Southwestern University is probably the only school in the Philippines that
started operation in summer. It was founded as Southwestern Colleges in
the summer of 1946 when the country was still reeling from the destruction
of the Second World War. The Founders were Don Matias Hipolito Chavez
Aznar, II and his wife Doña Anunciacion Barcenilla Aznar, both pharmacists.

The country then was in the process of rehabilitation, and the philanthropic
couple saw the difficulty of the masses in the pursuit of an education that
was disrupted by war. Therefore, they decided on establishing a school
within the reach of the common people.

At the time of the founding, the University had only three two-story buildings
on an approximately two hectare lot. But then there were only 18 faculty
members, 509 students and the following programs: Elementary, High
School, Liberal Arts, Education and Law.

Today, Southwestern University offers over 50 degree programs in the
graduate and undergraduate levels, with an enrolment of more than 10
thousand. It has increased to more than 400 faculty members and more
than 400 non-teaching personnel. Impressive buildings have replaced the
old structures and the land area has increased several-fold.

In addition to its more than 20 colleges, the University includes a tertiary
hospital, a drug rehabilitation center, and a multimilion peso museum that
gives a quick look at Cebuano art and lifestyle from the pre-historic era to
modern times.

Since its acquisition of the University status in 1959, Southwestern
University has maintained its thrust for academic excellence and continues
to strive for the accreditation of its programs. In 1994, the Philippine
Accrediting Association of Schools , Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), a
prestigious accrediting agency in the Philippines, granted formal
accreditation to the College of Nursing, the College of Education and the
College of Arts and Sciences.   Four colleges - the College of Commerce,
the College of Pharmacy, the College of Engineering and the College of
Computer Studies have already passed the preliminary survey. Other
colleges are being prepared for the same survey.
Infrastructure and Facilities:

Lecture Rooms

Four air-conditioned rooms complete with sound system and audio-visual
facilities are used for lectures and conferences, two with seating capacity of
100 each and two with 50 each.
Tutorial Rooms

Six air-conditioned rooms are provided for the small group discussions and
tutorial sessions typically conducted in the Problem-Based Learning
methodology. Computers with Internet access are available in each tutorial
room.

Computer

A total of 60 computer workstations are available for student’s academic
purposes and a total of 19 computers for both academic and operations use
are conveniently located. Majority of these are provided with Internet access.

Instrument Room

An air-conditioned Instrument Room is maintained where delicate and
sophisticated instruments are kept for the use of students in Biochemistry.

Multi-Purpose Room

This room serves as a preparation room for histology and gross anatomy
sessions. It is also available for department meetings.

Audio-Visual Room

Complete audio-visual facilities equip the Audio-Visual Room, such as
television sets, VHS, VCD player, computers, and various types of projectors,
i.e., LCD, overhead, slide and microscope projectors. This is also where
various anatomical models are put on display.

Laboratories

With their corresponding stock rooms, all laboratories are equipped with
adequate basic facilities for pursuing the requirements of the laboratory
courses in Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, Pathology,
Microbiology, Parasitology, and Preventive Medicine.

LIBRARY:

The Health Sciences Library is located on the third floor of the Our Lady of
Lourdes Hall and has updated books, journals, and references, which
enrich the student’s studies and research.
The library is open on weekdays and Saturdays, with the following schedule:
The medical library occupies about half of the third floor of the Lourdes Hall
or University Library building and to date has the following:

Books of 4,103 Titles, 5,881 Volumes, Periodicals 227 Titles Hard Copies,
289 Titles Electronic Journals