MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/21 June) – The Bukidnon State University will celebrate its fifth founding anniversary as a university starting today with religious services and a singing competition among faculty, personnel and students.
Classes were suspended in the afternoon to start the two-day celebration to mark the 88-year-old institution’s elevation into a university in 2007 by virtue of Republic Act Republic Act No. 9456.
BSU, which projects itself as a “special place for teaching and learning,” is one of Bukidnon’s two state universities. The other, Central Mindanao University, became a university in 1965; it was formerly the Bukidnon Agricultural School.
The main events of the celebration will be held on Friday, June 22, including a motorcade, cultural shows socials, and fireworks display. The cultural show will feature performances from the university’s acclaimed chorale, dance troupe, brass band, and rondalla.
Among the highlights of the celebration is the unveiling of a portrait of founder William H. Pickell, who will be represented in the ceremony by some of his descendants.
Pickell was an American school superintendent for Bukidnon who opened in 1924 the Bukidnon Provincial High School, a two-year secondary school during the American period. It was first set up to train elementary school teachers for the provinces of Northern Mindanao and the neighboring regions.
The College of Community Education and Industrial Technology will also launch its Alternative Learning System Radio-based Instruction with the Department of Education.
Students from different colleges will also hold respective activities, according to a schedule of the celebration released by the university.
Lanterns will be flown before the fireworks display to end the celebration on Friday night.
BSU now has seven colleges, namely, law; arts and sciences; business administration, accountancy and information technology; teacher education; community education and industrial technology; nursing; and a graduate school. It also houses laboratory schools in kindergarten, elementary and high school.
In its website, BSU describes itself as “one of the leading educational institutions serving the people not only in Mindanao but also the country in general.” (Walter I. Balane / MindaNews)
