Ateneo de Zamboanga University

The Ateneo de Zamboanga University (Filipino: Pamantasang Ateneo de Zamboanga), also referred to by its acronym AdZU, is a private, Catholic, co-educational, basic and higher education institution in Zamboanga City, Philippines. Founded in 1912 by Spanish Jesuits as an all-boys parochial school of the Immaculate Conception parish, it is the second oldest Jesuit-administered institution in the Philippines.

History

Founding (1912–1916)

In 1912, a parochial elementary school was opened by the Spanish Jesuits as an escuela catolica for the Immaculate Conception parish. Fr. Manuel Ma. Sauras, was the director of the school and Fr. Miguel Saderra Mata, , the parish priest who was formerly the rector of Ateneo Municipal, subsidized the school. Classes were being held in a wooden building that also housed the garage of the Mindanao Transit. It was located near the cathedral along Plaza de Don Juan de Salcedo (now Plaza Pershing), but was later demolished and replaced with the Mindanao Theater. Classes then moved to the ground floor of the church rectory.

Pre-war Ateneo (1916–1941)

In 1916, Bishop Michael J. O'Doherty, the then bishop of Zamboanga, had requested that the Jesuits open a school similar to the Ateneo de Manila to address the need to maintain quality education in parochial schools. An annual subsidy of 1,000 pesos, along with one-fourth of the diocesan revenue, the parish rectory, and financial support from the Catholic Action and various sources, were offered for the new school. With the approval of the Jesuit mission superior, Fr. Francisco X. Tena, , the school was named "Ateneo de Zamboanga" on October 28, 1916 with seven grade levels.

In the 1920s, the Philippine mission of the Jesuits had been transferred from the Province of Aragon to the Province of Maryland-New York, and American Jesuits began to replace the Spanish Jesuits. Part of this transfer was the assignment of Fr. Thomas J. Murray, , an Irish American Jesuit, as parish priest in September 1926. He ordered the building of new classrooms on the second floor of the convent above the sacristry between the church proper and the priests' quarters.

A decade after the opening of the Protestant-owned Silliman Institute in Dumaguete City, a petition to Fr. James Carlin, , the then Jesuit Mission Superior, to open a Catholic high school had been initiated by the Catholic locals in the first quarter of 1928. When Fr. Thomas returned to Zamboanga after being assigned elsewhere, he became the first American director of the school. His arrival coincided with the opening of the high school in June 1928.

High school classes were held at the third floor of the Mindanao Theater building, previously purchased by the Knights of Columbus (K of C) under the direction of Bishop José Clos y Pagés, for 80,000 pesos In 1930, management of the school was fully handed over from the Spanish Jesuits to the American Jesuits. During Fr. Thomas' tenure, Ateneo eventually occupied the entire K of C building. The high school was officially recognized by the city government in 1932, and the first graduates were produced in the same year, with Roseller T. Lim as the valedictorian. College classes were opened in June 1938 and offered Commerce and Pre-Law courses.

Academics

The Ateneo offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs through its three colleges and four schools, with most offering science degrees.

Admissions

AdZU operates with a selective admissions policy. All of the university's courses require, among other things, passing an entrance exam (which, in the case of the Grade School, is instead called an 'assessment test'); past education records are also required for examination. The School of Medicine requires results in the National Medical Admission Test while the College of Law requires results in the PhilSAT; all other units administer through the school's own College Entrance Test initiated by the Admissions and Aid.

Organization and administration

Governance

The Ateneo is governed as a private, nonprofit corporation by a board of trustees responsible for overseeing the long-term interests of the university. The board consists of 15 members with at least 8 Jesuit members.

The Ateneo is administered by a president who is elected by the board of trustees from the Jesuit members of the board to a six-year term. There is no limit to how many terms the president can serve. Under him are four vice presidents with two being the heads of the basic and higher education units, one for administration, and one for the university's formation efforts.

