Editing UP College of Engineering (section)

=== Transferring to UP Diliman ===

In the new Diliman Campus, despite the fact that most students commuted from Manila (at that time via Espana, Sta. Mesa and Katipunan Road), the Enrollment in the University steadily increased. The University, however, started the huge construction program of college building, laboratories, dormitories and other facilities. The only permanent building then were the College of Education (Benitez Hall) and the College of Law (Malcolm Hall). The construction of the Engineering building on the northside of the Campus was begun in 1949 along with other buildings. In the meanwhile, laboratory equipment were being acquired from various sources.

On October 3, 1949, Dr. Vidal Tan resigned from the deanship and professor Juan L. Tiongson was appointed to the position. Professor Angel Martinez, head of the civil engineering department, died, and Professor Antonio Albert was appointed in his stead. Earlier in 1948, Dr. Filadelfo Panlilio had come back with a doctorate in engineering mechanics from the University of Michigan. He had been sent as a University fellow in 1941. Also, Professor Alfredo L. Juinio, who was sent as a University fellow returned in 1948 with a master's degree in structural engineering from MIT in Boston. In 1950 Professor Dominador I Ilio was sent as a University fellow for Hydraulics to the State University of Iowa. The following year, Professor Jose Ma. Segovia was sent to Rennslaer Polytechnic Institute for a graduate degree in electrical engineering. New appointments to the faculty at this time included Messrs. Conrado Ramirez, Vicente Hedriana, Javier Pabalan, Felix H. Limcaoco, Jr., Bartolome Blanco, Cesario Floro, Celso Novenario and Miguel B. Escoto.

In 1951 the College moved into the new four-story building along Osmena Avenue, a mirror image of the Liberal Arts Building across the wide, dampy University Quadrangle. However, the east wing of the building was not yet constructed where the old University Theater was located. In June of that year the first two years of the curriculum leading to the degree of bachelor of science in chemical engineering was approved. Also in that year aid from PHILCUSAMSA in the form of equipment and technical advice started to come. The first college unit to receive this aid were the Civil Engineering and Mining Engineering departments. Professor Leo Ritter of the University of Florida was detailed with the civil engineering department to help set up the course in the laboratory for soil mechanics. The mining engineering department received substantial aid in the form of equipment. In succeeding years, this aid, variously known as PHILCUSA-MSA, PHILCUSA-FOA, and NEC-ICA, included not only buildings, equipment and services of visiting professor but also training grants abroad to engineering faculty members.

In 1953, the college started on the five-year curricula in its courses. With the advance of technology and the inclusion of several social sciences and humanity course and the legislated requirement of twelve units of Spanish, four years could not adequately accommodate all the courses for the training of the engineer. Notwithstanding the fact that all other engineering schools in the country continued to operate on the four-year curricula, the freshmen enrollment in the college shoot up to 329. The total enrollment in June of that year was 847.

Large quantities of equipment for the various laboratories, particularly for the Power Laboratory, Flotation Laboratory, Metallurgy Laboratory, Material Testing Laboratory, Electronics Laboratory, Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Hydraulics Laboratory, and Soil Mechanics Laboratory were received as FOA aid. The Hydraulics Laboratory building was completed in November of 1953, in which a model of the Ambuklao flood spillway was immediately constructed for model testing.

In the faculty, Professor Crisostomo A. Ortigas was designated Dean to replace Juan L. Tiongson who retired from public service. Messrs. Jose B. Cruz, Rosalino R. Reyes, Jr., Jose Fernandez, and Angel Alejandrino were the new faculty appointees. Four visiting professors under the FOA programs were assigned to engineering. This group called the Stanford Group, was headed by Prof. Edward L. Eriksen. Others in the group were Prof. Joseph Canon, Dr. William Van Vorst and Professor J.F. Williams. The latter replaced Prof. W.W. Staley who was with the mining engineering department. Dr. Hunter Rousse of the Iowa Institute of Hydraulics Research came to the College as special technical adviser under the UP Stanford contract to look over the newly completed hydraulics laboratory. Dr. Rouse had been commissioned to design the laboratory equipment in this building.