University of Northwestern Mindanao

rom the national highway, with Dr. Perfecto B. Yebes as the Vocational School Administrator. The school started offering post secondary courses in 1974 and had been an affiliate off campus institute of the Central Mindanao University, Musuan, Bukidnon from 1979 to 1984. In 1994, Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education and Industrial Technology were then offered. With the promotion of Dr. Yebes to a higher position, Mr. Apolonio S. Vidallo took place of the former and was appointed as the third administrator of TANAIS on August 6, 1996. Prior to Dr. Yebes' promotion, in 1992 he and Atty. Philip T. Tan, the City Myor of Tangub at that time, conceived the idea of converting TANAIS into a state college. The proposal was filed in Congress by the late Hon. Hilarion Ramiro Jr., the Congressman of the 2nd District of Misamis Occidental at that time. The bill was not passed due to adjournment or the 9th Congress in 1995. The bill to convert TANAIS into a State College was refilled in the 10th Congress in 1995 by Congresswoman Herminia M. Ramiro. The bill passed both houses but with a last minute amendment to transfer the main campus from TANAIS in Tangub City to Oroquieta Agro-Industrial School (OAIS) at Oroquieta City. Learning the amendment, Mayor Tan and Mr. Numeriano L. Gilbolingo and conferred with Congresswoman Herminia M. Ramiro to find the constitutional ground and had bill vetoed by President Fidel V. Ramos. The bill was refiled in 1998 by the late Congressman Hilarion A. Ramiro Jr. It has already passed the lower house in 2000. By December 2000, Congressman Ramiro, Mayor Philip T. Tan, wife Jennifer Wee Tan and Mr. Gilbolingo who represented Administrator Apolonio S. Vidallo successfully defended the conversion of Tangub Agro-Industrial School into Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology (NMSC) before the Senate Committee on Education chaired by the Honorable Sen. Teresita Aquino Oreta with the endorsement of Dr. Ester A. Garcia, Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education. Unfortunately, Congressman Ramiro died in January 2001. Congresswoman Herminia A. Ramiro was elected on May 2001, replacing the late Congressman Hilarion Ramiro Jr. With joint effort of Atty. Tan and Congresswoman Herminia A. Ramiro, R.A. 9146 was finally approved by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on July 30, 2001. Dr. Zenaida G. Gersana was then designated by the Commission on Higher Education as the Officer-In-Charge and the Board of Trustees (BOT) was created to serve as its governing body. On May 26, 2003, the Board of Trustees unanimously elected and appointed Atty. Tan, CPA as the First President of NMSC after a two-month exhaustive selection process conducted by the Search Committee for Presidency (SCP). Dr. Glory S. Magdale, former Regional Director of the Commission on Higher Education, Region X, Cagayan de Oro City chaired the Search Committee for the Presidency. During the Presidency of Atty. Tan, infrastructure projects flourished in the College. Among these are the twenty-classroom Academic Building, the Legarda Hall which is a laboratory building for students enrolled in Hospitality Management, Student Food Court and renovated Administration Offices. The projects significantly improved the physical facilities of the College. The College occupies a total of 29 hectares campus site traversed by the barangay road leading to Panguil Bay, an area rich in marine resources with vast potentials suitable for home and industrial uses. With the initiative of Atty. Philip Tan, the Php 5.4 Million pesos financial assistance from the Department of Science and Technology for the upgrading of the Science laboratory of the College was finally approved. Upon the resignation of Atty. Tan as College President in order to head the call to go back to public service as Mayor of Tangub City, Dr. Ricardo E. Rotoras, the visionary and dynamic President of Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) was designated by the Board of Trustees as Officer In-Charge of the College on March 2010 by virtue of BOT Resolution No. 03,s. 2010. With the active and participative leadership of Dr. Rotoras, the College hurdled its share of challenges and the second release of the DOST financial assistance was undertaken. On September 6, 2012, Dr. Jennifer W. Tan was unanimously elected and appointed by the Board of Trustees as second President of the College by virtue of BOT Resolution No. 26,s. 2012. With a strong advocy on the culture of excellence, commendable and vast managerial expertise and networking competence of Dr. Tan, NMSC is never far from attaining is mandate of becoming a premier learning institution in the fields of education, agriculture, fishery, engineering, arts and sciences in Northwestern Mindanao.