Universidad de Manila


The Universidad de Manila is a city government funded, public local university in Manila, Philippines. Its Main Campus is located at the grounds of Mehan Gardens, near the Central Terminal Station of LRTA Line 1. It has an annex campus in Carriedo Street. It formerly maintained a campus at the 15-storey old PNB Building in Escolta Street but it was razed by a fire in 2015 and was finally demolished in 2016. The Division of City Schools-Manila has its headquarters at the main campus of UDM.
UDM was founded as the City College of Manila by Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. Mayor Lito Atienza renamed it Universidad de Manila in 2006. The school reverted to its original name in 2007 when Mayor Lim retook City Hall. However, a few months into office, he renamed it Gat Andrés Bonifacio University.

History

Universidad de Manila was founded in 1995 during the term of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. It was then located in the old 12-storey high Philippine National Bank Building in the district of Santa Cruz.
In its early years, and before it acquired its current name and status, many controversies haunted the CCM. Among the issues were the low passing rates that it had received and its proposed transformation into a district college of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. PLM and the CCM students opposed the plan; thus, it never materialized.
In early 2005, many environmental groups resisted the construction of the new building at the Mehan Garden, but there were organizations that backed the move. Later on, the City Council unanimously voted in favor of transferring the CCM's main building to the site, and the construction of a five-storey edifice ensued. In that same year, the CCM integrated sports in its curriculum in line with the plan of establishing the Manila Sports Academy, which is tasked to provide free college education to deserving athletes and outstanding performers and develop future sports educators. Additionally, the college took part in the enforcement of English as the medium of instruction.
A year later, Manila City officials, including Mayor Lito Atienza, initiated the elevation of CCM to a university to promote higher learning and provide more opportunities to Manila youth for a quality education. By virtue of the amendments of Ordinance No. 7885, which was authored by majority floor leader Ernesto Dionisio and some members of the majority bloc, the CCM acquired the name Universidad de Manila. During the same year, UDM hosted the International Youth Expo, with the theme, "Showcasing an Ideal World through Visuals."
In 2007, the Commission on Higher Education allowed the UDM to confer postgraduate studies. On November 30 of the same year, during the commemoration of the 144th birth anniversary of Andrés Bonifacio, Lim renamed the school in honor of Bonifacio, who despite of financial difficulties pursued knowledge through self-education.
UDM has three buildings, in the Annex, Escolta and the Main Building.

Colleges

The university's ten colleges offer courses from bachelor to postgraduate degree programs. Degree programs, such as Criminology, Social Work, Physical Therapy and Nursing, are considered as the University's pilot courses.

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in:
For five straight years, the College of Criminology has consistently been ranked by the Professional Regulation Commission as the leading criminology school in the Philippines out of 197 participating schools. At present, UDM's College of Criminology is remained Top 1 in Metro Manila, and Top 5 in the Philippines.
The Department of Nursing is affiliated with Gat. Andres Memorial Medical Center, Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center, and other health centers in Metro Manila. It was recognized as the Top 3 nursing school in the Philippines by the Professional Regulation Commission in the June 2007 Nursing Licensure Examination.
The Department of Physical Therapy is located at the main campus, and it is affiliated with the Philippine Orthopedic Center, RMR Physical and Occupational Therapy Clinic, Veterans Memorial Medical Center, Ospital ng Maynila, Santa Ana Hospital, Dr. Fe Del Mundo Medical Center and Foundation, Medical Center Muntinlupa, Hospicio de San Jose, and other hospitals and health centers in Metro Manila. In the 2007, 2008, and 2010 board examinations, the college produced 100% passing rate; two of its passers ranked second and fourth among the list of top examinees nationwide.

College of Accountancy and Economics (CAE)

The university started with some 2,000 enrollees until its population increased to 6,000. From October 2005 to January 2006, 1,051 students out of 1,600 enrollees graduated in their selected courses. Some 290 students finished the basic computer course while 11 finished the photo silkscreen and signage course. The assessment report prepared by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority showed that 234 examinees passed the knowledge assessment, while 189 passed the skills assessment, which resulted to a 100% passing rate in January 2006.
In 2005, the university had more than 14,000 students, of whom 9,830 were in the college programs.
More than 4,200 others had been trained in ladderized courses. Under this generic program called Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology fall most of the vocational and technical courses like automotive mechanics, hotel and restaurant technology, refrigeration and air-conditioning, among others. More than 3,500 students are housed in its main campus at the Mehan Garden.

Athletics

The University's sports teams are nicknamed the Merlions. Student athletes participate in the Alculympics, National Students Basketball Championship, Manila Youth Games, and other intramural sports.