SICS HISTORY

The offering of Information Technology Education (ITE) in Marinduque State College (MSC) has its beginning in 1993. MSC then entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Minda & Murillo’s (M&M) Computer Center to pursue a collaborative program of offering two-year Computer Education such as Computer Programming and Computer Secretarial. In its meeting on 10 June 1993, the MSC Board of Trustees (BOT) approved the MOA through Resolution No. 13, s. 1993. The BOT then was chaired by Dr. Nilo L. Rosas, Director, DECS-NCR and the Officer-In-Charge of the College was Mr. Andres G. Malabed.

Implementation of the MOA started immediately after its approval by the MSC-BOT. After five years, a special committee headed by Mrs. Rosalina J. Villero was formed to assess and study the status of the MOA which was to expire on 31 May 1998. Upon the recommendation of the said committee, MSC decided to extend or renew the MOA considering that the MSC-M&M agreement then has still its first-year enrollees of about 200 students. The extension was just to enable the first-year students to complete their course and thereafter the MOA has ceased.

After five years and capitalizing on the computer facilities and faculty expertise developed out of this agreement, the clamor of the majority of the students finishing the two-year courses to continue into a baccalaureate degree, the growing number of inquiries, and the observation of an increasing number of students getting interested in computer education, the administration saw the need to offer degree courses in computer education.

Thus, then College Registrar, Engr. Reynaldo M. Ignacio and a faculty from the School of Engineering, Engr. Willer A. Dayahan proposed upgrading of the two-year computer Courses (Computer Secretarial and Computer Programming) into an Associate in Computer Technology (ACT) giving students the opportunity to continue into baccalaureate degrees leading to the Bachelor of Science in Information Management (BSIM) and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) that were also proposed at the same time. Both courses adhere to the requirements of CHED Memo No. 60, s. 1996 and CHED Memo 05, s. 1998. These proposals were approved by the BOT in its regular meeting on 15 December 1998 through Resolution No. 36, s. 1998.

The approval of these degree offerings enabled the administration continuity of offering computer education at MSC during the 1st semester of 1998-1999 just after the graduation of the students and after the end of the MOA between MSC and M&M computer Center.

The courses led to the establishment of the Institute of Information and Computing Sciences (IICS), with a five-year term duration as a special program. The courses were initially offered in Boac Campus but after an evaluation and assessment of the capability of the Institute, the same courses were opened up in Santa Cruz Campus of MSC.

In the year 2000, the first batch of students completed the ACT course and the IICS was converted to the present School of Information and Computing Sciences (SICS).

In compliance with the policies on ITE education set by CHED, the curricular offerings were revised in 2002 in consonance with CHED Memo Order (CMO) No. 25 s. 2001, the Revised Policies and Standard for Information Technology Education.

In the year 2003, the five-year term duration as a special project ended, and the school was absorbed as one of the regular schools of the Marinduque State College.