Manila Central University (MCU), formerly known as the Escuela de Farmacia del Liceo de Manila, is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

non-sectarian Nonsectarian institutions are secular institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group. Academic sphere Many North American universities identify themselves as being nonsectarian, such as B ...

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

basic and higher

education institution An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments a ...

located on

EDSA Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA (), is a major Ring road, circumferential road around Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. It passes through 6 of Metro Manila's 17 local government units or citi ...

Caloocan Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan (; ), is a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,661,584 people making it the fourth-most populous city in the Philippines. Caloo ...

, Philippines. It was founded in 1904 by Alejandro M. Albert, who also was its first director. MCU is the first

pharmacy school The basic requirement for pharmacists to be considered for registration is often an undergraduate or postgraduate pharmacy degree from a recognized university. In many countries, this involves a four- or five-year course to attain a bachelor of ...

run by Filipinos, and the first

nursing school Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

that offered the four-year

Bachelor of Science in Nursing The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN, BScN) also known in some countries as a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) or Bachelor of Science (BS) with a Major in Nursing is an academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by an accredited ...

program in the Philippines. The patron of the university is

Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...

. MCU was a member university of the

University Athletic Association of the Philippines The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), established in 1938, is an athletic association of eight Metro Manila universities in the Philippines. The eight-member schools are Adamson University (AdU), Ateneo de Manila Univ ...

from 1952 to 1962.

History

Manila College of Pharmacy NHCP historical Marker

In 1903, at the request of several students from the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

and other nearby schools, Alejandro Albert organized a private review class. The review class developed into the Escuela de Farmacia del Liceo de Manila in 1904, with Albert as the founder and director. Later on, due to the steady increase in enrollment, it was transformed into the Manila College of Pharmacy, with Leon Maria Guerrero, Antonio Llamas, Feliciano Paterno and Filemon Tanchoco Sr. as the incorporators. It was the first educational institution of its kind established and managed by

Filipinos Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...

. Its initial organization was barely four years after the establishment of the Philippine education system. In 1929 its board of trustees, answering a long-felt need for the training of the youth for dental services, opened the college of

Dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...

. Manila College of Pharmacy became then the Manila College of Pharmacy and Dentistry in the pre-war era.

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

closed its portals in 1941. During the Japanese occupation, the enemy looted its facilities, laboratory, equipment, and museums. During the liberation period, it was further looted of everything but the shell of its two buildings. After the liberation of the Philippines, the board of trustees reorganized the college into Manila Central Colleges. In addition to

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

and Dentistry, the reorganized institution offered courses in

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

and postgraduate courses in pharmacy. In 1947, the College of Medicine was added. In 1948, it became the Manila Central University after opening the

College of Nursing A college of nursing is an educational institution that provides nursing education, often part of a university. College of Nursing may also refer to: *Australian College of Nursing, a professional body for nurses in Australia, created by merging t ...

and Graduate School. In 1949, the MCU inaugurated its 10-hectare campus in Caloocan. The colleges of

Optometry Optometry is the healthcare practice concerned with examining the eyes for visual defects, prescribing corrective lenses, and detecting eye abnormalities. In the United States and Canada, optometrists are those that hold a post-baccalaureate f ...

and

Midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

, and the

High School A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

and

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

departments were opened. The university's varsity team, the Tigers, competed in the

from 1952 to 1962. MCU's best finish in the centerpiece seniors basketball tournament was runner-up to

University of the East The University of the East (), also known as UE, is a private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the "largest university in Asia" when i ...

in 1958.

Colleges

* College of Medicine * College of Nursing * College of Pharmacy * College of Dentistry * College of Optometry * College of Medical Technology * College of Physical Therapy * College of Arts and Sciences * School of Business and Management * Institute of Education * Graduate School *Basic Education Department

Sports program

The Manila Central University was a member of the

(UAAP) from 1952 until their withdrawal in 1962. They have won the women's volleyball championships in Seasons 20 and 24.

Notable alumni

*Salvador Flores, brigadier general *Rizalino Garcia, brigadier general * Uchenna Ikonne, optometry professor * José Corazón de Jesús, poet *

Teodoro Kalaw Teodoro Manguiat Kalaw (March 31, 1884 – December 4, 1940) was a Filipino scholar, legislator, and historian in Spanish language. Early life Kalaw was born in Lipa, Batangas, Lipa, Batangas, on March 31, 1884. He was the third of four ch ...

, legislator and scholar * Serapion Torre, poet *Arsenio Luz, businessman and journalist * Iñigo Ed. Regalado, writer * Rico Robles, disc jockey * Zaldy Zshornack, actor (MCU high school) *

Elijah Alejo Elijah Christian Ong Alejo (; born November 13, 2004) is a Filipino actress. She is known for both her antagonist role in '' Prima Donnas'' as Brianna and her protagonist role in ''Underage'' as Chynna. Early life and career She studied senior ...

, actress (MCU senior high school)

References

External links