Silliman University (also referred to as Silliman or SU) is a private research university located in Dumaguete City, Philippines. Established in 1901 by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, it was the first American private school to be founded in the country. The University is named after Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman, a retired businessman and philanthropist from Cohoes, New York who gave the initial sum of $10,000 to start the school. Originally starting as an elementary school for boys, the school expanded to become a college in 1910, acquiring university status in 1938. For the first half of the 20th century, Silliman was run and operated by Americans. After the Second World War Filipinos began to assume more important positions, culminating in the appointment of Silliman's first Filipino president in 1952. Today, the University comprises ten colleges, four schools, and two institutes, enrolling over 8,900 students from different parts of the Philippines and from at least 28 foreign countries.