SU to induct General Milling Corporation into the Order of Horace B. Silliman
Silliman University (SU) will induct General Milling Corporation (GMC), through its Chairman of the Board and CEO, George U. Young Jr., into the Order of Horace B. Silliman on August 25, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Silliman Hall, in recognition of the company’s contributions to agricultural education, research, and training at the University.
The Order of Horace B. Silliman is one of the University’s highest expressions of gratitude to its benefactors. It recognizes individuals, families, and organizations whose generosity and support have significantly advanced the University’s mission.
GMC was founded in the Philippines by Don Tirso Uytengsu and his son-in-law, George K. Young Sr., who was married to Uytengsu’s daughter, Florida. Established on Mactan Island in Cebu, GMC grew from its beginnings in flour milling into one of the country’s leading agro-industrial companies in milling and feeds.
The company’s roots also carry a historical connection with Silliman. Don Tirso was a Silliman alumnus and former member of the University’s Board of Trustees whose support began a family legacy of philanthropy at the University. Among the enduring expressions of this legacy are the Wentworth Uytengsu Memorial Scholarship, established in 1953; Uytengsu Hall; the Uytengsu Foundation Computer Center and Computer Studies Hall; and the Apps Incubation and Development Laboratory. More recently, the Uytengsu Foundation supported the establishment of the Uytengsu Transformative Learning Center at the University Main Library.
Building on this historical connection, GMC has developed its own partnership with Silliman, with much of the collaboration focused on strengthening the academic, research, and training capabilities of the College of Agriculture.
In 2018, SU and GMC entered into a Memorandum of Understanding that provided for academic and technical exchange and collaboration. Under the agreement, GMC committed technical assistance for the development of animal science laboratories and made internship and career opportunities available to Silliman students.
Later that year, the partnership expanded through an agreement to establish a feeds laboratory and conduct feed trials at the College of Agriculture’s Scheide Farm. The collaboration brought together SU agriculture researchers and GMC experts and provided students with exposure to industry practices in feed research and development. GMC also committed to train faculty, staff, and students in basic feed testing and analysis and to support the renovation of facilities at Scheide Farm for animal research.
A major outcome of the partnership was the SU-George K. Young Feed Laboratory, which was blessed and unveiled at Scheide Farm in January 2020. Equipped for nutrient analysis of animal feeds, the laboratory allows Agriculture students and researchers to gain hands-on experience in feed testing and strengthens the College’s instruction, research, and extension programs.
GMC’s contribution has extended beyond providing facilities and equipment. The company has shared its technical expertise with the College, including training three faculty members and a senior Animal Science student at its laboratory in Cebu on feed analysis. GMC also committed continuing technical assistance and training for SU faculty, staff, and students.
The partnership has continued in succeeding years. From August 2022 to May 2023, the College of Agriculture completed three additional feed trials with GMC through its College Poultry Project. In February 2024, GMC’s Research and Development Team visited the College for a two-day collaborative activity that included a farm and animal health assessment, farm audit, evaluation of the feed laboratory’s capabilities, and educational seminars on African Swine Fever awareness and biosecurity.
Through these initiatives, GMC has provided Silliman students and faculty opportunities to connect classroom instruction and academic research with industry expertise and practice. The partnership has likewise strengthened the College of Agriculture’s capacity for research and training while contributing to its work with the wider agricultural community.
The induction takes on added significance as Silliman celebrates its 125th founding anniversary under the theme, “125 Years of Legacy: Remembering with Gratitude, Moving Forward with Hope.”
The University itself traces its beginnings to an act of generosity. In 1899, Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman, a philanthropist from Cohoes, New York, gave $10,000 to the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions for the establishment of an industrial school in the Philippines. His gift led to the founding of Silliman Institute in Dumaguete on August 28, 1901.
