Chapter 1
The University
A. History of the Ateneo De Naga University
In 1940 at the invitation of Bishop (later Archbishop) Pedro P. Santos of Caceres, the Ateneo de Naga was founded as a Jesuit school for boys, with Fr. Francis D. Burns, S.J., as Rector. The classes were first held in the building formerly used by the Camarines Sur Catholic Academy (now the Naga Parochial School). Meanwhile the construction of the new school building, dominated by the now well-known facade of four pillars, began.
In December 1941 a small band of Jesuits moved to their new residence on campus and prepared to transfer classes to the newly finished structures after the Christmas holidays. But suddenly on December 8 the Pacific War broke out.
When the Japanese Imperial Forces came to Naga, they imprisoned the Jesuits (except Bro. Sergio Adriatico, S.J., the lone Filipino among them), occupied the Ateneo de Naga, and converted it into the local Fort Santiago. As soon as Philippine independence was restored in 1946, high school classes resumed.
On June 1, 1947 the Ateneo de Naga was granted by the Department of Education full recognition as a standard four- year high school. On June 5, 1947 the College was opened with 87 male students. Six year later, on October 26, 1953, the Ateneo College became coeducational with the admission of five women.
The steady growth of the Ateneo called for new structures for governance. Thus, the 1940 Articles of Incorporation were amended and new By-laws adopted in 1979, transferring the school’s high governing authority to the Board of Trustees, the majority of whom were Jesuits. In the same year, the College and the High School were the first in Camarines Sur to be accredited by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU).
Through its more than half century of existence, the Ateneo made significant breakthroughs and suffered serious setbacks. Economic difficulties during the Martial Law years led to a dip in the college enrolment. And in the 80s there were rumors of the school’s closure. But as the school marked its Golden Jubilee in 1990, this time with Fr. Raul Bonoan, S.J. as President, there began a remarkable turn-around and recovery.
Fr. Bonoan forged strong and fruitful partnership with the alumni, which raised funds to support the President’s rehabilitation efforts for Ateneo.
There was a speedy infrastructure development in the 90s, with the construction of new buildings, such as the Bro. Richard Fernando, S.J. Hall, Bro. Sergio Adriatico Hall, John Phelan, S.J. Science Hall, Francis Dolan Hall. The James O’Brien, S.J. Library, the most modern library in the region, was built in this decade.
Fr. Bonoan’s administration invested in faculty development to improve the quality of instruction in the Ateneo, and sourced out scholarship funds as two of the priorities in the CorPlan 2000.
In 1991 the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports placed the Ateneo in its list of 18 excellent universities and colleges in the country. The Graduate School, which had a brief existence in the seventies, was revived in 1993. On September 16, 1996, Fr. Bonoan issued a memorandum declaring the separation of the different colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Commerce, and the College of Information Technology and Engineering. Almost a year after, the College of Education was created.
The University status was granted to the Ateneo de Naga on November 11, 1998, upon the approval by the Commission on Higher Education of Resolution No. 142-98. Its conferment and the installation of the first University President, Fr. Bonoan, was celebrated on February 20, 1999. Barely three months after this milestone, Fr. Bonoan died. Fr. Joel L. Tabora, S.J. was installed as second University President on August 28, 1999.
In the initial months of his administration, Fr. Tabora culled together representatives from all sectors of the University to review and streamline Ateneo de Naga’s direction in the next ten years. After intensive discussion and meticulous work, the approved CORPLAN 2010 became the working document to translate the University’s mission-vision into action.
Concrete manifestations of endeavors resulting from CORPLAN 2010 emerged. On one hand, seven buildings rose on campus, among them the Christ the King
University Church, Xavier Hall, the Arrupe Building, an Engineering Building, and the new Jesuit Residence. On the other hand, Ateneo de Naga established itself as the premier academic institution in the region by being the only one in Bicol with a PAASCU Level III accredited status. This distinction was granted on May 14, 2004, six months after obtaining a Level II re-accreditation status.
Two other highlights marked this period in Ateneo de Naga’s history. On June 23, 2003, the Ateneo de Naga High School moved out of the Bagumbayan campus to its new ten-hectare home in Pacol. For the first time in its 63 years of existence, the High School admitted 185 girls into its student population. In the following year, effective SY 2004-2005, the University opened the College of Nursing, increasing the total number of its colleges to six.
