Mindanao State University is a public coeducational institution of higher education and research in the Islamic city of Marawi, Philippines. Founded in 1961, it is the flagship and the largest campus of the Mindanao State University System. MSU Marawi Campus has distinctions as the Regional Science Training Center, the Regional Carabao Center, and one of the country's Center of Excellence in Teacher Education and one of the country's COE in Teacher Education and Chemistry and COD for Information Technology. The university has a mandate to integrate the Christians, Moros, and Lumads of Mindanao.
History
Mindanao State University was established on September 1, 1961 through RA 1387, as amended, was the brain child of the late Senator Domocao Alonto, as one of the government's responses to the so-called “Mindanao Problem”. The original mission of the university was anchored on instruction, research, and extension. The 1954 Congressional Committee conceptualized it as a social laboratory for national integration. For the main campus in Marawi City starting with 282 students and 12 faculty members in its pioneering classes in 1962, it has grown to a multi-campus supra-regional university system, serving over 69,000 students in all levels with nearly 3,100 faculty members. It is the only university directly charged by the government to advance the cause of national unity and actively pursue integration through education. Today, MSU has units in areas which cut across the Mindanao regions. From a one campus university in Marawi City, MSU has grown to a multi-campus university of eight autonomous campuses: MSU-Main in Marawi City, MSU-IIT in Iligan City, MSU-TCTO in Tawi-Tawi, MSU-Naawan in Misamis Oriental, MSU-Maguindanao, MSU-General Santos, MSU-Sulu in Jolo, and MSU Buug in Zamboanga Sibugay. The mandates of the university are
To perform the traditional functions of a university namely: instruction, research and extension service;
To help accelerate the program of the integration among the peoples of Southern Philippines, particularly the Muslims and other cultural minorities;
To provide trained manpower skills and technical know-how for the economic development of the Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan region in Bangsamoro.
The initial batch of students to enroll in the University on June 13, 1962 passed the scholarship examination administered by the National Science Development Board. The 282 freshmen students were in the top 5% of their high schools in the MINSUPALA region in Bangsamoro. Their teachers were 12 regular Filipino faculty members and a number of volunteers from the U.S. Peace Corps, British Voluntary Service Overseas, Volunteers in Asia, Ford Foundation, Fulbright Foundation and others. Baccalaureate courses were offered by the pioneering colleges: Liberal Arts, Education and Community Development to which four more were added in the subsequent school year 1964-65 – Agriculture, Fisheries, Business Administration and Engineering. In July 1969, the College of Forestry was added. To meet the growing demands of the region, 12 major colleges/units were created/restructured. On January 10, 2001, three CHED supervised institutions — Lanao Norte Agricultural College, Lanao National College of Arts & Trade, and Maigo School of Arts and Trade — were integrated into the MSU System by virtue of CHED Order No. 27 S. 2000, per Republic Act No. 8760. Classes were temporarily suspended due to the 2017 Battle of Marawi which started in May in the same year. Students, faculty, and personnel were evacuated to nearby MSU-IIT in Iligan City during the ongoing conflict. The school was re-opened in August still on the same year amidst the ongoing war with security being strictly monitored. The battle in the city officially ended later in October.
