   #copyright

Ateneo de Manila University

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Geography

   CAPTION: Ateneo de Manila University
     __________________________________________________________________

       Motto      Lux in Domino ("Light in the Lord")
    Established   1859
        Type      Private, Jesuit University
     President    Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J.
   Undergraduates Approx. 7,500
   Postgraduates  Approx. 3,000
      Location    Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
       Campus     1.2 km² (Loyola Heights campus)
        Hymn      A Song for Mary
       Colors     Blue and white
      Nickname    Ateneo Blue Eagles
       Mascot     Blue Eagle
      Website     www.ateneo.edu

   The Ateneo de Manila University (also called "Ateneo de Manila" or
   simply "the Ateneo") is a private university run by the Society of
   Jesus in the Philippines. Its main campus is located at Loyola Heights
   in Quezon City, Metro Manila. It offers programs in the elementary,
   secondary, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Its academic offerings
   cover various fields, including the Arts, Humanities, Business, Law,
   the Social Sciences, Theology, and Pure and Applied Sciences. Aside
   from teaching, the Ateneo de Manila also engages in extensive research
   and social outreach work.

   It is one of the only two universities in the Philippines to receive
   the Level IV accreditation--the highest possible level--from the
   Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines and the PAASCU.
   It received its Level IV accreditation on June 2004.

Institution

   The Ateneo de Manila University operates from several campuses in Metro
   Manila, with each campus housing different academic and research units.
   Several thousand faculty members serve a diverse student body of
   different ages in different academic levels, from elementary to
   postgraduate. The Loyola Schools have around 7,500 undergraduate
   students and around 3,000 graduate students making the Ateneo small, in
   terms of population, relative to many other Philippine universities.

   The University began in 1859 when the City of Manila turned over the
   Escuela Municipal, a public primary school in Intramuros, to Spanish
   Jesuits. The school took on the name Ateneo when it began offering
   secondary education in 1865, and it has since grown into a university
   engaging in teaching, research, and social outreach. Its academic
   programs are geared toward research coupled with praxis and real-world
   output through which the university and its community engage social
   problems, especially in areas of national development.

The Ateneo commitment

   The Church of the Gesu
   Enlarge
   The Church of the Gesu

   The Ateneo has grounded its vision and mission in Jesuit educational
   tradition. The university's vision-mission statement may be summarized
   as follows:

          "A Filipino, Catholic, and Jesuit university, the Ateneo de
          Manila aims to form men and women for others who critically
          examine their world and pursue excellence and leadership in
          order to solve social problems and to drive sustainable,
          inclusive, and empowering human development in the Philippines
          and the world at large."

   Grounded on the Jesuit educational tradition of engagement with the
   world at large, the university is deeply involved with civic work.
   Social involvement is not merely extra-curricular, but a key part of
   Ateneo education.

   Some of the Ateneo's social projects include the Ateneo-Mangyan Project
   for Understanding and Development (AMPUD) and Bigay Puso in grade
   school; and the Christian Service and Involvement Program, Damay
   Immersion, and Tulong Dunong program for senior students in high
   school. In college, social development is fostered by many programs of
   the Office of Social Concern and Involvement, including house-builds
   with Gawad Kalinga and the Labor Trials Program tied into junior
   Philosophy classes. Various student organizations and offices of the
   Loyola Schools also operate their own social involvement programs.

   At the Ateneo Professional Schools, programs and units like the
   Graduate School of Business' Mulat-Diwa, the Leaders for Health
   Program, the Law School's Human Rights Centre and Legal Aid programs
   aim to form leaders for the frontlines.

   Other Ateneo initiatives include Pathways to Higher Education, a
   comprehensive response to the problem faced by academically-gifted by
   financially-underprivileged youth who seek a college education; and the
   Ateneo Centre for Educational Development (ACED), which conducts highly
   effective national teacher and principal training programs.

   The centerpiece social program of the university is its university-wide
   social action program, its partnership with Gawad Kalinga, which, to
   date, has helped build communities and schools in Payatas, Quezon City
   and in many Nueva Ecija municipalities. GK-Ateneo has also driven
   Kalinga Luzon, the massive rehabilitation effort for victims of the
   late 2004 Luzon typhoons, GK Youth-Ateneo, arguably the largest and
   most active student social program of the Ateneo, and Kalinga Leyte, an
   ongoing program which aims to provide long-term rehabilitation for the
   victims of the Southern Leyte landslide.