Prior to the 1970s, the head of the local Jesuit community was also the rector of the Ateneo, and they were appointed by the Jesuit Provincial Superior. Efforts were made by the Jesuits to incorporate Ateneo and establish a board of trustees, and on February 25, 1979, Fr. Ernesto Carretero, was the first president elected by the newly established Board of Trustees.

The current president is Fr. Guillrey Anthony M. Andal,

Academic affiliations

The Ateneo is a member of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Asia-Pacific (AJCU-AP), the Jesuit Basic Education Commission (JBEC), the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), the Association of Southeast and East Asian Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU), and the Zamboanga Basilan Sulu Tawi-Tawi Association of Private Schools (ZAMBASULTAPS).

Campuses

The Ateneo operates three campuses within the city.

Fr. Eusebio G. Salvador, S.J. (Main) Campus. The main campus (4.3 hectares) on La Purisima Street, named for Fr. Eusebio Salvador, S.J., houses the administration and admissions offices of the university, as well as the undergraduate and graduate schools and the Senior High School unit.

Fr. William H. Kreutz, S.J. Campus. The second campus (8.3 hectares) in Barangay Tumaga, which is outside the city proper, named for Fr. William Kreutz, S.J., is home to the Junior High School and Grade School units.

Lantaka Campus. The Lantaka Campus is situated along the coastline of Zamboanga City and was previously a resort hotel. It serves as an innovation center for the Zamboanga Peninsula, hosting various programs on entrepreneurship and catering to startups, SMEs, and innovators. Its spaces are also used as a place for students' and staff's retreats, recollections, meetings, seminars, and conferences.

Student life

Campus organizations

The Ateneo officially recognizes over 150 clubs and organizations in its basic and higher education units, including 11 academic organizations that each represent its colleges and schools. College students with at least 12 units and a 1.5 GPA or higher are allowed to join campus organizations. Clubs and organizations are unique to each academic unit, while the university's concert band and glee club are the only organizations open to multiple academic units.

The El Consejo Atenista, as AdZU's official student government, engages with other Jesuit universities' student councils in the annual Buklod Atenista National Leaders' Summit. They are also active in community initiatives, such as organizing relief operations during the 2013 Zamboanga City Siege and protesting against the implementation of mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps in the Philippines.

Each academic unit has its own student publication, with the oldest being The Beacon Publications, founded in 1946. It mainly publishes online content through social media platforms and releases print editions in English and local languages. The Ateneo Communicators, an organization of the School of Liberal Arts, also hosts Radyo Atenista, covering and live streaming events during the annual Ateneo Fiesta. The university's peer-reviewed journal, Asia Mindanaw, is published by the research office.

Athletics

The Ateneo's varsity athletics teams participate regularly at the Jesuit Athletic Meet (JAM), the Private Schools of Zamboanga Athletic Association (PSZCAA) Meet, the Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Athletic Association (ZPRAA) Meet, and the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) Regional Games. Some of its teams also compete internationally, such as in martial arts competitions. Its mascot is the Azul Aguila, and its colors are blue and white.

Athletics history

The Ateneo's first athletics teams were formed after the arrival of American Jesuits in the late 1920s. They competed during the annual intramurals and locally against other schools and American soldiers. The athletics teams were then disbanded in the early 1940s due to the war. After new athletics teams were formed, they started using the Blue Eagle as its moniker in the year the Brebeuf Gym finished construction, ahead of the Ateneo de Manila.

Ateneo Fiesta

The Ateneo Fiesta, often shortened to AtFest, is an annual celebration usually held around the end of the first semester after the alumni homecoming. Previously named Palarong Ateneo, the event serves as an intramural competition for different academic units, faculty, staff, and alumni and is held at its main campus.

Notable alumni

• Roseller T. Lim, first and only Zamboangueño elected to the Philippine Senate
• Cesar Climaco, former mayor of Zamboanga City
• Bobby Nalzaro, broadcast journalist, radio commentator and columnist
• Beng Climaco, current vice mayor and former mayor of Zamboanga City

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)