-year engineering programs could be taken in four years) and to focus on less, interrelated course subjects in an 11-week term. On the other hand, Mapúa High School was closed down on 2005, since it was operated in the red. Along with the establishment of the Malayan High School of Science and Malayan Colleges Laguna, the Administration intends to encompass all its educational institutions under the name Malayan Colleges, to be later pushed through to university status as is under the Vision 2020 initiative with Mapúa Institute of Technology as the College of Engineering.

On May 18, 2017, Mapúa Institute of Technology has been formally granted University Status, per Commission en banc Resolution No. 379-2017, dated May 9, 2017 at the CHED Auditorium in Diliman, Quezon City.

On January 8, 2018, Yuchengco Group of Companies and Ayala Corporation, through a joint press statement, has announced the possible merger of their education arms, namely Ayala Education, Inc. and iPeople, Inc, with the iPeople, Inc. being the surviving entity. It has been stated that the potential merger will be finalized in the first quarter of 2018. This brings together AEI's APEC Schools, University of Nueva Caceres, National Teachers College, and iPeople's Malayan Education System, operating under the name Mapúa University and its subsidiaries, Malayan Colleges Laguna (MCL) and Malayan Colleges Mindanao (MCM) a combined student population of over 60,000 .

On May 2, 2019, the merger between AC Education and iPeople was completed, with the Yuchengco Group of Companies owning 51.3% of iPeople and Ayala Corporation with 33.5% share of the said company.

Campus[]

Intramuros

Intramuros Campus[]

The Mapúa Intramuros Campus is located within the walls of Intramuros in Manila. Accessible from the campus are malls and recreational centers such as SM City Manila behind the Manila City Hall, Robinson's Place Ermita, Harrison Plaza in Vito Cruz, Rizal Park and the Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard. The Intramuros Campus holds the Architecture, Engineering, Multimedia and Visual Arts, and Social Science programs. The campus underwent through a lot of renovation in the past and is equipped for further studies in the fields of engineering.

Outside the Intramuros Campus

The Intramuros Campus consists of 7 interconnected buildings:

• The Juan Mapúa Memorial Hall (Administration Building) houses the Registrar's Office and the Treasury
• The South Building houses the Multimedia Arts and Sciences, Digital Cinema, Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental and Sanitary Engineering, Architecture and Industrial Design Facilities, and Senior High School classrooms.
• The Southwest Building serves as the intersection of the West and South Building. It also houses the Multimedia and Visual Arts Facilities and Senior High School classrooms.
• The West Building houses the Canteen, the Physics department, audio visual rooms, the library, and Senior High School classrooms.
• The Northwest Building serves as the intersection of West and North Building
• The North Building houses the Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Earth and Material Science and Engineering, Psychology Department, Graduate Studies Facilities, and Senior High School classrooms.
• The East Building, recently renamed as the Yuchengco Innovation Center, houses the institute's new laboratories for research and development purposes. It stands on where the Student Pavilion used to be.
• The Southeast Building serves as an extension of the South Building that directly faces the East Building. It houses the security office, the bookstore, and the admission's office.

Inside the Intramuros Campus

Additional Facilities:

• Gymnasium: The place where Physical Education activities are held, as well as game and concert events, and academic advising proceedings during enrollments.
• St. Rita's Chapel: The chapel near the North entrance of the institute. It is where masses are regularly held and extends to the east side as the Guidance's office.

There are reports that Mapúa-Intramuros will start further expanding its infrastructure at the end of its 86th Foundation Week Celebration. This expansion mainly includes the Gymnasium Area and the Juan Mapúa Memorial Hall.

Makati Campus[]

MITC Building, Makati Campus

The Mapúa Information Technology Center (MITC) is located in Makati and occupies the former RCBC building at the corner of Gil Puyat Avenue and Nicanor Garcia Street. Accessible from the campus are malls and recreational centers such as the Ayala Center. Aside from the associate degrees held by the Mapúa IT Center, the Makati Campus hosts the Senior High School, School of Information Technology and ETY School of Business & Management. The campus is equipped with appropriate equipment to support the Information Technology programs. The Makati Campus' library is equipped with electronic resources and offers the Library Plus service by default.

