Cebu Normal University

CNU was established in 1902 by Act No. 74 of the Philippine Commission as a summer institute of the Philippine Normal University (PNS, then a normal school). It was then called "Cebu Normal School" and was the located at Colegio Logarta building (later Hijos del Pueblo) at the Colon Street by which the Cebu provincial government pays the amount of ₱200 monthly.[4]

In 1906, the school became an adjunct to the then Cebu Provincial High School (now Abellana National School) and transferred to the new site. In 1924, the school became independent of PNS, obtained the normal school status and moved to its current site in Osmeña Boulevard, Cebu City. In 1926, it produced its first batch of graduates as a new educational institution.

The CNU campus was used as headquarters of the Kempetai or Military Police of the Japanese Imperial Army during the second World War.[4] CNU also served as the largest POW Camp in Cebu. On March 26, 1945, 5 Filipino suspected guerrillas and 2 captured American airmen were summarily executed by the Kempetai in the southeast corner of the campus. On March 26, 1945, Allied forces landed on Cansojong Beach in Talisay, starting the liberation of Cebu. The United States Army made CNS their base. [5]

In 1952, the two-year general curriculum adopted in 1946 was changed to the four-year Elementary Education Curriculum, which was later changed to Bachelor of Science in education (BSE – Elementary Education) in 1954. This led CNS to become a tertiary institution. In 1959, BSE was changed into Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. The Graduate School was opened in 1960 and produced its first M.A. graduate in 1966 – Rosemary P. Gellor. The Liberal Arts department (now College of Arts and Sciences) was established in 1977 and the department of Nursing (now College of Nursing) was created in 1982.

The school was then renamed as "Cebu Normal College" in 1966, then to "Cebu State College" in 1976 in accordance to P.D. 944. In the 1980s and 1990s the school's population increased rapidly and new buildings were constructed which now house the three colleges of the school: College of Teacher Education (CTE), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), and the College of Nursing (CN), as well as the University Museum, the Integrated Laboratory School (ILS), the Graduate School (GS) and Balay Alumni.

On June 27, 1998, Cebu State College attained university status and was named Cebu Normal University (CNU) under Republic Act No. 8688 signed by President Fidel V. Ramos. Under the Republic Act. 7104, CNU was designated as Panrehiyong Sentro ng Wikang Filipino for Region VII.[6]

In 2005 and 2008, CNU had opened two extension campuses in Balamban and Medellin in Cebu. The university is Region 7's Center of Teacher Development and in August 2009 it became Region 7's sole Center of Excellence in Nursing.[2][3]

On June 13, 2011, CNU celebrated its 100th Centennial celebration, delayed by nine years. The National Historical Commission confirmed its creation in 1902 with Samuel MacClintock as the first principal which was not known by the previous university administration. A strict review of MacClintock's annual report and upon the approval of the Malacañang Palace of the university logo, the administration was convinced that the university was indeed founded in 1902.[7]

CNU is governed by a Board of Regents composed of the Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, University President, Chairman of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education of the Senate, Chairman of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education of the House of Representatives, Regional Director of the National Economic and Development Authority, President of the Federation of Faculty Associations of the university, President of the Federation of Student Councils of the university, President of the Federation of Alumni Associations of the university and two representatives from the private and public sectors.[8] The Board of Regents is the highest decision-making body of the university and the regents appoints the University President, confer degrees upon successful candidates for graduation and performs other administrative functions.

CNU is headed by a university president, appointed by the Board of Regents. The president is assisted by three vice presidents— for Academic Affairs, Administration and Research, Extension and Publication.[9] The extension campuses are headed by a Campus Director appointed by the Board of Regents upon the recommendations of the University President. Dr. Filomena T. Dayagbil is the current Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the CNU President.

CNU offers academic programs at the nursery, kindergarten, elementary, junior high, undergraduate, and graduate levels.[10] In early 2020, the university announced of its upcoming offering of a College of Medicine which will offer a five-year degree of Doctor of Medicine with a master's degree in Public Health Governance.[11]

As is the norm in the Philippine education system, instruction is primarily delivered in the English language with the exception of Philippine and foreign language subjects.

The CNU undergraduate schools comprise the following:

The College of Nursing of Cebu Normal University was created through CSC Board Resolution No. 35 s. 1982. Through this board, Cebu Normal University entered into a consortium with Southern Islands Hospital (now known as Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center). Since then, the college has offered Bachelor of Science in Nursing with only one section for each level. The college had its first graduates in 1986. CNU's College of Nursing has been recognized by the Commission on Higher Education as Center of Excellence since 2009.[12]

The College of Teacher Education of Cebu Normal University covers within its umbrella the flagship programs of the university. The undergraduate programs include Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) and Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) with varying fields of concentration and specialization. CNU's College of Teacher Education has been recognized by the Commission on Higher Education as Center of Excellence (COE).[13]

Under the College of Teacher Education is the Integrated Laboratory School wherein fourth-year BEEd & BSEd students perform their practicum. The umbrella department is composed of programs from nursery to junior high school with most grade levels having one section, and some having two.

The College of Arts and Sciences of Cebu Normal University is the recent programs of the university and was established in 1977. The undergraduate programs include Bachelor of Arts (BA), and Bachelor of Science (BS) with varying fields of concentration and specialization. The School of the Arts offers the Bachelor of Arts in communication, English Language, Literature, Filipino, Political Science and Public Administration and the School of the Sciences offers the Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Psychology.[14]

The CNU Graduate School offers Masters-level and Doctorate programs across the disciplines covered by the three colleges. It was opened in 1960 with Dr. Tecla P. Revilla, another alumna, as its first dean. It produces its first M.A. graduate in 1966 – Rosemary P. Gellor.

