The Incumbent President

The incumbent MSU President, Dr. Camar A. Umpa, a Muslim PhD graduate from the East-West Center (EWC), University of Hawaii, USA, was considered by his doctoral dissertation adviser, Dr. Harry J. Friedman, as one of his two best students in his twenty years of experience as a professor in the United States, Asia and Latin America. His doctoral dissertation committee commended highly his doctoral dissertation to the Dean of the Graduate Division, University of Hawaii, Honolulu stating that the "quality of his doctoral dissertation was at the highest level." He obtained a grade point average (GPA) of a perfect 4.0 for his doctoral units. Under an East West Center Ford Foundation Grant, Dr. Umpa completed his M.A. degree in the same university in less than one year with a GPA of 3.9 out of 4.0. Dr. Umpa, a world-class university president and a visionary leader, was a distinguished alumnus of MSU. He was the first Filipino to finish a four year course (A.B. Political Science) at MSU Marawi City in only three academic years with honors (Cum Laude).

Dr. Umpa has received awards and distinctions, which include among others, the "Loyalty Award in Grateful Recognition and Valuable Services rendered to MSU" and the "Outstanding Mindanaon Award". He has written several papers on various topics and has traveled abroad in Asia, Middle East, Europe and the USA for international conferences and MSU institutional linkages with other universities.

In terms of academic excellence, MSU is one of the top five (5) higher education institutions in the Philippines. It has seven autonomous University campuses in Mindanao, namely: 1) Mindanao State University Main Campus, Marawi City; 2) Mindanao State University Iligan Institute of Technology; 3) Mindanao State University Sulu Campus; 4) Mindanao State University Naawan; 5) Mindanao State University Tawitawi College of Technology and Oceanography; 6) Mindanao State University General Santos City; and 7) Mindanao State University Maguindanao.

For more than 40 years now since 1961, MSU has been on the forefront of multi-disciplinary education (from pre-elementary education to post graduate studies) in the Philippines. Many of its graduates are now gainfully employed in the Philippines and abroad, including those in the USA, Middle East and Asia.