The Makati Campus is a building with three floors:

• Ground Floor
  • West Wing: Prayer Room, Computer Laboratories
  • East Wing: MITC Facilities
• Second Floor
  • West Wing: Faculty Rooms, Student Lounge, Cisco Lecture and Laboratory Rooms
  • East Wing: MITC Computer Laboratories, Cardinal Hall
• Third Floor
  • West Wing: Library, Skills Laboratory, Lecture Rooms
  • East Wing: Audio Visual Rooms, Biology and Chemistry Laboratories, Lecture Rooms, Canteen

Student life[]

Innovations[]

• Mapúa was the first institute in the Philippines^{[citation needed]} to feature a RFID or Radio Frequency ID card system which they call "CARDINAL Plus" which stands for CARD and Integrated Network Access Log-in Plus.^{[citation needed]} It is a two-piece plastic PVC card with a microchip and antenna inserted in between. The CARDINAL Plus functions not only as an identification card but acts as a Library card as well. It also has the capability to store student logs, grades, guidance records, schedules, and more. As a security measure, all students flash their cards on top of the readers at the entrance. A person will be identified easily with his photo and information appearing on the monitor. It also serves as an ATM Card. Other schools adopted the RFID identification system later on.
• Mapúa has its own SIM card, the Mapúa Cardinal SIM which is powered by Smart Communications. The Cardinal SIM contains all the usual features of a regular Smart SIM card with the addition of the MapúaTXT service, which allows students to receive important school announcements and check for the remaining matriculation charges on their mobile phones.^[5]
• In 2016, ABET has also accredited Mapúa's Biological Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering—having a total of 13, thus holding the most number of ABET-accredited programs in a single campus in the Philippines.
• The Mapúa Robotics Team is a pioneering organization that has been granted several major projects by the Philippine Navy, the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine National Police intending to modernize the weapons and equipment used by the Philippine government. Projects, to name a few, include the following:^[6]
  • Mechanical Anti-terrorist Concept or MAC (a bomb-defusal robot now used by the PNP-Makati)
  • The Project Trident Strike (a remotely operated sentry gun mounted in naval gunships and perimeter defenses)
  • Project Phalanx, a compact version of the Trident Strike.
  • MAC-2 (an improved version of the first Mechanical Anti-Terrorist Concept), will be released by the Robotics Team by February 2010.
  • The Philippine Electric Vehicle (electric car designed for urban mass transportation sponsored by the DOST)
  • The Submersible Rover (a scouting equipment for the Philippine Navy)
• The institute's Civil Engineering program has received Level 4 Accredited Status from the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation as of January 2009, the first engineering program that has been granted this status in the Philippines.
• The institute, effective on first term of AY 2011-2012, is pioneering the program Technical Communication (TechComm) under the School of Languages, Humanities and Social Sciences; the Institute is the first to offer the program in the Philippines.

Malayan controversy[]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2021)

On February 10, 2005, as a part of Mapúa's plans for elevating the institute to university status, the administration announced the renaming of the institute to Malayan University, inspired by the name of the insurance company owned by the Yuchengcos, the Malayan Insurance Company. But while waiting to become eligible for university status, the name "Malayan Colleges" will be used and the name "Mapúa Institute of Technology" will be retained for the College of Engineering, Architecture and IT.^[7] This move was very unpopular with the students and the alumni.^[7] On February 14, 2005, the students protested outside the campus, clad in black shirts protesting against the decision of the administration and criticized them for not consulting the students before making such a decision. This event has been called as the "Black Valentine" protest.^[8] Despite the efforts of the students, faculty and alumni against the decision, the Board of Trustees and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED Philippines) have approved the name change and will be implemented in the near future.^[when?]

Notable Mapúans[]

References[]