Silliman University in the last 97 years has grown from a small boy’s school to a large university, among the country’s foremost schools. It all started when Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman, a New York philanthropist, gave the American Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions a initial grant to start a school in the Philippines. In the quiet town of Dumaguete in the province of Negros Oriental, a missionary couple, Dr. and Mrs. David S. Hibbard, opened the school to 15 boys on August 28, 1901. from its humble beginning the school evolved into an institution of higher learning, receiving a university status in 1938. the University’s motto is “Via Veritas Vita”.

The College of Engineering started as a Department of Engineering in June 1932, offering an undergraduate program in Civil Engineering. In March 1935, the Board of Trustees authorized the change in status of Silliman from an Institute to a University. With government approval of this change, Silliman proceeded to adopt additional undergraduate programs in Mining Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Industrial Engineering.

The College produced its first graduates of the four-year Civil Engineering program in 1947. It was also in the same year that the first two years of Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering were offered. In 1952, two-year program common to all five-year Engineering courses with complete five-year courses in Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering was offered.

In 1960, the Uytengsu Hall was put up for offices and classrooms. In 1970, the Engineering Building was built whereby facilitating additional classroom and laboratory spaces for the College. The Engineering Building also became the site for the College administrative offices, leaving Uytengsu Building mainly for lecture rooms. In 1980, the Charles Bachelor Building was commissioned to cater specifically for the need of additional spaces to deliver the Mechanical and Electrical/Electronics laboratory subjects in conjunction with the offering of technology courses.