| Samar State University | |
| Type: | Public Non-sectarian Coeducational higher education institution |
| President: | Engr. Ma. Lourdes P. Amante (OIC-President) |
| Vice-President: | Dr. Gina U. Españo Dr. Felisa E. Gomba Dr. Ronald L. Orale Dr. Ma. Lourdes P. Amante |
| Pushpin Map: | Visayas#Philippines |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Visayas##Location in the Philippines |
| Campus: | Main: Guindaponan, Catbalogan Satellite: |
| Nickname: | SSU |
Samar State University (SSU) is a public university in the Philippines located in the province of Samar. Its main campus is located in Barangay Guindaponan, Catbalogan. The university has three other external campuses: Mercedes Campus, Catbalogan; Paranas Campus, and Basey Campus.
The university was first known as Samar State Polytechnic College until it was converted into a university with the merger of Wright Vocational School in Paranas, Samar and Samar Regional School of Fisheries based in Catbalogan.
Samar State University is mandated to provide advanced instruction and professional training in the arts, philosophy, social sciences, agriculture, fishery, forestry, science and technology, engineering, education, law, and other related fields, and also to undertake research and extension services, and provide progressive leadership in its area of specialization.[1]
The university began in a small one-story small building that only measured 31 meters by 12 meters based on the report by the Philippine Commission. The construction of the building was estimated at ₱19,000 pesos. It was inaugurated in 1912 as Samar Trade School during the incumbency of Governor Vicente Jazmines, serving as the laboratory shop of Samar Provincial High School. It was later converted into an independent secondary trade school. It had it first graduation exercise in 1932.
On June 21, 1959, by virtue of Republic Act No. 2435, the school was converted into Samar School of Arts and Trades, offering a two-year technical curriculum in various vocational areas. It subsequently was given the authority to offer a four-year teacher-education curriculum, Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education (BSIE) and a four-year technical education curriculum, Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology. It later expanded its programs to evening classes and extension services, and to masters-level instruction.
In 1981, it became one of twenty-three vocational-technical institutes in the Philippines to receive the Asian Development Bank of the Philippines-Vocational Technical (ADV-VOC-TECH) counterpart loan of the MECS in the form of equipment for Automotive, Electronics, Civil and Machine Shop Technology.
In 1982, Samar School of Arts and Trade was renamed as Samar State Polytechnic College. In October 1999, it merged with Samar Regional School of Fisheries - now the College of Fisheries and Marine Sciences.
In 2003, Republic Act 9313 was passed into law which converted Samar State Polytechnic College into a university and renamed it as Samar State University, incorporating into the system Wright Vocational School in Paranas, Samar.
There are numerous clubs and organizations based in the main campus and branches of Samar State University.
The university is an active member of the State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association where it plays in the regional level of competition to advance into the national level of the league. It also participates in the Eastern Visayas Regional Athletic Association as among participatings teams from the province of Samar.
The university has seven College departments. It offers a variety of courses from secondary to post-graduate studies.
A satellite campus in Basey will be housing the College of Agriculture and Forestry soon.
Since 2010, the university has its own radio station called University Radio 102.9 (DYSY 102.9 MHz).[2] [3]