# Mindanao State University

Mindanao State University (MSU; Filipino: Pamantasang Pampamahalaan ng Mindanao) is a state university system in the city of Marawi, Philippines. It is the first state university in Mindanao, Philippines, established through Republic Act No. 1387 (as amended). It is the second state-sponsored institution in the country, following the University of the Philippines.
The MSU was formally established on September 1, 1961 in Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur, which was claimed to be the heart of Morolandia due to the city being the site of the reference point of all roads in Mindanao. The university was formally established with the first meeting of its Board of Regents in Marawi on August 19, 1961, that resulted into the election of the first president of the University in the person of Antonio S. Isidro, the then vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of the Philippines.

## History

Mindanao State University (MSU) was established on September 1, 1961, through RA 1387, as amended. It was the brainchild 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.
The main campus in Marawi which started with 282 students and 12 faculty members in its pioneering classes in 1962, has now 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, MSU has grown to a multi-campus university of eight autonomous campuses: MSU-Main in Marawi, MSU-IIT in Iligan, MSU-TCTO in Tawi-Tawi, MSU-Naawan in Misamis Oriental, MSU-Maguindanao, MSU-General Santos, MSU-Sulu in Jolo, MSU Buug in Zamboanga Sibugay, and MSU-Bataraza in Palawan.
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 the 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 (MINSUPALA) 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, 16 major colleges were created offering 248 courses.
On January 10, 2001, three CHED supervised institutions — Lanao del Norte Agricultural College (LNAC), Lanao National College of Arts and Trades (LNCAT), and Maigo School of Arts and Trades (MSAT) — were integrated into the MSU System by virtue of CHED Order No. 27 S. 2000 and Republic Act No. 8760.
Classes were temporarily suspended due to the Battle of Marawi which started in May 2017. Some students, faculty, and personnel were evacuated to nearby MSU-IIT in Iligan while others went home to their provinces during the ongoing conflict. The school was unable to hold summer classes in the campus. However, regular in-campus classes resumed in August of the same year after a successful Balik MSU: Somombak Tano sa Pantaw a Mareg campaign to allow faculty and students to return to the campus amidst the ongoing war with security being strictly monitored. The battle in the city officially ended later in October.
On December 3, 2023, a bombing occurred in Dimaporo Gymnasium during a Catholic mass. Four people were confirmed dead and at least 40 people were injured. Classes were temporarily suspended until further notice; as a result, students, faculty, and personnel were repatriated to their home provinces following the incident. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

## Colleges and schools

Colleges
* College of Agriculture (COA)
* College of Business Administration and Accountancy (CBAA)
* College of Education (CED)
* College of Engineering (COE)
* College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (CFAS)
* College of Forestry and Environmental Studies (CFES)
* College of Health Sciences (CHS)
* College of Hospitality and Tourism Management (CHTM)
* College of Information and Computing Sciences (CICS)
* College of Law (COL): It has two extensions in Iligan and General Santos.
* College of Medicine (COM) — in Iligan
* College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM)
* College of Public Affairs (CPA)
* College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH)
* College of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (CSPEAR)
* King Faisal Center for Islamic, Arabic and Asian Studies (KFCIAAS)
* Graduate Studies (GS)
High Schools
* MSU - Institute of Science Education – Science High School (MSU-ISED-SciHS)
* MSU – Integrated Laboratory School (MSU-ILS)
* MSU – University Training Center (MSU-UTC)
* MSU – Marawi Senior High School (MSU-MSHS)
High Schools (External Units) managed by the Office of the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
* MSU – Balindong Community High School
* MSU – Balo-i Community High School
* MSU – Binidayan Community High School
* MSU – Lopez Jaena Community High School
* MSU –Malabang Community High School
* MSU – Marantao Community High School
* MSU – Masiu Community High School
* MSU – Tamparan Community High School
* MSU – Taraka Community High School
* MSU – Tugaya Community High School
* MSU – Saguiaran Community High School
* MSU – Siawadato Community High School
* MSU – Wao Community High School

### Autonomous University Campuses

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
* Mindanao State University – Marawi (Main Campus)
** Mindanao State University Main Campus – Sindangan Extension
** Mindanao State University Main Campus – Bataraza Extension (the first MSU campus outside Mindanao, located in Bataraza, Palawan)
* Mindanao State University – Maguindanao
* Mindanao State University – Sulu
* Mindanao State University – Lanao National College of Arts and Trades
* Mindanao State University – Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography (formerly Sulu College of Technology and Oceanography in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi which was created by RA no. 6060)
Northern Mindanao (Region X)
* Mindanao State University at Naawan
* Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology
* Mindanao State University – Lanao del Norte Agricultural College
* Mindanao State University – Maigo School of Arts and Trades
SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII)
* Mindanao State University – General Santos City
Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)
* Mindanao State University – Buug