TRACING NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY’S GROWTH

Way back in 1932, an enterprising group of educators composed of Angel Albano, Cresencio Barangan, Maximo Caday, Manuela Romero, Encarnacion L. Ruiz, Rufina Mariano and Nicolas Nicolas pooled their hard-earned savings to put up and establish the first private non-sectarian educational institution in Ilocos Norte known as the Northwestern Academy.
The operation of the school was interrupted in 1945-1948 with the outbreak of World War II. Upon resumption, a 12-room building, the first it can call its own was constructed to accommodate the influx of students. In 1949, the academy became Northwestern College with Apolinario Aquino as President. Opening of new courses followed namely Associate in Surveying, Bachelor of Laws, BS Commerce, Technical Engineering, Industrial Education, Master of Arts in Education, BS Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
The purchase of a nine-hectare lot and the construction of the Science and Engineering building were landmarks in the institution’s growth and progress. With the acquisition of the lot, the dream of the incorporators for the institution to become a university began to take shape. The College continued to offer more programs. The course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Criminology was opened in 1969, followed by the BS in Nursing Program and two-year course in Police Science Technology in 1973. In 1982, fifty years after its founding, Ben A. Nicolas became President of the College and Chairman of the Board of Directors taking over the reins from his father, Nicolas Nicolas who held the distinction of chairman of the board for fifty years. A major breakthrough, along with the reforms, instituted was the opening of the Computer Center, the first of its kind north of Metro Manila.
Recognizing the need of going through voluntary accreditation as a means of attaining quality education, management applied for accreditation of some of its programs. In a short span of time, five of its programs were accredited, namely: Arts and Sciences, Commerce, Education, Engineering and Criminology.
New course designs to meet the demands of the time were offered in 1990, namely: BS in Accountancy, BS Computer Science, Two-Year Computer Secretarial, One-Year Craftsman (Civil), Practical Electricity, One-Year Computer Technician, BSE major in Library Science.
In 1991, a permit to operate a program leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) major in Development Education was issued. Permits to operate a 2-year course in General Radio Communication Operator and Midwifery were also granted the same year followed by the opening of Doctor of Education; Master of Arts in Nursing; Master of Arts in Public Administration; Master in Business Administration; BS in Chemical Engineering; BS in Geodetic Engineering; BS in Marine Engineering; BS in Marine Transportation; BS in Architecture; BS in Mathematics; BS in Industrial Technology; BS in Commerce major in Entrepreneurship; Management Accounting; Banking and Finance; BS in Secretarial

Administration; Bachelor of Arts major in Mass Communication; BS in Hotel and Restaurant Management; BS Tourism; BS in Physical Therapy; and Nursery and Kindergarten.
On November 3, 1992, Northwestern College was granted university status. Jose G. Castro became the first University President.
Reforms continued to be instituted and academic programs were strengthened to prepare the students for global competitiveness in the third millennium. More programs were granted accreditation status. During this time, Ben A. Nicolas resumed the position of President. Research and Community Extension became the priority thrusts in SY 1998-1999 which led to the birth of the University Center for Research and Development. In 2002, Northwestern University obtained government recognition to offer BS in Medical Technology.
At the threshold of the 21st century, NWU applied and subjected itself to ISO audit with an international auditing agency- the Anglo-Japanese American (AJA) Registrars Inc. Having met the stringent requirements of AJA, NWU holds the distinction of being the first educational institution in the province to be granted International Organization Standards ISO-9001/1994 certificate and later granted ISO 9001-2000 certificate.
An achievement of great significance was the grant of Deregulated Status to the university by the Commission on Higher Education in 2003. It was also in the same year that the University was granted government recognition to offer BS Industrial Engineering and MS Management Engineering programs and had forged an international linkage with Sangmyung University, Korea.
In 2004, a permit to operate programs leading to the degree in BS Radiologic Technology and BS Environmental Studies were also granted. NWU acquired a 35,000 sq. meter lot in Payas, San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte and a 14,633 sq. meter lot in Nalbo, Laoag City where the future site of the Research and Community Extension Center will rise. A Worship Center and the Alumni House were also constructed in the same year which are indications of the University’s unrelenting efforts in expanding and strengthening its services.
The University continued its commitment towards academic excellence. Through ISO and accreditation. On February 2010, the University obtained its ISO 9001:2008 certification and continued to meet the standards set forth. Northwestern University had been recognized to have the greatest number of accredited Programs by CHED.
From humble beginnings, Northwestern University has emerged as a leading and progressive institution of learning in Northern Philippines. To date, NWU has maintained its Deregulated Status; accreditation by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities-Committee on Accreditation (PACUCOA), Commissioner on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Education (DEPEd), Maritime Authority (MARINA), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); and other regulatory bodies.

