The Company of the Daughters of Charity in the World

...

short courses for young girls seeking employment. Music Education (1960) and Home Economics (1963) followed. The Graduate School was granted recognition in 1968 with its premier offering of Master of Arts in Education. The College of Nursing, on the other hand, received its full recognition in 1972 and the College of Social Work in 1973.

In recognition of the quality education the institution offered, the management ventured into higher learning. Founded on humble beginnings, the Graduate School offered courses for Master of Arts in Education (1968), Master of Arts in Nursing (1989), Master of Science in Social Work (1994), Master in Management (1995), and Doctor in Philosophy in Human Development Management (1996).

The arrival of the DCs in God’s vineyard ushered a new era in the social and intellectual life of the young women in the region. This did not only give the women hopes to transcend their confinement to the domestic sphere but also set the phase for a new direction they had in society. Colegio de Sta. Isabel played a gigantic role in Bicol History in the aspects of education, religion, socio-civic and economic development of then Nueva Caceres in particular and the whole of Bicolandia in general. Colegio de Sta. Isabel became the Center for Music in the Bicol Region. Moreover, the institution is notable for producing committed and remarkable service-oriented paramedics and health practitioners (Nurses, Physical Therapists, Nutritionists and Dietitians) in hospitals, educational institutions and communities in Bicolandia and in the whole world.

The last half of the century of Sta. Isabel was marked by enormous strides toward development as evidenced in the many buildings which filled up the landscape of the Sta. Isabel campus. The need to keep abreast of the fast changing world also compelled the school to respond to modern demands, thus new courses were introduced; state-of-the-art technology was acquired; and new policies had to be drafted to blaze new directions for the school. Guided by the University Expanded Operational Plan 2009-2014, the reconfiguration plan continues with the Mother Seton Hospital to become the University Health Services Department while, in progress, is the making of St. Louise de Marillac School of Pili to become the University campus and as Center of Transformative Learning System. All these found meanings in the new status of the school, the University.

Granted its university status in 2001, the Universidad de Sta. Isabel continues to be recognized as a quality center of learning and formation in the Bicol Region. Through the years, it has worked towards voluntary accreditation and re-accreditation of its various course programs. Its programs in Liberal Arts, Education, Nursing, and Business Education, as well as its Basic Education programs, have been granted Level II accreditation by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities. The University was awarded for Outstanding Higher Educational Institution Extension Program in 2008, and in 2010 regional winner and national finalist respectively. Likewise, National Awardee for Volunteerism (institutional category) during the Search for Outstanding Volunteers on Dec. 8, 2006 given by the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency. In 2008, USI was also awarded as the Best in Student Development Services in the Philippines, national level. The Universitys Teacher Education Program was granted Center of Excellence in 2011 by the Commission on Higher Education.

USI has produced board placers in Education, Nursing, Physical Therapy and Social Work plus a consistently high and above the national passing percentage result in board examinations. It has also produced Outstanding Students of the Philippines, Knights of Rizal, Model Students of the Philippines, Bayer Philippine Envoy to Germany, Rotary Exchange Scholars, Ayala Young Leaders and national recognition and achievement awards. It has received countless student awards for community services, academic performance and leadership given by different award giving bodies in the local, national and international level. True to its Vincentian moral fiber of serving the poor, the university has provided access to education to poor but deserving high school and college students by providing grants, financial assistance and scholarships. The Marillac Alternative Program for college students and the Night High School for working students are offered.

USI has enabled to undertake innovations and linkages with other leading educational institutions in the Philippines, Asia and the USA. It has taken the lead on National and International Linkaging with Sacred Heart College, Sta. Isabel College, Philippine Normal University, Concordia College, Adamson University, University of the Philippines Open University, International Social Services Philippines (ISS- Philippines), Niagara University, New York, USA, St. Johns University, New York, USA, De Paul University, Chicago, USA, and Providence University in Taiwan.

As a Vincentian University in the heart of Bicol, USI is the leading institution of the St. Louise de Marillac Educational System (SLMES) and is an active member of the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), Association of Catholic Universities of the Philippines Inc. (ACUP), Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), Bicol Foundation for Higher Education (BFHE), Bicol Association of Catholic Schools (BACS), Catholic Educational Association of Caceres and Libmanan (CEACAL), Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU), and the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL).

The continuous efforts of Colegio to improve led to the accreditation by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) of its program, namely, the Elementary Department, the Secondary Department, the College of Liberal Arts, the Teacher Education, the College of Nursing, the College of Business Administration (Commerce) and the College of Social Work.

On the occasion of the 400 Years of Catholic Education in the Philippines, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on January 29, 2012 recognized Universidad de Sta. Isabel as one of the Catholic Schools in the nation that has worked significantly in evangelizing the mission of the church for Catholic Education in all its forms.