Considered a masterstroke of Fr. Tabora in educational management, three structures were established in ADNU, namely: the Academic Council, serving as think-tank and coordinating arm of the University on administrative and curricular concerns; the University Research Council, keeping ADNU’s academic standards abreast in international criteria of research; and the University Social Involvement
Council, planning and coordinating the outreach efforts of the different units in ADNU and sharpening the University’s impact on Bikol communities.
In 2007, the Ignatian Formation Center (IFC) was created, and the Ignatian Formation Program framework established. The IFC has since become responsible for promoting Ignatian Spirituality in the ADNU community. Strengthened by the creation of the Formation Council and the collaboration of the Formation and Student Support Offices (Office of Student Affairs, College Guidance Center, Campus Ministry and College Athletics), the Center provided appropriate opportunities or interventions to concretize the mission and formative intents of the University.
The University took part in the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Jesuit Education in the Philippines in the context of the many milestones that it achieved. In 2008, it became the only University in Southern
Luzon to be granted by CHED with Autonomous Status. ADNU had the most Centers of Development: in Information Technology, Business Administration and Entrepreneurship; and Center of Excellence in Teacher Training in the region. In 2009, it was one of the three universities in the country to obtain Institutional Accreditation from PAASCU. Other reassuring laurels included the recognition for having the Best Student Services in the region and Best Student Leadership Program in the country; the topnotch performances in the board exams for teachers, accountants, librarians and engineers; the first-ever PAASCU accreditation of Civil Engineering program in Bicol, have made ADNU the region’s best and one of the country’s finest academic institutions.
In 2010, the University celebrated its 70th Foundation Anniversary. The occasion became more meaningful as it coincided with the 300th year of Bicol’s devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia or Ina, the patroness of Bicol. The two historic events allowed the University to not only renew its commitment to the same Christ-centered mission of the Society of Jesus and strengthen Jesuit-Lay collaboration, but also reflect on the true essence of devotion to Ina.
The year 2011 ushered in leadership change for the University. With Fr. Tabora’s election as president of Ateneo in Davao, the ADNU Board of Trustees on September 22, 2010 elected Fr. Primitivo E. Viray Jr., S.J. to be the third University President in Naga. He assumed office on May 11, 2011.
The University, under Fr. Viray watch, has maintained its Centers of Excellence and Development status. New offices were established, among them the Center Arts and Culture, Innovation Center, Management Information System unit and Computing Systems and Innovation Office. The University Research Council was reconstituted to improve the University’s research capability. Replacing the Module 1/SMEDI canteen, a four-storey facility, named after Fr. Bonoan, was built to house the University Cafeteria, new classrooms and offices.
As a response to the K to 12 educational reform, ADNU opted to open in 2012 a pioneering Career Academy or Senior High School which started to be developed during the latter part of Tabora’s administration.
In terms of long-term directions, the University engaged in Corporate Planning (CorPlan 2020), where stakeholders revisited ADNU’s mission-vision, identity and culture and formulated a plan to integrate them into the life and work in the University, along the challenges of K to 12 and the call to contribute to regional and national development and to protect the environment, among others.
In 2015, ADNU expanded its basic education through the offering of Grade School to respond to the growing demand of Naga City and neighboring towns for excellent Catholic basic education. The Fr. Raul Bonoan, S.J. Building housed the Grade School.
In the same year, the university concluded the three-year celebration of its 75th Foundation Anniversary (2014-2015).
In 2016, ADNU opened its College of Law – Juris Doctor Program as a response to the region’s need for legal education. A year after, the college launched its apostolate arm called Ignatian Legal Apostolate Office (ILAO). The newest structure in the Bagumbayan campus, the 6-storey Fr. Godofredo Alingal, S.J. Hall became the hub of the College of Law.
In 2017, Fr. Viray was elected Provincial of the country’s Society of Jesus. With this, in January 2018, ADNU welcomed its fourth university president, Fr. Roberto Exequiel N. Rivera, S.J.
