CNU celebrates 100 years

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Normal University will be celebrating its 100th Centennial celebration on Monday, a “late” celebration as it was already established to have been founded in 1902.

Dr. Marcelo Lopez, State Universities and Colleges president, challenged the university community to reform in the “greatness transformation” from good to great.

“We are to make change not just to the Filipino students but to the nation itself,” Lopez said in his speech during the press conference for the centennial celebration of CNU yesterday morning.

CNU, which was founded in 1902, was supposed to celebrate its centennial year in 2002 but the previous university administration failed to prove its actual founding on that date.

It was only later when the National Historical Commission confirmed its creation in 1902 with Samuel MacClintok as the first principal.

Following the strict review of MacClintok’s annual report and upon the approval of the Malacañang of the university logo, the administration was convinced that the university was indeed founded in 1902.

“Base on the historical information, we want to establish what was true then and members of the Board of Regents were surprised that CNU was older than the UP,” Lopez stated. The University of the Philippines was founded in 1908.

When CNU was established in 1902 it was first named the Provincial Normal School. In 1906, the Cebu Provincial High School was established. In 1915, the Cebu Normal School became independent from the PNS. 

From 1941 to 1945, during World War II, CNS was used as the headquarters of Japanese forces. 

In 1967, CNS became Cebu Normal College. In 1976, it was converted into a chartered state college and renamed the Cebu State College.

In 1998, CSC was granted university status, and last February this year, CNU became the first state university to attain a highly-coveted status after its College of Nursing and College of Teacher Education were granted Level 4 accreditation.

“It’s not a crime to celebrate the centennial year at CNU’s 109th year,” Lopez jested, adding that they will return the value of the money spent from the people’s taxes back to the people through education. (FREEMAN)