# Centro Escolar University

Centro Escolar University (Filipino: Pamantasang Centro Escolar; Spanish: Universidad Centro Escolar), commonly referred to as CEU, is a private, non-sectarian, coeducational institution of higher education located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1907 by Librada Avelino and Carmen de Luna, CEU is recognized as one of the oldest modern universities in the Philippines. It operates six campuses, including its main campus in San Miguel, Manila, with additional campuses in Malolos, Las Piñas, Cebu City, and two in Makati (Gil Puyat and Legaspi). CEU offers more than fifty academic programs and is actively involved in research across a range of disciplines.
CEU is accredited by the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines and the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities' Commission on Accreditation (Level IV, the highest level), and has full autonomous status from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). It is certified by the Institute of Corporate Directors, the Department of Trade and Industry, SGS S.A., Arthram International Organization for Standardization, and the ASEAN University Network. In 2006, CEU won the Papal Award Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. In 2022, CEU was awarded with the Safety Seal from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

## History

CEU was established in 1907 by pedagogists Librada Avelino and Carmen de Luna as the Centro Escolar de Señoritas, based in Parañaque. Its main purpose was to teach "ideal womanhood, intelligent citizenry, and democratic leadership that would instill in the tenets of science and virtue." At the time of its establishment, it was the first non-sectarian women's educational institution in the Philippines (now a coeducational educational institution). It founded the College of Pharmacy in 1921, pioneering medical education in the Philippines. Subsequently, the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Education, Business, Dentistry, and Optometry were also established one after another. It began operating as a university in 1930 and in 1932 was converted into a corporation for financial reasons. Its name was then changed to Centro Escolar University, which still holds today. In 2009, the School of Law and Jurisprudence was established.
There is also an Integrated School at CEU, which was established upon the university's founding. It was removed from the Mendiola campus in the mid-1990s and in Malolos in 2004 after nearly 100 years open. It was revived starting in the 2014-2015 academic year as the Centro Escolar Integrated School (CEIS) and is offered in Manila, Malolos, and Makati.
There have been seven presidents in the history of CEU: Librada Avelino (1907-1934); Carmen de Luna (1934-1962); Pilar Hidalgo-Lim (1962-1972); Dionisio Tiongco (1972-1992); Lourdes Talagechauz (1992-2002); Rosita L. Navarro (2002-2006); and Cristina Padolina (2006-present).

## Campuses

CEU has six campuses: the main campus in San Miguel, Manila; the Malolos campus; the Las Piñas campus; the Cebu campus; and the Makati campuses (Gil Puyat and Legaspi). In 2013, CEU expressed interest in expanding to Baguio and Davao City.
* Cebu City - Opened in 2012, the first campus outside of Luzon.
* Las Piñas - Opened in 1975 as Las Piñas College and was acquired by CEU in 2015.
* Makati, Gil Puyat: Opened in 2005. The university is housed within the Philtrust Bank building in Makati's Central Business District.
* Makati, Legazpi Village: Opened in 2007.
* Malolos campus: Opened in 1978. This campus has a teaching hotel called the Ada (after founder Avelino) for the hospitality and tourism program. This campus is also home to the Centrodome, an auditorium that seats 5,000 people.
* Parañaque campus (defunct): The Parañaque campus was phased out in the 1990s.
* Mendiola campus: Mendiola is the university's main campus and is located on Mendiola Street in Manila's University Belt. The university moved here in 1924 from the Sampaloc campus and has a commemorative marker installed by the Philippines Historical Committee in 1952 to memorialize CEU's establishment.
* Sampaloc campus (defunct): When the university started in 1907, it was held in a rented house in the Sampaloc area of Manila. When its student population became too high, it moved to its permanent home in Mendiola.

## Schools

The Graduate School was founded in 1926 during Avelino's presidency, which is the main place for CEU to engage in academic research. CEU Graduate School is the only school in the Philippines that offers a post-doctoral degree in Business Administration-Total Quality Management (TQM).

## Sport

CEU offers varsity sports in basketball, volleyball, futsal, cheerleading, badminton, swimming, Taekwondo, and table tennis. Scorpion varsity teams are part of the Men's National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Women's National Collegiate Athletic Association, Universities and Colleges Basketball League, and the National Capital Region Athletic Association and have played competitions in the Philippine Basketball Association D-League, Breakdown, and the Philippine Basketball League. The men's basketball team on the Malolos campus have been part of the Bulacan Collegiate Athletic Association and Private Schools Athletic Association. Recent coaches of men's basketball include Derrick Pumaren (2018-2019), Jeff Napa (2020), and Chico Manabat (2020–present).

## Notable alumni
### Politics

* Concepcion A. Aguila - Master of Law (1926), Master of Arts (1937) - lawyer, pedagogist, former Executive Director and Dean at CEU, and former UN regional chairman
* Lani Cayetano - BA Mass Communication (1991); Mayor of Taguig (2010-2019, 2022–present); former Representative of the Legislative district of Pateros-Taguig, House of Representatives (2007–2010)
* Aurora Cruz Ignacio- BS major in Commerce, Banking and Finance; SSS President and Chief Executive Officer (2019)
* Alicia dela Rosa Bala- BS Social Work; Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) (2015)
* Gwendolyn Ecleo - Doctor of Dental Medicine (2001); former mayor of Dinagat Township (2004-2013)
* Minerva G. Laudico - BS Social Work (1930s); first women's sectoral representative in the Philippines' House of Representatives, and former president of the United Nations Association of the Philippines.
* Salvador Laurel - elementary (1993-1935); former Vice President of the Philippines
* Laarni A. Malibiran - AB in Mass Communication in Broadcasting and Teaching (2000–2008)
* Fidel V. Ramos - high school (1930s); Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) (1987); former President of the Philippines, 1992–1998.

### Religion

* Rolando Tirona - elementary (1952), high school (1958); Archbishop of Caceres

### Sports

* Alvin Abundo - Hotel and Restaurant Management; PBA player for NorthPort Batang Pier
* Misagh Bahadoran - Dentistry (2010); footballer with Maharlika Manila F.C., futsal player on the Philippines national team
* Vergel Meneses - Integrated School; mayor of Bulakan (2019–present), retired PBA player
* Janine Pontejos - Business Administration; professional WNBL player, Philippine national team member, current basketball coach of the CEU Lady Scorpions