Our Lady of Fatima University

Our Lady of Fatima University
Pamantasan ng Mahal na Birhen ng Fatima
Motto	VERITAS ET MISERICORDIA
Established	1967
Type	Private University
President	Dr. Caroline S. Enriquez, Ph. D.
Location	Valenzuela City; Quezon City; Antipolo City, Philippines
Former names	Our Lady of Fatima College Fatima Medical Science Foundation, Inc.
Colors	Green and White
Nickname	Fatimanian, Fatimista, Fatima Phoenix
Mascot	Phoenix
Affiliations	NAASCU; AMSA; HCMI Education; MTIAPI; LIEMG
Website	www.fatima.edu.ph

Our Lady of Fatima University, formerly known as Our Lady of Fatima College, and also formerly known as Fatima Medical Science Foundation, Incorporated (FMSFI) is a private university in the Philippines. It has three main campuses, one based in Valenzuela City, the other in Quezon City, and the third in Antipolo, Rizal. The university concentrates mainly on allied medical sciences. Its name was derived from The National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima or Pambansang Dambana ng Birhen ng Fatima (in the Tagalog language) near the Valenzuela campus, but is not affiliated with the Catholic Church, and welcomes students of all faiths.^{[citation needed]}

History

Founded in Valenzuela in 1967 by Jose C. Olivares and his son-in-law, Dr. Vicente M. Santos, the university grew out of Our Lady of Fatima Hospital. The hospital became the primary provider of medical and health care services for Valenzuela. Olivares was an entrepreneur and previously a chemistry professor at Ateneo de Manila University and at the University of the Philippines. Santos rose from humble origins in Hagonoy, Bulacan, graduated from the University of Santo Tomas, became an obstetrician-gynecologist, and ultimately delivered over 96,000 babies during his 40 years of service^{[citation needed]}. The college seeks to promote the virtues of "veritas et misericordia" (Latin for truth and compassion).

The founders set about improving the facility from a general hospital to a teaching hospital for health care providers such as nurses and midwives. This began in 1973 with the founding of Our Lady of Fatima College of Nursing. The first graduate class of 1976 garnered an unprecedented 100% passing average in the Nursing Board examinations^{[citation needed]}. Dr. Santos and his wife Juliet Olivares-Santos continued the school's expansion, including the 1979 establishment of Fatima College of Medicine. While Fatima still focuses mainly on medical and allied health studies, in the 90s, the college diversified, starting programs in computer science, maritime education,education, psychology, biology and business. The College became a University in December 2002,^{[citation needed]} with Vicente Santos as its founding President. Upon his death, his wife,Dr. Juliet O. Santos, became the university's second president.

Less than a year after becoming a university, the Commission on Higher Education, recognizing the “enormous contribution of the Our Lady of Fatima University in the growth and prominence of tertiary education in the country and the Asia-Pacific and its commitment through quality education, research and extension work”^{[citation needed]} granted deregulated status to Our Lady of Fatima University through CHED Resolution No. 393-2003 dated October 27, 2003.^{[citation needed]}

The next five years further saw an increase in infrastructure development. New buildings were established in Valenzuela City and Quezon City, that were later infused with nursing virtual laboratories and simulators.^{[citation needed]} These technology-driven learning tools offered a wide range of patient scenarios where students can perform an array of diverse nursing procedures. This paved the way for Fatima’s College of Nursing to be designated by CHED as a Center of Development in late 2008.^{[citation needed]} Fatima’s expansion continued with another campus being established in 2008 in Antipolo.^{[citation needed]}

Owing to recognitions it has received through voluntary accreditation of its programs within the framework of the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines, the university voluntary subjected itself to CHED’s Institutional Quality Assurance Through Monitoring and Evaluation (IQuAME) in 2008.^{[citation needed]} In early 2009, after being evaluated, it was placed in Category A(t) as a mature teaching university.^{[citation needed]}

More recently, “in recognition of the accomplishments, adherence to quality assurance as a higher education provider, the Commission on Higher Education through CEB Resolution No. 076-2009 granted autonomous status to the Our Lady of Fatima University for a period of 5 years from March 11, 2009 to March 30, 2014.”^{[citation needed]}

Accreditation

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Fatima College of Nursing, Fatima College of Physical Therapy and Dental Medicine programs are accredited by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities-Commission on Accreditation. The Association of Schools, Colleges and University-AAI more recently accredited Fatima's Graduate School and the College of Arts and Sciences. The Fatima College of Medicine is accredited by the New York State Education Department and the Illinois State Board of Education. The College of Maritime Education is ISO Certified ISO 9001:2000 and is included in the Commission on Higher Education's "white list" as a qualified provider of maritime education.