By MERLINA R. HERNANDO
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Far Eastern University started out as a dream, born virtually out of its founder's head, Dr. Nicanor Reyes in 1928 with the help of a reputed group of educators from the Department of Economics in University of the Philippines. The university practically began life as the Institute of Accountancy that initially offered a three-year program designed to meet the minimum requirements for the certified public accountant examination. In order to respond to the needs of the times, the Institute soon branched out to other fields of study. A year after, it became the Institute of Accounts, Business, and Finance (IABF).
In November 1933, FEU became a result of the fusion of Far Eastern College–which offered courses in the liberal arts–founded in 1991 and the IABF–which offered courses in accountancy, economics, business administration, and banking and finance–founded in 1929.
Being the first president of the university, Dr. Reyes envisioned a school that would promote the teaching of accounting to Filipinos. The 30's and 40's became the building years of FEU.
When the Pacific War broke out, the FEU campus became the headquarters of the Kempetai, right in the heart of Manila. Aside from burning and destroying the university records and facilities, the enemy forces also took the life of the great founder and some of his family members.
Though bereft of its founding president, the university reopened in 1945 and ran by eminent educators as presidents–Dr. Hermenigildo Reyes, Jaime Hernandez, Dr. Francisco Dalupan, Clemente Uson, Dr. Leoncio Monson, Belen Enrile-Gutierrez, Dr. Vidal Tan, Dr. Teodoro Evangelista and the founder's eldest son, Dr. Nicanor Reyes, Jr.
After embarking on a massive expansion program of physical plant and facilities to accommodate its growing student population and to cope with the demands of modern, relevant education for a developing country during the post-liberation years, FEU also geared towards elevating the level of academic excellence by advanced instruction and professional training to qualified students by establishing the Institute of Graduate Studies. Various curricula were also reviewed which paved the way for new academic programs.
And with the pronounced effort to upgrade the faculty, the research program, and the physical plant, the university climbs moved further towards quality education.
For the past years since its founding, FEU has produced business tycoons, ambassadors, justices of Supreme Court and other judicial bodies, technocrats in private and government sectors, finance wizards, acclaimed physicians, nurses, educators, theater and media luminaries and so many others in different fields of expertise.
PRESENT TIMES
There is more to FEU that meets the eye. Aside from being an architectural landmark and the campus being abundant with the works of national artists like like by Carlos 'Botong' Francisco Vicente Manansala, Nick Joaquin for the FEU Hymn and several pieces of Fernando Amosolo's paintings and having been able to produce prominent people in their respective fields, FEU also offers the students quality education under the tutelage of its esteemed academics.
The university has a whole range of courses offered in different institutes from the Institute of Arts and Sciences, Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance– the largest institute, Institute of Education, Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts, Institute of Nursing, Institute of Law, Institute of Graduate Studies, College of Engineering and College of Computer Studies.
According to FEU president Lydia Echauz, DBA, the university is a premiere education institution in the University Belt. “It is a university of choice among high school graduates because FEU has had long and rich history in education, culture, arts and sports,” she enthuses. In addition to academic excellence, the university strives to impart a well-rounded education by providing alternatives to students. Citing the recent bagging of championship by the FEU Tamaraws in UAAP's last season, Dr. Echauz says, “The quality of excellence, teamwork and hard work is the kind of quality we want to see in all aspects of university life.”
When it comes to the students, she describes them to be “hard-working, persevering, diligent, and dedicated.” Having 38 student organizations, clubs, and societies, FEU provides more options for their students to join and enhance whatever their talents have. As of the moment, the FEU has around 4,000 scholars of different kinds such as high school valedictorians and salutatorians, academic scholars, athletes, dance, theater and choir members among so many others. Aside from having a very clean and well maintained campus framed in huge decade-old trees that give the FEU students the best environment conducive for learning, the university constantly comes up with innovations. “As a university, we are in the mode of continuous improvement in all aspects–physically, academically, quality of personnel, operations, and services,” she points out.
Being in the forefront of education, FEU continues to redefine 'quality' in terms of innovations. As of now, there has been a lot of acquisition of equipment–especially IT, engineering and nursing laboratory equipment–that meet the demands of times. The installation of an E-library, the construction of a new building and a construction of a 10-storey soon are also some of the results of the continuous campus upgrading. In terms of offering new academic programs, Echauz–being an outstanding business educator–proudly introduces the JD-MBA program, which is a tie-up with DLSU.
“The right thing about these changes is that everyone is gung-ho and very upbeat about the university,” she says. Under Echauz's leadership, the efforts made by the previous administrators are being continued particularly in moving up to Level III accreditation of CHED, further upgrading of computerization, and establishment of wider academic linkages.
As it draws inspiration from the teachings of the times, the 76 year-old university aims to be the leading private, non-sectarian institution of learning in the country that strives to produce principled and competent graduates. Standing out like a well-crafted jewel in a city which itself is awakening to the value of urban renewal, campus bares the soul of a venerable institution which fires up a passion for knowledge and excellence.
