MSU-IIT History
Although MSU-IIT only comes officially into being on July 12, 1968, to talk about its history necessitates a quick mention of the series of schools that used to occupy the space where the present campus now sits.
The first educational institution to be established in the Iligan location is the Iligan Junior High School (1946). The school is renamed Iligan High School (1948) and Iligan City High School when Iligan becomes a chartered city (1950). The school is then converted (1956) into a vocational school and placed under the Bureau of Vocational Education carrying the name Lanao Norte Technical School which is then changed (early 1960’s) to the more familiar Lanao Technical School or LTS.
Republic Act. No. 4626 that is signed into law (1965) by former President Diosdado Macapagal seeks to convert the LTS into a vocational college with the name Northern Mindanao Institute of Technology (NMIT). Although the said law is never implemented, its enactment set off a series of events that culminated in MSU - the nearest existing state university - casting an eye on the Iligan location.
1967
The MSU Board of Regents authorizes in April the MSU President, Dr. Antonio Isidro, to officially explore the possibility of expanding into Iligan City by utilizing the campus of the Northern Mindanao Institute of Technology (NMIT) that is formerly known as Lanao Technical School. By July, the MSU Extension Division in Iligan City (also referred to as Iligan Extension Unit) opens, offering a short General Education Curriculum, and with Prof. Victoria J. Adeva as director.
1968
President Ferdinand E. Marcos signs into law R.A. No. 5363 that changes the name of the NMIT into Iligan Institute of Technology and integrates it into the MSU System. The law is authored by Lanao del Norte Representative Mohammad Ali Dimaporo and Lanao del Sur Representative Rashid Lucman.
1973
Former Acting President of MSU, Prof. Manaros B. Boransing, is appointed Dean of IIT. Under his leadership, IIT becomes the flagship campus of the MSU System. Boransing stays on until 1988 holding the title, Vice President for MSU-IIT.
1975
MSU-IIT becomes the first autonomous unit of the MSU System.
1988
Dr. Camar A. Umpa takes over from Prof. Boransing. He sets the Institute on the path to research university status and empowers individual offices to be able to contribute to the whole. Dr. Umpa is the first Chancellor of MSU-IIT and goes on to become President of the MSU System afterwards.
2000
Prof. Marcelo P. Salazar is chosen as the Chancellor of IIT. He is credited for ushering the Institute into the digital age. Under Prof. Salazar’s term, MSU-IIT becomes a center of academic excellence. He is also the first Christian to head MSU-IIT.
2011
Public administration expert and former ambassador Prof. Sukarno D. Tanggol becomes the third Chancellor of MSU-IIT. Prof. Tanggol protects MSU-IIT’s gains and continues its march towards becoming a world-class institution excelling in science and technology while remaining committed to the holistic development of the individual and society.
2016
2018
MSU-IIT breaks into the top 500 best universities in Asia list in the rankings released by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings: Asia 2019. The recognition is a clear affirmation of MSU-IIT’s role as a leading university of the Philippines.
2019
MSU-IIT holds record setting June graduation with 2,494 graduates, the most number of graduates in the Institute’s history. The speaker for this commencement exercises (the the Institute’s 49th) is Maestro Raymundo Cipriano “Ryan” P. Cayabyab.
This year, MSU-IIT is also recognized as the 10th Top Philippine University in the 2019 World Ranking Web of Universities (Webometrics).
2020
Through rigorous and independent data collection and analysis of performance metrics as set out in the QS Stars methodology, QS rates MSU-IIT as a 3-Star institution.