In 2017, NWU has further set trends in quality assurance for having obtained ISO 9001:2015 Certification and being the first private higher education institution to have met the stringent qualifications of this new standard north of San Fernando, La Union. It had forged linkages with institutions and agencies abroad for international on-the-job-training (OJT) and short-term courses for students. It had continued accepting foreign students and forged linkage with the American Field Service Intercultural Program Philippines (AFS-IPP) for international exchange programs. It also opened the first Culinary Arts Program in Ilocos Norte and November 2018, respectively.
Northwestern University was also awarded a Seal of Resiliency for Disaster Risk Management by the Philippine Navy and recognized for various categories by the Central Bank of the Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), especially relating to the NWU Ecotourism Park and Botanic Gardens.
As the education landscape was challenged and changed by the COVID-9 pandemic in 2020, NWU relentlessly continued to deliver quality education in alternative avenues like the provision of learning packets until its immediate installation of a Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) to remotely provide for the education needs of and services to its students. This is even prior to the directive of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the flexible delivery of learning and student affairs and services through CMO No. 4 and CMO No, 8, 2021.
Online programs and services were designed and made available from admissions and enrollment to online document request form at the University Registrar’s Office; payments and access to student accounts in the Finance Office; online submissions for student organization accreditation and programs/activities at the Office of Student Affairs; the birth of Northwestern (University) Online Research Assistant (N.O. R. A) and other online services and resources were made available at the NWU-Educational Resource Center (NWUERC); and diagnostic examinations online were also initiated by the NWU Guidance Center. The CICT or the Center for Information, Communication and Technology of the University persistently developed new programs to cater to the growing demands of students for online activities. Among the most relevant would be the Online Community network.(name a few)
Realizing the financial difficulty the pandemic has brought to the economy and the families, NWU reduced its fees and suspended other fees which the students will not be able to utilize. Academic and cultural scholarships remained just to make sure that those deserving students will finish their degrees. Student loans and assistance were available.
In 2022, NWU reopened its gates for blended learning as directed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). NWU had its first topnotcher in the Criminology Licensure Examinature, Daniel Joshua Sarabia from the College of Criminal Justice Education; had outstanding ratings in the Nursing Licensure Examination and the NWU College of Law had achieved the greatest number of passers with forty-five (45) new lawyers. NWU

Saguday Chorale broke the mold and joined the World Choir Games, an internationally recognized choir completion, in 2023 held at the Gangneung-si, Republic of Korea. The NWU Saguday Chorale was acclaimed as Category Winner for Musica a Sacra with Golden IV Level Diploma and Golden Diploma Level 1 for Folklore a capella. The NWU Saguday Chorale was the 1st Chorale in Ilocos Norte from the Tertiary Level to join an international competition.
To date, Northwestern University has truly grown bigger and brighter. NWU had become more widely known not only in the country but also in Asia and the Pacific. NWU has maintained its deregulated status and obtained its global recertification for ISO 9001:2015. With the resilient and dynamic leadership coupled with commitment and loyalty of all departments/divisions to its vision, mission and goals. The University continues to soar higher as it fulfills its mission to become the light in the communities.