The Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan (Filipino: Pamantasang Ateneo de Cagayan; Spanish: Universidad Ateneo de Cagayan), also known simply as the Ateneo de Cagayan, Xavier or XU is a private, Catholic, coeducational, basic and higher education institution. It is operated by the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. Founded in 1933 as the Ateneo de Cagayan, it became the first higher education institution in Mindanao to receive a university status a year before its sister school Ateneo de Manila. It was given its present name in honor of the Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier.
The university offers primary and secondary education as well as undergraduate and post-graduate education in humanities, social sciences, engineering, management and business. It offers professional degrees through graduate schools such as Xavier Ateneo College of Law and Jose P. Rizal School of Medicine.
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History
University status
Rector Fr. Francisco Z. Araneta, S.J., had vowed to St. Francis Xavier that if Ateneo de Cagayan was granted university status before its commencement exercises on March 22, 1958, he would rename it after the saint. An hour before the commencement exercises, then-Secretary of Education Manuel Lim sent a telegram stating that Ateneo de Cagayan now had university status.
On August 27, 1958, it was inaugurated as a university and officially became Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan. It became the first higher education institution in Mindanao to receive university status, a year before its sister school, the Ateneo de Manila. At the inauguration banquet, President Carlos P. Garcia received the first honorary degree conferred by the university.
Campuses
Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan operates on four campuses:
The eight-hectare main campus in the heart of Cagayan de Oro, where the undergraduate and graduate academic units are located;
The 50-hectare Manresa Complex in front of SM City Cagayan de Oro, which is used as the experimental and demonstration farms and extension works of the College of Agriculture, as well as the headquarters of SEARSOLIN, an outreach unit of the university; it also houses the Jose Chavez Alvarez Technology Complex of the Andrew L. Gotianun Sr. Center for Integrated Technologies;
The 13-hectare basic education campus in Pueblo de Oro where the grade school, junior high school, and senior high school departments are based, as well as the university's sports complex; the grade school used to have another campus in Barangay Macasandig before it finally closed in late 2021; and
The Maria Reyna Xavier University Hospital in Barangay Camaman-an (jointly run by Xavier, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, and the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres), which also serves as the training hospital for nursing and medicine students.
Campus of the Future project
In 2017, the institution proposed the ₱2.1 billion peso plan of the 21-hectare expansion project the Campus of the Future which would sell at least 4 hectares of its 6-hectare downtown campus and another 14-hectares of a 63-hectare agricultural property in Cagayan de Oro. “First-class education needs first-class building and campus design.” Xavier Ateneo President Fr. Mars P. Tan stated.
Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno also hailed the plan, saying the plan would “redefine” and change the landscape of Northern Mindanao's capital city. However, there has been some opposition from alumni and retired faculty and staff, citing long-term traffic issues in the uptown area, as well as the heritage status of the main campus.
In line with this, the Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in the Philippines, Fr. Primitivo E. Viray, S.J., endorsed the plan to the Superior General of the Society of Jesus in Rome, the Very Rev. Arturo A. Sosa, S.J., whom gave the green-light to endorsed the plan to the Vatican for its approval.
In 2021, the Vatican has finally given its seal of approval for the Campus of the Future project of Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan. "The long wait for the final decision only showed the amount of time devoted by the Church authorities to review and study the project." in a statement said.
Governance
The university is governed by a Board of Trustees, led by Francisco F. Guerra III as the chairman. Fr. Mars P. Tan, S.J., University President since July 31, 2020, is a member of the Board.
As one of six Jesuit colleges and universities in the Philippines, Xavier Ateneo also forms a consortium with the other two Jesuit universities in Mindanao, namely: Ateneo de Davao University and Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
Academics
Professional schools
The Graduate School offers the university's post-baccalaureate programs, through doctoral studies. Its council is the Graduate School Student Council.