CNU and VSMMC administrators conducted a meeting in 2018 to establish the first state-run College of Medicine in Central Visayas. The program was granted permit under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in early May, 2021.[15] It will offer a five-year degree program in Doctor of Medicine with Masters in Public Health Governance. An official press release from the Senate of the Philippines on November 30, 2019, expressed the support from the Senate President Tito Sotto and Secretary Michael Diño, Presidential Assistant for Visayas.[16] The program was expected to admit 50 students in August 2020 but due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the admission was moved to the Academic Year 2021–2022.[17] The College of Medicine will be located at VSMMC where the operations will be done, while CNU is considered to be the degree granting body to govern the academic operations.[11]

The university adopted a bi-semestral system wherein students enroll twice each year. Starting A.Y. 2018–2019, CNU opened the school year on August following the mandate of CHED. CNU operates with a selective admissions policy. All of the units of the university require, among other things, passing an entrance examination and past education records are also required for examination along with a final admissions interview. Application for Undergraduate admissions starts on October and ends on December with the college entrance examinations scheduled from January to March the following year. Results are posted on May along with the schedule of the final admissions interview. Only the successful applicants are allowed to enroll for the next academic year.

As a state university, CNU is a member of Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP). In February 2011, The College of Nursing and The College of Teacher Education were awarded the Level 4 Accreditation by the AACCUP (The Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines), being the first programs in the country to have been awarded such honors.[18][10]

The university has also been declared by the Commission on Higher Education as a Center of Excellence (CoE) in Teacher Education and in Nursing. CNU is certified with International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001:2015 Quality Management System for Administration and Management of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Board of Regents (BOR) approved programs including the essential support to operations services and facilities as of August 2018 by Globalgroup.[19] In March 2023, the university was declared a Three (3) Stars Institution by the Quacquarelli Symond (QS) Stars Rating System, which means that CNU is a “well-recognised [institution] nationally and may have also begun to attract international recognition.” [20]

The seal of the university, as approved by the Board of Regents, is as follows: At the center of the circular field is the lamp of knowledge; leaning against it is a “kuryapi” which was the musical instrument played by Visayan men during the pre-Hispanic era. At the top are the three letters in the old Visayan alphabet that represents the initials of Cebu Normal University. This design incorporates both Western and indigenous symbols to reflect the spirit of CNU. At the bottom is the year 1902, the year when the Cebu Normal School was established. On the outer edge of the circle are the words Cebu Normal University, and at the bottom center, Cebu City, Philippines.

Cebu Normal University is a normal institution which started as a teacher-training college thus remaining to be a training ground for teachers with it evolving as a comprehensive university. CNU was established and operated as normal school before it expanded its faculties and was organized as a state research university. It retained the word "Normal" in its name to recognize its historical purpose.

Cebu Normal University

We hail your name with pride

To you we give our loyalty

Your light will be our guide

Cebu Normal University

We hail your name with pride

To you we give our loyalty

Your light will be our guide

Your nurtured dreams of crimson and gold

Through generations we will uphold

Your might and fame throughout will reign

Oh CNU, of thee we sing

In glory, in adversity

With vision, we move on

Cebu Normal, beloved University

Alma Mater, Carry on!

The Cebu Normal University - Supreme Student Council (CNU-SSC) is the highest student governing body in the university. An annually elected representative from the Federation of Supreme Student Councils in the university serves as the Student Regent, seating with CNU's governing body, the Board of Regents. The three undergraduate colleges are also governed by their respective student councils that are under the CNU-SSC but are operating as autonomous units: Nightingale Student Council, Educators' Council and the Council of Liberal Arts and Sciences Students. All academic student organizations are under their respective college-level student councils.

The student government in Cebu Normal University is structured in a way that only the highest position in the Supreme Student Council bears the position of President while the highest position in college-level student councils bear the position of Governor, the degree program-level bear the position of Mayor and the class block-level highest position bear the position of chairman.

Ang Suga is the official student publication of the university. It publishes periodicals and other printed materials funded, managed, and written by the students.[21] Ang Suga publishes at least two issues annually with the option of supplements, a monthly newspaper called The Normal Lights, and a literary folio, called Iridescence.

Ang Suga also holds activities, contests, and events, such as the annual Art and Journ Festival which act as an outlet for the expression of the ideas, opinions and creative attempts of the university's undergraduate and graduate students.

Ang Suga paper was the first campus publication to have a permanent Cebuano section, Tudling Sugbuanon, when most of the academe scoffed at the vernacular as being unworthy of an institution of higher learning.[22]

The college varsity teams compete in the annual State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA). Every year, CNU organizes the university-wide annual sportsfest, the University Intramurals which is participated by five teams: the three colleges and the two external campuses.

The CNU Administration Building

The main campus of Cebu Normal University is located at the Osmeña Boulevard, Barangay San Antonio, Cebu City. The university's administration building is one of the most distinct structures in the city in the 1920s. A World War II Memorial is also located inside the campus in remembrance of the Filipinos who were imprisoned, tortured and executed by the Japanese inside the campus during the second world war.

The CNU Balamban Extension Campus was opened in 2005 at Barangay Nangka, Balamban, Cebu.

The CNU Medellin Extension Campus was opened in 2008 and is located at Barangay Poblacion, Medellin, Cebu.