Bulacan State University

Bulacan State University (BulSU or BSU; Filipino: Pamantasang Pampamahalaan ng Bulacan) is a public university in Bulacan province, Philippines. Its main campus is in Malolos.

BulSU or BSU originated as a secondary school in 1904 ran by the Americans, and has now progressed into one of the biggest educational institutions in Region III.

The university is mandated to provide technical training and to promote research, advanced studies, and progressive leadership. It has been identified by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as one of the Center for Excellence and Development institutions in the country and one of the Training Centers nationwide for teachers pursuing education in areas beyond their specialization.

History

American invasion era

The Bulacan State University started as an intermediate school in 1904. It was established during the early years of the American occupation by virtue of Act 74 of the Philippine Commission in 1901, which created the then Department of Public Instruction with the mandate to establish schools in every pueblo (town) of the country and reorganize those already existing. Instructions in the intermediate schools established during that time were supplemented with trade or industrial instruction.

Upon the implementation in 1918 of the Philippine Autonomy Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1916, the Bulacan Trade School was formally turned-over to the Filipinos with Mr. Basilio Abiado as its first Filipino principal.

Post-war

In 1945, after repairing the damage suffered during the Second World War; the school reopened with a few hand tools and materials donated by the U.S. army stationed in the provincial capitol. With the steady increase in enrollment, more buildings were constructed. In 1949, the United States Information Service (USIS) donated two Quonset huts, which were used as shops and classrooms.

On June 20, 1953, the school was nationalized under R.A. NO. 908 and became the Bulacan National Trade School.

By virtue of Republic Act 1800, the Bulacan National Trade School was converted into the Bulacan School of Arts and Trades (BSAT) on July 1, 1957. The school offered the two-year post-secondary courses with specializations in automotive, machine shop and girls' trade courses.

By virtue of Republic Act 4470, the Bulacan School of Arts and Trades (BSAT) was converted into the Bulacan College of Arts and Trades (BCAT) on June 19, 1965. The college began to expand its technical and technician course offerings by adding shop specialization.

In 1967, it offered the four-year Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education (BSIE) with majors in drafting, machine shop practice, woodworking and automotive, cosmetology, electronics and electricity.

From 1968 to 1973, the five-year engineering programs were added to the courses offered by the college.

In 1977, the college started offering graduate program, the Master of Arts in Teaching with majors in technical and vocational subjects.

In 1983, the college continued to expand its curricular offerings and develop its facilities to meet the needs of the growing student population. The teacher education curriculum added more major fields of specialization in secondary education. New majors in the engineering program were also added. Doctoral program was offered and new majors in the master's program were introduced.

Tragedy

In August 2014 during a fieldtrip to the Madlum Cave, seven students of Bulacan State University were swept after heavy rains which triggered a flash flood while crossing the Madlum river located in San Miguel, Bulacan.

Campus

Main campus

The BSU Main Campus is situated along MacArthur Highway in Brgy. Guinhawa, Malolos, Bulacan, Philippines.

Bahay-Saliksikan ng Bulacan

The university's Bahay-Saliksikan ng Bulacan (Center for Bulacan Studies) was established on November 24, 1997, by the Samahang Pangkasaysayan ng Bulacan, Inc. (Historical Association of Bulacan, Inc.) with the assistance of Bulakeño (Bulakenyo) scholars including Jose Tantoco and Jaime Veneracion of the University of the Philippines Diliman, to collect, promote, study, and research Bulacan's rich and diverse history, culture, environment, archaeology and others that concern the province, that would help enforce and create public policies and programs for either Bulacan or other provinces within Luzon area. It is funded by the Provincial Government of Bulacan in 2004 and listed by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (Commission on the Filipino Language) as a Pambansang Alagad ng Wika (National Authority on the Filipino Language). In 2018 through the lead of the Commission on Higher Education the BulSU Bahay Saliksikan ng Bulacan started the operation of the Bulacan Cultural Material Laboratory designed to analyzed, accession and conserve different kinds of materials culture that can be found in Bulacan and nearby provinces.

Smart-BulSU Wireless Laboratory

To promote and upgrade the quality of engineering education, the university partnered with Smart Communications, Inc. on the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), the first industry-academe partnership in the country that seeks to improve the level of technology and engineering education, particularly in the field of Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE). SWEEP was launched on March 28, 2003, with the inauguration of the "first wireless laboratory".

MEE-ART Center

The faculty of the College of Engineering now trains technicians and engineers sent by local industries, visiting faculty, and senior students from different universities in the country. With industrial-type equipment and overseas-trained instructors, the university, through its Mechatronics Engineering – Automation Research and Training (MEE-ART) Center, offers a short-term training courses in basic and advanced pneumatics, industrial automation, mechatronics, electro-pneumatics, and programmable logic control.

Institute of Local Government Administration

The Institute of Local Government Administration is the primary extension agency of BulSU. Instituted in 1995 in partnership with the Local Government Academy of the Department of Interior and Local Government and the provincial government of Bulacan, the Institute actively promotes the knowledge, skills attitudes and values that make for effective, efficient, responsive and service-oriented local governance in the cities and the countryside.

International participation

The new millennium saw Bulacan State University going global and participating in cross-border education with other Asian countries such as South Korea, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. The university signed agreements with educational institutions in these countries for the offering of various programs of the BSU especially the doctoral and master's programs. The university, in partnerships with Korean institutions, also hosts Korean students for their English language course. These programs paved the way for the on-going students and faculty exchanges and visitations with those institutions abroad.

Hong Kong campus

In 2003, BSU Hong Kong Campus in Nathan Road, Yaumatei, Hong Kong was institutionalized by virtue of a Memorandum of Agreement signed between Bulacan State University and Hong Kong Lifelong Education Organization (HKLEO).

The Hong Kong Campus was accredited and recognized by Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Accrediting Agency for Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP), Inc., International Association of Universities (IAU) and the Ministry of Education of China.

Confucius Institute

The Office of Chinese Language Council International signed an agreement with Bulacan State University on June 22, 2007, to jointly established a Confucius Institute. The institute was formally launched on February 28, 2009, with the Northwest University in Xi'an, China that serves as the Chinese partner of the Confucius Institute.

During the signing ceremony, it was announced that the Confucius Institute will offer various Chinese courses, conduct Chinese cultural activities and hold HSK examinations in the hope of meeting the demands of Filipinos for Chinese and strengthening communication and friendship between the two peoples.

The Confucius Institute at Bulacan State University is the second CI established in the country and the first CI in a state university.

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)