Education of University of Guam

University of Guam (or Unibetsedåt Guåhan in Chamorro and commonly abbreviated as U.O.G.) is a four-year land-grant institution, located in the village of Mangilao on the island of Guam in the Western Pacific Ocean. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and offers thirty-four degree programs at the undergraduate level and eleven master’s level programs. Of the University’s 3,387 students, 91% are of Asian-Pacific Islander ethnicity, and nearly 69% are full-time (fall 2008 figures). A full-time faculty of about 180 supports the University’s mission of "Ina, Diskubre, Setbe" which translates to "To Enlighten, to Discover, to Serve." University Of Guam was founded in 1952 as a two-year teacher-training school known as the Territorial College of Guam, established by Governor Carlton Skinner. In 1960, the college moved to the present campus in the central district of Mangilao. In 1965, the college was accredited as a four-year, degree granting institution. By 1968, enrollment had reached 1,800 students while staff and faculty totaled more than 130. It was dUnderwood was born in Tamuning, Guam. He is the son of John Joseph Underwood (1911–1986) and Esther Flores Taitano (1913–2005). His paternal grandparents were James Holland Underwood and Ana Pangelinan Martinez, from Tamuning, Guam, and also the maternal grandparents were Juan San Nicolas Taitano and Rosario Sablan Flores, who resided in Dededo, Guam. Underwood graduated from Guam’s John F. Kennedy High School in 1965, and attended California State University, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. He became a high school teacher on the American mainland, and he then served as an instructor at the University of Guam from 1976 to 1983. Underwood was director of bilingual education assistance for Micronesia until 1988 and Academic Vice President of the University of Guam until 1992. In 2009 he married former Guam Department of Education superintendent Dr. Nerissa Bretania-Underwood during an intimate morning ceremony at the Superior Court of Guam. His wife is now an elected-senator for Guam Legislature. esignated as a land grant institution by the United States Congress in 1972. Underwood served as the Guam Delegate to the US Congress in the 103rd through 107th Congresses from January 3, 1993 to January 3, 2003 during which he sponsored major legislation for Guam, played an active role in US Department of Defense authorization bills and was an advocate for political development for insular areas and the extension of educational and social opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. During his tenure in congress, he became a senior member of both the House Armed Services and Resources committees. He emphasized the importance of Guam and the Asian Pacific region in national strategic policy and worked to enhance the benefits of military personnel, especially those in guard and reserve units. He passed major legislation for Guam that resolved long standing land disputes with the federal government, brought recognition to Guam’s World War II generation and their case for war claims and enhanced local autonomy. Additionally, he built a successful record of bringing in federal funds for military construction, assistance to the government of Guam due to in-migration from surrounding islands and for several education programs. Underwood ensured Guam’s inclusion in major legislation such as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that brought domestic telephone rates to Pacific territories, the State Children's Health Insurance Program and the bill that established the Department of Homeland Security. He brought recognition to Guam’s unique people by lifting the ban on betel nut (pugua) importation into the US Customs Zone, inclusion in the National World War II Memorial, the creation of Chamorro Standard Time (CST) and participation in national commemorative events. As a member of the Hispanic and Asian Pacific American Caucuses, he spoke out for the protection of immigrant rights, educational opportunities and sensitivity to language issues. As chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in the 106th Congress, he led the effort to include Asian Pacific Americans in scholarship programs, was instrumental in the development of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, spoke out against racial profiling and for including Pacific Islanders as a demographic category in federal programs. Rosa Roberto Carter served as the President of the University of Guam from 1977 to 1983.