Ateneo de Davao University
The Ateneo de Davao University is a private Catholic basic and higher education institution in Davao City, Davao del Sur, Philippines. It is run by the Philippine Jesuit Province.
The university has five undergraduate schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business and Governance, the School of Engineering and Architecture, the School of Education, and the School of Nursing. The aforementioned schools also run the graduate programs. The College of Law is a separate unit within the university.
The university also runs a grade school and both a junior high and senior high school.
The university was granted "Institutional Accreditation" by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities, an honour only granted to six universities. It also received an autonomous status from the Philippine Commission on Higher Education.
History
Before the Jesuits assumed administration of the school in 1948, it was known as St. Peter's Parochial School. After taking over, the Jesuits renamed the institution Ateneo de Davao, following their tradition at the time of naming Jesuit-run schools "Ateneo". The Ateneo de Davao is one of nine schools in the Philippines bearing the Ateneo name.At the request of Bishop Luis del Rosario of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga, which then included the Davao region, fellow Jesuit priests assumed control of the existing St. Peter's Parochial School and founded the Ateneo de Davao in 1948. Theodore E. Daigler, one of the priests, served as the first rector of the school.
When the school opened on June 28, 1948, it enrolled students from the fifth grade through the third year of high school. There were 71 elementary students and 131 high school students who started in a wooden building on a six-hectare lot in Matina.
The Jacinto campus was acquired in 1951 with the support of the Most Rev. Clovis Thibault, P.M.E., Bishop-Prelate of Davao. The campus provided classrooms for high school students in the daytime and college courses in the evenings. College course offerings then were liberal arts, commerce, education, associate in arts, pre-law, secretarial and an elementary teacher's certificate program. The College Department opened in July 1951 with 130 male students. College classes were held in the wooden Bellarmine Hall. In 1953, the Ateneo de Davao College became co-educational. By that time, there were nine collegiate course programs offered.
The Ateneo de Davao became one of the centers of student activism in Mindanao during the period of martial law under Ferdinand Marcos. Some people would later be added to the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani Wall of Remembrance, which honors victims of the resistance against the authoritarian government of Ferdinand Marcos.
University campuses
Ateneo de Davao University operates three main campuses in Davao City: the Emilio Jacinto Street campus, the Matina campus, and the Bangkal campus, each supporting specific academic and research units. The 4-hectare Emilio Jacinto Street campus, located in Davao City’s central business district, was acquired in 1951 and initially measured approximately 3.5 hectares. In 2012, an adjacent 5,000 square meter lot was added to the existing campus. The undergraduate and graduate schools, and the College of Law, are housed in this campus and have a combined student population of around 8,000.The grade school and high school units are located in a 7.2-hectare campus in the Matina district, a residential area south of the downtown district. The Matina campus was originally a 6-hectare lot, and an adjacent 1.2 hectare lot was added to the campus in 2012. In June 2018, the Senior High School opened in the Bangkal district. At four hectares, this campus features four school buildings and one administration building with 4 stories each.
Academic institutions
The Ateneo de Davao's academic programs include the humanities, education, accounting, business, law, social sciences, philosophy, nursing, social work, theology, biology, chemistry, mathematics, environmental science, computer science and information technology, engineering, architecture, public administration, anthropology, Islamic studies, sociology, economics, and political science. The university also heavily engages itself in research and community social involvement.Undergraduate and graduate units
School of Arts and Sciences
The School of Arts and Sciences was opened in 1951 with 130 students enrolled in various offerings, namely: liberal arts, commerce, education, associate in arts, pre-law, secretarial, and elementary teacher's certificate program. In subsequent years, other college programs were added. After the school obtained university status in 1977, the list of programs was further expanded.Currently, the SAS offers different degree programs both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The SAS is subdivided into four clusters: Computer Studies, Humanities and Letters, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social Sciences.
School of Business and Governance
At Ateneo de Davao University, business programs were once spread across several units. Undergraduate offerings were handled by the School of Arts and Sciences, while graduate programs such as the Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration and Master in Administration and Management were administered separately. The Master of Public Administration in Governance and Administration program was housed under the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.To bring these programs together, the university created the School of Business and Governance, which was launched on April 1, 2000.
It offers programs in accountancy, business management, entrepreneurship, human resource development and management, finance, accounting technology and marketing, along with graduate business programs. The school also oversees support units in computer literacy and research and extension services.
School of Nursing
The university began offering a master's degree program in Nursing Administration in the 1970s. It opened an undergraduate nursing program in 2001. The program started under the auspices of the Natural Sciences and Math Division, and eventually became the School of Nursing.In 2009, the Commission on Higher Education released a list of the top 20 nursing schools in the Philippines that have met the standards set by the Professional Regulation Commission. The School of Nursing of the Ateneo de Davao University was in the 18th place of the Top 20 Nursing Schools in the Philippines.
School of Engineering and Architecture
In school year 2010–2011, the Board of Trustees approved the separation of the Engineering and Architecture divisions from the School of Arts and Sciences, and the creation of its own college. Randell U. Espina was appointed as its first dean. The board approved the shift from CEA to School of Engineering and Architecture, beginning June 1, 2012.Currently, SEA offers ten programs: Architecture, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Robotics Engineering.
In 2011, AdDU was ranked seventh among the country's engineering schools.This ranking was derived from the average of the school's ratings in the licensure examinations in the five engineering fields of Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Civil and Electronics & Communications Engineering. The Ateneo de Davao was also ranked as the 4th best Architecture school in the country. This was also based on the passing percentage rates of the school on board examinations administered by the Professional Regulation Commission for Architecture in three consecutive years.
School of Education
During the school year 2012–2013, the board approved the separation of the Education program from the Social Science Division as part of the reorganization of the School of Arts and Sciences in order to create the School of Education. Gina L. Montalan is the school's first appointed dean. The current dean of the SOE is Annabel J. Casumpa.The SOE offers the following programs: Bachelor of Elementary Education and Bachelor of Secondary Education with majors in English, math, physical sciences, social studies, and biological sciences.
The Ateneo de Davao University's Teacher Education is also recognized by the Commission on Higher Education as a Center of Development.
Professional unit
College of Law
In June 1961, then-Rector Rev. Hudson Mitchell, S.J. established the College of Law. The first graduates took the bar examinations in 1965. Atty. Leon M. Garcia Jr. was Dean for the period 1961–63. He was succeeded by Epifanio Estrellado who held the deanship for 27 years. In 1990, Atty. Hildegardo F. Iñigo, one of the first graduates of the College of Law and faculty member since 1967, assumed the position of dean.According to the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the AdDU College of Law is the fifth-best law school in the country.
The present dean of the College of Law is Atty. Manuel P. Quibod, who is also the university's legal counsel.
Basic education units
The government mandated K12 basic education program was implemented in the university starting in school year 2012–2013.Senior High School
The Senior High School covers three areas based on disciplines similar to college courses which are all Academic: Accountancy, Business & Management, Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics, and Humanities & Social Sciences. These areas allow students to choose the strand where they can prepare for college.The first two school years of the Senior High School which began in June 2016, was temporarily held in the college campus in Jacinto while the permanent and current site was being constructed in Bangkal. In June 2018, with the new campus 90% complete, formal classes were already held in this new location.
The SHS is headed by the Principal, Dr. Joan Grace A. Palconit. Its Assistant Principal for Formation is Fr. Jessel Gerard "JBoy" M. Gonzales, SJ.