64 Years of Vision and Purpose: MSU-IIT joins celebration of ‘Inklusibong Pamantasan’

What began in 1961 as a bold idea in Marawi City has grown into a thriving network of campuses stretching across Mindanao. From that single vision came a university system that continues to shape lives, empower communities, and drive progress to this day.


On September 1, 2025, at the MSU-IIT Gymnasium, students, faculty, staff, and alumni gathered to honor this journey, celebrating decades of growth and looking ahead to the future under the theme of “Inklusibong Pamantasan.”


“This anniversary is more than a marker of time. It is a testament to the resilience, hope, and shared dreams that have defined MSU for more than six decades,” Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan reflected during his opening remarks. His words recalled the vision that guided MSU from its earliest days—a vision rooted in understanding and unity.


Those shared dreams trace back to the university’s founding. In 1961, MSU first opened its doors in Marawi City, conceived as a bold response to Mindanao’s need for broader access to higher education and a space where cultural differences could be met with understanding rather than division.


From this beginning, the MSU system expanded into multiple campuses, each with its own identity but united by a common mission. MSU-IIT, the second campus established of the eleven existing today, brought this vision to Iligan City and earned a reputation as a research-centered institute.


A parade of faculty and staff representing each college colored the streets and the stands, symbolizing the unity and diversity that defines MSU. Resident cultural groups: Echoes, Kalimulan, and Orions, accompanied by the school’s arnis team, performed song-and-dance numbers that intertwined tradition and talent. Each movement, each note, showcased how the university brings together people, cultures, and ideas, turning its commitment to inclusivity from principle into practice.


“Inklusibong Pamantasan” captures the heart of MSU’s mission: welcoming every learner and community into a space where education, culture, and opportunity intersect. The anniversary program reflected this, not only through the performances and parade, but also in the very participation of a community brought together across generations, campuses, and disciplines.


Sixty-four years on, MSU’s legacy continues to expand. Its past provides the foundation, but its strength lies in how it renews its vision in the present, celebrating, remembering, and building anew as an “Inklusibong Pamantasan,” shaping minds, enriching communities, and inspiring generations to come.

Written by Andrea Alexa Barga

Proofread by Andrea Ross Sedero
Photos by Jahnamae Quinga
Photo Edit by Samuel Adrian Guerra