Name: Alneah Kyle P.

Namalata
1st-year section A
GE2 Assignment 1

HISTORY OF SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY

The history of Silliman University began in early 1899 in New York City with a generous
man named Dr. Horace B. Silliman offers $10,000 to the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions
on Fifth Avenue to establish a trade and agricultural school for Filipino boys. The Presbyterian
board thinks that the idea is hasty so they tried to persuade Silliman to choose another country,
but he persisted. Silliman is a very generous man; he was a philanthropist who wants to be part
of America’s colonial venture. After he hands his offer, the senior secretary of the Presbyterian
Board, Dr. Frank Field Ellinwood, arranged and sent a series of letters to David Hibbard who is in
the Philippines at that time with his wife, about the outline of a possible industrial school in the
islands south of Manila. Hibbard set a voyage in the south in October 1899 and his first stop
was Cebu. When he arrived, someone suggested that he take a side trip to Dumaguete, on the
neighboring island of Negros. As he arrived early in the morning, he said that he was amazed by
the “unsurpassed drama of a Dumaguete morning from the sea”. The commander of the U.S.
Army Captain Byrnes and the chaplain, John Randolph had a warm welcome towards him. He is
then introduced to the mayor Meliton Larena and the governor Demetrio Larena. The Filipinos
at that time were still at war with the Americans but he was surprised by the joint welcome
they’ve shown. After then, Hibbard returns to manila to convince the board to locate the school
in Dumaguete because it was on the major steamship route and the geographical center of
Visayas Island. So, after the board approved Dumaguete as the site of the new school, a new
medical missionary and James Rodger paid 350 pesos in 1900 for a hectare of 1.2 waterfront
lot, where stands the Silliman Hall now. The board hired Leon C. Hills to take charge of starting
the school on January 18, 1901. He is then teaching English class and it grew from 25 to 60
students. James Ewing a principal of Forman Christian College in India suggested that the
Hibbards should establish Silliman Institute. A year later, Hills go back to the U.S. after having
tuberculosis so the Hibbards arrived in Dumaguete in August same year. The couple rented a
Spanish-style house and make the ground floor a classroom and they lived on the second floor
of the two-story building. Weeks later, the Hibbards welcomed 15 “hatless barefoot boys”, the
boys ranged from 12 to 26 years old, and by the end of September, enrollment reached 35, and
the age range stretched from 7 to 24. By 1903, the enrolment has increased much more than
what is expected the maximum.
The first four years of Silliman Institute, ending in 1905 marked a year of uncertainties and
difficulties due to limited resources to meet the school’s needs and a lack of teaching staff. Due
to a massive outbreak of many challenges occurring at the school Dr. Hibbard’s health is
affected. Rev. Dr. Arthur Judson Brown had come to visit him. In 1904 the situation become to
improve a bit, due to the appointment that is set to the Dumaguete mission station of the
former secretary of the Army and Navy YMCA, Mr. Charles A. Glutz that has brought American
troops for help. Early 1905, more help had arrived when his wife Mrs. Glutz joined him. The
staff grew to four who are William McIntyre, and Rebecca Berry a teacher in Dumaguete public
high school, followed by Dr. Henry Langheim and his wife Eleanor a nurse. The Hibbards
instituted a pre-college curriculum and these are Latin, German, geography, history, geometry,
and Bible studies. Back in 1901, Hibbard has begun to plan a school building and luckily after
several revisions, it was approved by the Presbyterian board. It is a simple two-story structure,
measuring 45’x7’0 then, first “Silliman Hall” was erected in the year 1903.

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In 2019 the University still excels in various fields, but not until the year 2020 came, it was a
very horrible and unforgettable happening not just in the Philippines but also in other countries
due to a new pandemic arises. The pandemic or what we called CoVid – the 19 viruses, creates
huge blocks to continuing excellence in teaching students and showcasing their knowledge and
skills through physical interaction. At that time the university will not allow students and other
staff to enter the school but the government has implied to take online learning for students to
still continue their studies despite it. In those years, many students face different struggles but
the University still delivers quality education. Over the years, the pandemic is still but the
number of persons infected is decreasing compared to before. For the first time in over two
years, the university goes back to what it is before, it is now open for face-to-face learning for
students and has conducted Hibalag or the Founder’s Anniversary celebration, but the
infectious virus is still present up to this day but the university is aware and still careful about it.
The Parada Sillimaniana has been conducted for the first time in two or three years because of
the typhoon in the year 2019 and the pandemic in the year 2020 and 2021 Silliman University
welcomes its students, staff, teachers, and alumni with a widespread arm after a year of
disruption. Now, the university still offers a high-quality education offering a more holistic
education that builds competence, character, and faith in an environment of serenity,
inclusivity, and natural beauty.

References
Edilberto K. Tiempo, C. C. (1977). SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY 1901 - 1976. Dumaguete: Silliman University.

Office of Informations and Publications, D. M. (Director). (2021). Silliman University Brief History [Motion
Picture].

Paul T. Lauby, P. P. (2006). CLOUDS BY DAY AND FIRE BY NIGHT: The Silliman Story. Dumaguete City:
SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY.
Creating a Historical Narrative about Silliman University faces several challenges, one of which
is the process of gathering strong information, reading and comprehending the text, and fitting
the whole history into a short paragraph. It is very challenging for me because this is my first
time creating a historical narrative and I cannot adapt the information very well and it takes a
lot of arranging and brainstorming methods.
In the process of gathering information, I unlocked new knowledge about my new home
Silliman University, and to every corner of the campus, I can now identify where it came from
and what it is before. On my first stepping onto the campus, I wonder who are the persons
behind the name of every building and department, and why is it named after them but it is
way more different now compared to before I can identify who are those persons and what
they’ve done before that makes our campus what it is right now.
Creating this historical narrative is considered an eye opener to students like me here at
Silliman University, it is a way that we can love and cherish our home and know the different
historical backgrounds that will make us love our dear alma matter. As I am in the process of
creating it, I was amazed at how dedicated every person that is named in history how to value
and love the said school. Silliman University for me is not just a school but a home of different
people that has unique stories but is united as one family.