The University of the Philippines was founded on June 18, 1908, through Act No. 1870 of the Philippine Assembly. The UP resulted from the Secretary of Public Instruction, W. Morgan Schuster's recommendation to the Philippine Commission, the Philippine Assembly's upper house. Act 1870 authorized the Governor-General to establish the University of the Philippines in the "city of Manila, or at any point, he may deem most convenient." The UP gave "advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences, and arts and gave professional and technical training" to every qualified student regardless of "age, sex, nationality, religious belief, and political affiliation."
Much has changed in UP over the past 100 years. From one campus in Manila, it now has eight constituent universities in 17 campuses worldwide. It has 258 undergraduate programs and 438 graduate programs with students from almost every region in the country.
On April 29, 2008, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the new UP Charter or Republic Act 9500. The new charter hopes to prepare UP for its challenges as the country's leading university in the coming years. Efforts for the enactment of a new UP Charter could go back to the term of UP President Edgardo Angara and further studied during the term of UP President Jose Abueva. Armed with the new charter, the university prepares itself for the challenges of the 21st century. With this preparation comes the strengthening of the different units of UP.
From the education of ordinary Filipinos under Americans at the time of UP President Murray Bartlett to its journey onto another century under the stewardship of President Alfredo E. Pascual, the university has produced 30 out of 31 National Scientists, 34 out of 57 National Artists, 7 out of the 14 Presidents of the Republic 12 Chief Justices of the Supreme Court 15,000 doctors 8,000 lawyers 15, 000 engineers 23, 000 teachers and hundreds of thousands of graduates in other academic fields. The UP has more than served its purpose well and has been of faithful service to the nation.
Internationally recognized as the leading educational institution in the country, UP is the only Philippine university in the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), where membership is based on member universities' nomination and votes. UP is also the only Philippine university in the ASEAN-European University Network, a university network offering comprehensive graduate degree programs. It is a founding member of and is one of only three Philippine universities in the ASEAN University Network (AUN).
The University of the Philippines lives as a nerve center for most local and foreign private and government and non-government institutions by providing the much-needed academic, professional, and leadership training at the undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral, and even professional levels. To date, UP, being the National University has Memoranda of Agreement or Memoranda of Understanding with about three hundred foreign academic institutions worldwide that also play a significant role in forming their societies.
The Office of Institutional Linkages is a unit under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. It is mandated to identify and explore areas of cooperation and linkages with foreign and local institutions. It promotes academic collaboration with local and foreign universities in student and faculty and student exchange, joint research, exchange of publication, sponsorship of the conference, and other academic activities. The Office is engaged in the initiation, planning, implementation, and monitoring of linkage activities.
The Office also participates in the implementation of a student exchange program with partner universities. It facilitates UP students' application and endorsement who wish to participate in the exchange program with local or foreign universities. It also assists foreign exchange students studying in UP under the benefit of a memorandum of agreement between their home university and UP System. Currently, the Office is headed by Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and OIL Director, Prof. Rhodora V. Azanza, Ph.D. Below are Prof. Azanza's views on Internationalization and the university.
UP first opened its doors at Calle Isaac Peral (now United Nations Avenue) and Padre Faura in downtown Manila in 1909 with the School of Fine Arts, the College of Liberal Arts the College of Medicine the College of Veterinary Medicine the College of Engineering, the College of Law and the College of Agriculture in Los Baños, Laguna. Its first president was an American named Murray Bartlett. He vowed that the UP must be "for the Filipino" and that it must be "supported by the people's money" with a charter framed by the people's representatives and "its hope based on the confidence and sympathy of the people."
In 1913, the University of the Philippines Alumni Association was established by UP graduates after the College of Law Dean George Malcolm conceived the idea. The student council was organized in 1914 as a body where cases on student discipline were referred to.
