[From Manila Bulletin's web site]

The EASTERN VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY had undergone its own interesting and historical process of metamorphosis. It was established in 1907 as part of the Leyte Provincial School, funded by the Provincial Government of Leyte.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

In 1958, it was further named as the National Provincial Trade School (NPTS) by virtue of Republic Act 406, funded jointly by the national and provincial governments to cover wide curricular areas.

In 1961, Congress passed R.A. 1516 converting NPTS into the Regional School of Arts and Trades (RSAT), authorizing it to become a teacher training institution for vocational and industrial education in Eastern Visayas. Finally, R.A. 4572 was enacted in Congress, which took effect in school year 1965-1966, further converting the school into a chartered state college, and renamed into the Leyte Institute of Technology (LIT), an institution of higher learning committed to the service of a large academic area of responsibility.

The establishment of LIT as a chartered state college is one of the most valuable landmarks emulating the concerted efforts by its stakeholders in the Province of Leyte and the entire region. It has undergone rigorous transformation to improve its responsibility and services as an institution of higher learning.

Through the years, the institute reflected its significant roles in the accomplishments, encompassing the local, regional and national development programs. LIT was recognized as producing board topnotchers besides being known as one with a high passing percentage in some of its engineering and professional programs. Those trends of the times, reflected with the need to embrace the global competitiveness, have served as a new challenging task that LIT and its campuses must face and address properly.

Thus, it aimed at attaining quality assurance of its program and services in order to sustain its important responsibility in achieving growth and development. To make such a formidable task meaningful, there is a need to upgrade the status of LIT and its campuses as an institution of higher learning.

PRESENT TIMES

he metamorphosis of LIT to upgrade its status has to go on; therefore, the president pursued its bid for the attainment of university status, which is a dream of many institutions, and to further prove that this is the only premiere educational institution that promotes technical advancement.

Finally, the realization of the present undertaking to convert LIT and its campuses into what is now the Eastem Visayas State University is another milestone in the educational sector to produce globally competitive human resources and other services. Being a university will surely give flesh and true meaning of the constitutional mandate to make education accessible to all.

All efforts are intended to enable the academic community to exercise more flexibility in the relevant programs to be offered, expand and improve the school’s physical facilities, enhance institutional linkages and implement meaningful community outreach prospects.

Indeed, the establishment of EVSU by virtue of R.A. 9311, which was approved by President Gloria MacapagaJ-Arroyo on August 7, 2004, is another milestone and important development to help improve the socio-economic status of Region VIII.