In February 2019, following the collective decision of Bicol’s state universities and colleges to shift its calendar in sync with international standards, ADNU was the first private university in the region to decide changing its calendar. School Year 2019-2020 for the higher education units opened on July 1, 2019 instead of June. The class opening schedule will be further moved to August in 2020.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the country in 2020, ADNU carried out its instruction and formation programs and services via online flexible learning modalities. By the SY 2021-2022, the university implemented limited face-to-face classes for selected subjects, following CHED policies and Inter-Agency Task Force’s standards and protocols.
A new course offering, Bachelor of Science in Architecture, was introduced in the SY 2022-2023.
(with data from The Ateneo de Naga at Seventy (2010), by Dr. Danilo Madrid Gerona)
B. Blueprint of the Ateneo de Naga University Campus.
C. The Seal of the Ateneo De Naga University
At the center of the Ateneo University Seal is the escutcheon of the family of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. The shield is divided vertically into two. The right panel shows two wolves on both sides of a hanging cauldron. The design symbolizes the hospitality and generosity of the Loyola family. On the left panel, symbolizing nobility and heroism are seven red bars on a field of gold, honoring the seven heroes of the family who distinguished themselves in the battle of Beotibar in 1321. The shield is part of the seal of many Jesuit schools in the world with which the Ateneo shares a four hundred tradition of Jesuit liberal education.
Immediately above the Loyola escutcheon is a gold crown of Mary, Mother of God, who under the title of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, is patroness of Bikol. Over Mary’s crown shines the sun, symbol of Christ. On its face is the seal of the Society of Jesus in calligraphic form: the first three letters in Greek of the Holy Name of Jesus (IHS) with the cross on top and the nails of his Holy Passion underneath. The sun’s rays shine over Mary’s crown, the Loyola shield, and the six stars and beyond. The Sun, symbol of Christ, truth and life, shines over Mary, Ateneo, Bikol, and the world.
Arranged in semi-circle under the Loyola shield are six gold stars representing the six provinces of Bikol.
With its seal, the Ateneo proclaims its commitment to Christ, to the Jesuit education tradition, and to its mission of forming “men and women for others”.
D. The School Motto
Primum Regnum Dei. Enot sa Gabos an Kahadean nin Diyos.
The school motto, which is derived from Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all things will be given”, expresses the single-mindedness with which the Ateneo de Naga University must pursue the goals of Catholic Jesuit education. The ultimate purpose of Ateneo de Naga is not knowledge for its own sake or merely professional preparation, but the reign of God and the promotion of Gospel values. In our present context, Jesuit education focuses on “the promotion of justice in the service of faith”.
E. The Mission Statement of the Ateneo De Naga University
As a university, the Ateneo de Naga seeks the integral formation of men and women who will contribute to the total development of the family and human society.
As a Filipino university, the Ateneo de Naga fosters love of country and a deep commitment to the culture of human life and care for creation. It commits itself to contribute to and benefit from global society for the transformation of the Filipino nation. Its special task is the development of Bicol and the preservation and enhancement of its culture.
As a Catholic university, the Ateneo de Naga is committed to the service of the faith that promotes justice. It seeks to form men and women committed to the person and teaching of Jesus Christ in loyal and dedicated service to the Church and community, particularly the poor.
As a Jesuit university, the Ateneo de Naga draws its inspiration and educational principles from St. Ignatius of Loyola. It thereby seeks to imbue its members with the desire to strive for excellence in every sphere and activity of life. Through teaching, research, community service and deep personal interaction it aims to form “men and women for others” who will find God in all things, always seek his greater glory and respond generously and courageously to Christ’s call to serve first God’s Kingdom - Primum Regnum Dei.
F. The Vision Statement
Ateneo de Naga University, a premier university in the country, provides excellent instruction and formation, conducts vigorous research, and engages in community service that are ultimately transformative of society, especially in Bicol. It is possible through its competent, creative and committed faculty, staff and administrators, and integrated systems and excellent facilities.
It prides itself in its scholarship support and responsive student services.
It attracts highly qualified students and produces graduates who are responsible citizens formed in
the Catholic faith and inspired by Ignatian spirituality. They are globally competent but locally responsive and environmentally sensitive.
Nurtured by Ignatian spirituality, it is a community that is passionate to: seek truth in divergent cultures; cultivate intellectual life; respect creation; build human community and promote justice.
The university engages in and maintains partnerships, linkages, networks with institutions and individuals to further its mission.
(Revised May 2013)