The School of Law offers a Juris Doctor program. Its student council is the Association of Law Students. Its team is called Legis and its mascot is the goddess Dike (Lady Justice).
Studies are both history and research-oriented, and offer legal aid for the marginalized members of society through the Xavier University Center for Legal Assistance.
The School of Law aspires to attain superior performance and service. Its students have won in national and international moot court competitions and law debates. It has produced graduates who are nationally distinguished law practitioners, corporate counsels, policy makers, local chief executives, and judiciary officials.
On November 11, 2011, the School was named an "Outstanding Law School" by the Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and it was recognized as being one of the ten best-performing law schools in the Philippines from 2001 to 2011. A plaque was presented to its dean, Atty. Raul R. Villanueva, as outstanding law dean. On the 2015 bar exam the school ranked seventh among law-schools-with-20-examinees-or-more, and one examinee came in eighth.
The Dr Jose P Rizal School of Medicine is housed in a five-storey building located at the east side of Xavier Ateneo campus. The Medical Library with 5,000 volumes and 256 journals is the Mindanao repository for World Health Organization publications.
Founded in 1983, the medical school has Level 3 Accredited Status from the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities.
Undergraduate schools
The College of Agriculture was founded in 1954. Its student council is the Agriculture or Aggies Student Council. They are known by the monikers 'Aggies' and 'Bullriders', and its mascot is the bull. Program offerings include Agribusiness, Agricultural Engineering, Food Technology, Development Communication, and Agriculture with majors in agricultural economics, animal science, and crop science.
The college pursues an integrated program of instruction, research, extension, and production to educate students in sustainable agriculture and other relevant technologies and in equitable access to resources in the context of "global liberalization" and "grassroots people participation." Manresa Farm offers research, outreach, and production opportunities, which are supplemented by team-building and ongoing faculty development. Opportunities include immersion in communities and internships with companies and organizations.
On February 27, 2009, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) declared Xavier Ateneo Center of Development in Agriculture for three years, the first private institution given this designation. In December 2015, it was declared as a Center of Excellence in Agriculture. In November 2009, CHED declared Xavier a National Center of Excellence, specifically a Provincial Institute for Agriculture (PIA) under the National Agriculture and Fisheries Education System. As a PIA, Xavier is among the priority partners of CHED in implementing development projects in agriculture.
Xavier Ateneo qualifies for a ₱500,000 grant to fund scholarships, continuing agriculture education programs, instructional materials development, and upgrading of facilities including research laboratories, among other priority projects supported by CHED. The college has Level III PAASCU accreditation valid until May 2020. The college has produced five topnotchers and over 50 top-10 finishers on the agriculture licensure examination.
The College of Arts and Sciences, with more than 160 on the faculty, offers most of the university's core subjects, e.g., Filipino, English, humanities, natural and social sciences. Its student council is the United Arts and Sciences Student Council. Its mascot is the Tiger.
Its linkages with Local Government Units sustain its Coastal Research Management and strengthen its research and extension network. The Office of International Cooperation and Networking negotiates with foreign universities for international linkages. The Arts and Sciences programs of the university are PAASCU Level IV accredited with its Literature and Biology programs declared as a CHED Center of Development.
Notable people
Prominent figures such as the late President Carlos P. Garcia and late President Corazon Aquino were among the people who were conferred an honorary degree by the university. PDP-Laban President Jose Alvarez is a notable alumnus of the university. Former senator Miriam Defensor Santiago was among the distinguished politician who was conferred by the institution as well. The former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. is among the notable alumnus of the university. Influential figures such as Governor Peter M. Unabia, Former Senator Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr., Congressman Zia Alonto Adiong, Congressman Rufus B. Rodriguez, and Congressman Yevgeny Vincente "Bambi" B. Emano are among the most prominent alumni of the university. Filipino song artist Arthur Nery, TJ Monterde and distinguished author Jonahmae P. Pacala, also known by her pseudonym Jonaxx, are also alumni of the institution.