8 0 ▁graduated ▁as ▁v aled ict or ian ▁and ▁the ▁first ▁Puerto ▁R ican ▁to ▁get ▁a ▁university ▁degree ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁He ▁returned ▁to ▁Puerto ▁Rico ▁to ▁practice ▁medicine ▁and ▁also ▁served ▁in ▁high - ran king ▁posts ▁in ▁the ▁government . ▁ ▁The ▁University ▁of ▁Michigan ▁was ▁involved ▁with ▁the ▁building ▁of ▁the ▁Philipp ine ▁education , ▁legal , ▁public ▁health ▁systems ▁during ▁the ▁era ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁colon ization ▁of ▁the ▁Philippines ▁through ▁the ▁efforts ▁of ▁Michigan ▁al umn i ▁that ▁included ▁Dean ▁Con ant ▁Wor c ester ▁and ▁George ▁A . ▁Mal col m . ▁Early ▁on , ▁colonial ▁government ▁officials ▁highlight ed ▁the ▁importance ▁of ▁increasing ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁teachers ▁and ▁primary ▁schools ▁in ▁the ▁country . ▁President ▁McK in ley ▁appointed ▁teachers ▁from ▁various ▁univers ities , ▁task ing ▁them ▁with ▁building ▁the ▁found ations ▁of ▁the ▁Philipp ine ▁education ▁system ▁under ▁American ▁control . ▁The ▁first ▁wave ▁of ▁these ▁men ▁sa iled ▁from ▁San ▁Francisco ▁to ▁Man ila ▁on ▁the ▁Thomas , ▁also ▁ ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁“ Th omas ites .” ▁Of ▁the ▁nearly ▁ 5 0 0 ▁who ▁came ▁to ▁the ▁Philippines ▁in ▁this ▁group , ▁the ▁deleg ation ▁from ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Michigan ▁was ▁the ▁second ▁largest ▁group ▁of ▁teachers ▁who ▁arrived . ▁The ▁Thomas ites ▁were ▁instrument al ▁in ▁the ▁pro l ifer ation ▁of ▁schools ▁and ▁mass ▁en roll ment ▁of ▁students ▁in ▁the ▁Philippines . ▁Ten ▁years ▁following ▁their ▁arrival , ▁ 4 , 0 0 0