The Extension and Community Outreach Services or ECOS for brevity had a very flourishing beginning as it transitioned into what it aims to achieve at present. In 1994, under the strong and passionate leadership of Dr. Virgilio C. Bautista, then President, the Community Outreach and Extension Services (COES) was formally instituted with Dr. Ruben D. Yapyap as the appointed director until 2001. Later, Mrs. Ma. Cecilia G. Navor took over for one (1) semester in that same year. In 2002, Dr. Percival C. Mabanta became the Director at the same time took care of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) until 2004. Mr. Rafael M. Marzan likewise shared his time attending the COES Office with the NSTP in August of 2007. Due to the increase in workload, Mr. Raymond C. Agpawan took the responsibility of heading the COES Office as OIC-Head. While Mr. Rafael M. Marzan focused on the NSTP, shortly in 2008, Dr. Donato B. Bumacas was appointed Director and it was during his stint that the office COES was renamed Community Outreach and Development Extension Center (CODEC). In 2009, the University welcomed Mr. Johann Ben A. Bautista, the President, together with the appointment of Mr. Fidel A. Batnag, Jr. as the new Over-all Coordinator of the CODEC Office. In 2010, following some changes in the structure of the CODEC Office, one of which is the affiliation of then CODEC Office with the Research and Development Center, hence the former is now named as Research and Development Center – Extension and Community Outreach services office (R&DC-ECOs). The emphasis was on the word “ECOs,” which pertained to the environment.

Henceforth, ECOs functioned under the umbrella of the R&DC office under Dr. Mary Agnes Haydee E. Dabucol, the director under the supervision of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. (ECOS POM 2010, 2016 ed.).  A vacancy of the overall coordinator occurred in the first semester of academic year 2014-2015; thus, the office was supervised by the Vice President for Academic Affairs until Ms. Jocelyn Apalla was appointed head concurrently the dean of School of Nursing. Dean Apalla headed the office until the mid-second semester of academic year 2015-2016 when Dr. Romer D. Tanyag was appointed director. During his headship, the COSO was renamed Extension and Community Outreach Office or ECOS, which remains to be recognized. In June of 2020, Ms. Grace L. Dueñas was appointed as the director.  The ECOS office is committed to assume the duty of addressing the Social Responsibility of the University, which strongly pursues to answer the need to reach out to the community with and outside the campus through the University of Baguio Community Advancement through Responsive Extension Services (U.B. CARES) U.B. CARES represents the heart of the University of Baguio in social involvement as it focuses on individual empowerment for social involvement which is geared towards the development of communities in need. The very components are spread out into four (4) major projects such as: Adopt-a-Barangay, Adopt-a-School, Adopt-a-Park, and Special Projects. These are realized through various activities that address the clamor for better livelihood programs, health, literacy, security and safety, environment, and other socio-economic programs in collaboration with government and non-governmental organizations local and foreign. The ECOS office implements these programs through the various schools and/or departments and offices. Since 2002, Barangay San Luis (Puroks 7 and 8) was the adopted barangay of UB. It was only last July 27, 2010 that UB officially terminated its contract with the barangay after achieving a satisfactory performance rating from an impact assessment conducted to the recipients last April 2010. UB was supposed to take off from the community during the summer of 2007 given the satisfactory performance rating but decided to extend its services since the newly established San Luis Savings and Development Cooperative was still not stable.

In March 2010, the ECOS then the R&DC-ECOs coordinated with the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) as to what are the different barangays in need, based on their data. The CSWD identified five barangays as the most depressed, namely: Padre Zamora, Mirador Hill, Santo Tomas Proper, Loakan Proper, and AZCKO. ECOs floated a letter to the barangay captains asking permission to conduct a needs assessment in their respective areas. Only three barangays responded positively, and when the results of the assessment came out, ECOs invited the three barangays for a MOA signing. From the three barangays, only two responded positively to the invitation. On July 29, 2010, UB officially signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with barangays Santo Tomas Proper (Puroks Interior C and Atab) and Loakan Proper (Purok Magsaysay) formalizing the adoption of the communities by the University of Baguio, through the R&DC-ECOs. It then conducted several outreach activities focused on but not limited to literacy, health, security and safety, and livelihood. Other special projects outside the adopted communities were also conducted. On July 29, 2013, the contract lapsed, but a year of weaning period was conducted, focusing on areas that received weak points based on the results of the yearly outcome assessments.

While the formal partnership with barangays Santo Tomas and Loakan Proper was about to end based on the duration of the adoption period, Dean Jocelyn Apalla had started coordinating with the City Social Welfare and Development officer for the identification of new barangays that need assistance. With the system for adopt-a-barangay program in place, the University of Baguio, through now ECOS office, formally adopted two barangays in Baguio City, namely Lucnab and Happy Hallow. Although a Memorandum of Agreement and other initial activities had taken place already, the barangay chairman of Happy Hallow informed the ECOS director during one of his courtesy visits in the barangay that the council of Happy Hallow officials decided to cancel the formal partnership with the University due to unavailability of officer-in-charge on duty during the times that ECOS and UB personnel have to coordinate with them.

At present, apart from the Adopt-a-Barangay Project, ECOS also included the Adopt-a-School Program as one of its thrusts, in collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs. It is also currently shifting its paradigm to more innovative and responsive outreach programs targeting the empowerment and development of its beneficiaries through information/education-promoting pieces of training and activities backed up by research. It also revived its UB CARES [Community Advancement through Responsive Extension Services] Program to show that UB really cares and is aware of its social responsibility.

In honor of the founders of the University and accordance with their principles and ideals, ECOS commits itself to continue extending the services and resources of UB to the adopted barangays and other communities in need. The office adheres to this social responsibility and is tasked to create and conduct programs and projects, and coordinate these activities to concerned parties to attain the goal of empowering the residents and families of the community geared towards individual and community development. The Community Outreach Services office acts as the center of all University and departmental extension and outreach activities in UB. Whether organized by the University or by the departments, or an invitation to participate in a noble activity, ECOS is responsible for laying the plans and set-up for the success of the events. Aside from planning, organizing, and coordinating, the office also monitors and evaluates the activities, including the organizers’ performance, to ensure fulfillment of the objectives for the activities and the vision, mission, and objectives of the University