Cebu Schools: Southwestern University

One of the things that we are curious about our parents is their history back in high school and college. I would ask my mother about her lifestyle back when she was a student as well as their other activities in their vacant times. Of course, it’s a nice feeling to know what their lifestyle is about back then compared to today’s standard of living among teenagers and the likes.

Then I asked her from what school she attended her college. She took up Nutrition in Southwestern University and she was certain that things weren’t that convenient for her than it was compared to my education today. However, I’m not going to talk about my mother (until Mother’s Day of course). I’m here to talk about one of the most established universities in Cebu, if not in the Philippines, the SWU, or Southwestern University.

Background

Southwestern University is the most likely institution to have started their operation in summer time. Back in 1946, when the Philippines was still recovering from the World War II era, SWU was founded as Southwestern Colleges. Concerned citizens Don Matias Hipolito Chavez Aznar II and wife Doña Anunciacion Barcenilla Aznar, both pharmacists, saw the need for education retention since the war broke the chain that could’ve preserved the Cebuanos’ need for learning. This problem was provided with a solution when they decided to establish a school within reach of the common citizens.

During the early days of Southwestern University, the institution had three two-storey buildings on the estimated site of two hectares. Don Matias and Doña Anunciacion provided programs in elementary, high school, education and law and liberal arts that is handled with 18 faculty members divided among 509 students.

SWU Today

Gone are the days with only limited teachers and teaching programs. Today, Southwestern University opens at least 50-plus programs in both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Faculty members are expanded to a large number of 400 members plus more than 10,000 students. The structures have also been improved and several building has emerged for years, plus the area has expanded by several-fold. Additionally, SWU has now a drug rehabilitation center, a tertiary hospital and an impressive museum that provides a look in Cebuano lifestyle and art back in the good old days of Cebu.

Since its attainment of the university ranks in the year 1959, Southwestern University has preserved its vision for academic excellence and remains in strive for program accreditations. In 1994, the PAASCU (Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities, granted the official accreditation to SWU’s College of Nursing, College of Commerce, Pharmacy, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Computer Studies, to name a few.