La Consolacion College Bacolod
History
The First Higher Education Institution in Negros Occidental
La Consolacion College Bacolod (also referred as LCCB or simply LCC) is a private, Catholic, co-educational institution of learning owned and administered by the sisters of the Order of St. Augustine in the Philippines. It is located in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.
The first school building of La Consolacion College Bacolod beside the San Sebastian Cathedral. When Bacolod became a diocese, the school was transferred to the Gonzaga property, at the right side when facing the Cathedral and the first school building became the Bishop’s residence. LCC Bacolod has expanded in its new location where it sits to this day. This is a colorized version of the photo which was taken at the Bacolod Public Plaza sometime in the 1930’s. The owner of this photo which was shared in Old Negros Facebook Group Page remains unknown.
FOUNDED BY THE AUGUSTINIAN SISTERS OF OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION
La Consolacion College Bacolod was first established in 1919 by the Augustinian Sisters from Spain under the leadership of Mo. Rita Barcelo, OSA and Mo. Consuelo, OSA upon the invitation of a Catholic Bishop to put up a school in Bacolod City, now the capital of Negros Occidental, Philippines – one of the world’s top suppliers of sugar at that time.
PIONEER IN EDUCATION
With a campus located at the center of Bacolod City, the first educational offerings of La Consolacion College Bacolod were primary and intermediate school certificates.
From the Bishop’s residence, LCC moved along Justicia and Washington Streets (Now Galo and Gatuslao) where an imposing two-storey L-shaped school building was constructed. With the rise of this new structure, LCC offered its first collegiate course, the Elementary Teacher’s Certificate in 1938.Photo of the original L-Shaped building designed by Engr. Paul Ishiwata – photo by Nalco Press.
A Kindergarten class. Photo posted by Alfredo Gonzales Jr. in Ako LCCian Facebook Group.
SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
The first students of La Consolacion College Bacolod were girls from wealthy families of Negros Occidental until the 1960’s when the provincial economy was hit by a global crisis in the sugar industry, LCCB became co-educational and opened its doors to provide greater access to education for the poor – reinforcing its mission for evangelization through education.
PHYSICAL AND ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT
The period succeeding the World War II saw expansion of the College’s educational facilities that became the training ground for students, who later tuned out to be successful political leaders, business executives, journalists and the country’s finest actors.
There was a rapid growth of student population as educational offerings and scholarship opportunities were increasingly offered. The college pioneered the offering of architecture, fine arts and interior design degree programs in addition to its teacher education and commerce degrees. It was followed by the offering of culinary, hospitality and tourism degree programs which were also the first of their kind in the province.
The Sta. Monica Building along San Juan Street is home of the ARFIEN or the School of Architecture, Fine Arts and Interior Design.
Its teacher education program have turned out seven Most Outstanding Teachers in the Philippines and alumni who are now well-placed in both private and public education. Its business programs which later have branched out into offering specializations in information technology and computer science likewise have produced local industry leaders and internationally employed graduates.
The culinary, hospitality and tourism programs it pioneered are revered in the academic community and the industry in general as its graduates have become hospitality educators in other academic institutions, managing executives in the local and international industries; while its students consistently reap awards in various competitions nationwide.
The Amistad Center for International Culinary Arts located at the Villasor Campus, in Gardenville Subdivision, Bacolod City. The building is LCC Bacolod’s most recent expansion which highlights state-of-the-art facilities in culinary training and houses the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
Recently, La Consolacion College Bacolod has continually expanded into offering programs that are highly differentiated, pioneering, and superior in quality. It has opened a specialization in Digital Media Arts, Fashion Design, a degree in Psychology and, Master of Arts in Guidance Counseling, Master of Science in Architecture, Master of Science in Hospitality Management in adoption to Master of Arts in Education, Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Management, Master of Business Administration, Master of Business Administration – Human Resource Management Program. It has also opened a post-graduate program, the Doctor in Business Administration. All these in addition to its ever-expanding basic education curriculum, which has now adopted the K-to-12 educational system.
The HRM and Tourism Center and the Regional House at Quezon Avenue is now home to the expanding Senior High School Technical-Vocational-Livelihood programs.
Beyond structural improvements, LCC has also contributed a lot to community service. Her Night High School Project was cited for its beneficiality towards the underprivileged out-of-school youth of Bacolod. Her Service-Learning programs provide opportunities for students to use their knowledge and skills to help others transform their lives towards building sustainable communities.
Her environmental management projects received numerous awards from various community organizations and government units. These recognitions are testaments to LCC’s commitment to her social responsibility.