Administration

               Presidents and Rectors of the
                Ateneo de Manila University
   Fr. Jose Fernandez Cuevas, S.J., 1859 – 1864
   Fr. Juan Bautista Vidal, S.J., 30 July 1864 – 1868
   Fr. Pedro Bertran, S.J., 11 June 1868 – 1872
   Fr. Jose Lluch, S.J., 04 September 1871 – 1875
   Fr. Juan Bautista Heras, S.J., 21 August 1875 – 1881
   Fr. Pablo Ramon, S.J., 01 January 1881 – 1886
   Fr. Miguel Roses, S.J., 06 February 1886 - 1894
   Fr. Miguel Sedarra Mata, S.J., 11 February 1894 – 1901
   Fr. Jose Clos, S.J., 09 June 1901 - 1905
   Fr. Joaquin Añon, S.J., 11 December 1905 - 1910
   Fr. Joaquin Villalonga, S.J., 31 October 1910 - 1916
   Fr. Marcial Sola, S.J., 28 May 1916 - 1920
   Fr. Juan Villalonga, S.J., 29 July 1920 - 1921
   Fr. Francis X. Byrne, S.J., 15 June 1921 – 1925
   Fr. James J. Carlin, S.J., 24 July 1925 - 1927
   Fr. Richard A. O'Brien, S.J., 11 August 1927 - 1933
   Fr. Henry C. Avery, S.J., 30 July 1933 – 1937
   Fr. Carroll I. Fasy, S.J., 26 February 1937 - 1941
   Fr. Francis X. Reardon, S.J., 25 April 1941 – 1947
   Fr. William F. Masterson, S.J., 14 May 1947 – 1950
   Fr. James J. McMahon, S.J., 15 March 1950 - 1956
   Fr. Leo A. Cullum, S.J., 31 July 1956 - 1959
   Fr. Francisco Araneta, S.J., 15 June 1959 – 1965
   Fr. James F. Donelan, S.J., 02 July 1965 – 1969
   Fr. Pacifico A. Ortiz, S.J., 01 May 1969 - 1970
   Fr. Francisco Araneta, S.J., 15 November 1970 - 1972
   Fr. Jose A. Cruz, S.J., 12 August 1972 - 1984
   Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas, S.J., 01 April 1984 – 1993
   Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J. , 01 April 1993 - Present

   The Ateneo de Manila is governed by a Board of Trustees, currently
   chaired by alumnus Manuel V. Pangilinan. A central administration, led
   by the University President, Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J. , oversees key
   initiatives related to academics, international programs, university
   development and alumni relations, personnel, security, and other
   university-wide concerns.

   Individual units and departments are usually led by a vice president,
   with the exception of the basic education units, led by a director who
   oversees the leadership of both the High School's principal and the
   Grade School's headmaster. The Loyola Schools and Professional Schools
   are led by their respective vice presidents, who oversee school deans,
   who in turn oversee department chairs and program directors.

Admissions and financial aid

   Individual schools such as the Loyola Schools, the Ateneo Professional
   Schools, and the Ateneo Grade School and High School handle their own
   admissions. Admission into one unit does not guarantee admission into
   another unit.

   The Ateneo receives thousands of applications from all over the country
   every year. Applications from foreigners to the college and graduate
   school programs are quite common. In 2005, the Loyola Schools admitted
   2,023 freshmen, a figure larger than the projected average of 1,800
   freshmen from recent years. 20% of the entering class was composed of
   valedictorians (83), salutatorians (62), and honorable mention
   graduates (277).

   The university also extends financial aid to students. Scholarships are
   available in all academic units, with funding coming from the
   university, third parties, and donations made by alumni, the
   government, and the private sector. The Loyola Schools offer Merit
   Scholarships for the top scorers in the Ateneo College Entrance Test
   (ACET), and the San Ignacio Merit Scholarships are given to top ACET
   takers from public high schools.

University units

   The Ateneo de Manila University is composed of school units and
   auxiliary units. Affiliated units contribute to the work of the
   different school and auxiliary units, facilitating the work of
   learning, teaching, research, and social involvement. Individual units
   enjoy a considerable amount of autonomy from the central
   administration.

Professional Schools

   The Ateneo Professional Schools (APS) is the main professional
   education division of Ateneo de Manila.

   The Professional Schools offer degrees such as Master of Business
   Administration and Master of Arts, and the School of Law confers the
   Juris Doctor (JD) degree in lieu of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree.
   The Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, which opens in 2007,
   will offer an integrated Doctor of Medicine and Master of Management
   program. The Professional Schools also confer certificates for short
   courses.
     * AGSB-BAP Institute of Banking
     * Ateneo Graduate School of Business
     * Ateneo Information Technology Institute
     * Ateneo School of Government
     * Ateneo School of Law
     * Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health
     * Centre for Continuing Education

Loyola Schools

   Xavier Hall, the administration building
   Enlarge
   Xavier Hall, the administration building

   The Loyola Schools offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in
   the arts and sciences. It is composed of four colleges, the School of
   Humanities, the John Gokongwei School of Management, the School of
   Science and Engineering, and the School of Social Sciences.

   The current Vice-President for the Loyola Schools is Professor Ma.
   Assunta C. Cuyegkeng (PhD Chemistry, U. Regensburg). She replaced
   Professor Anna Miren Gonzales-Intal (PhD Psychology, Yale University),
   who will return to teaching. Vice-President Cuyegkeng assumed the post
   last April 1, 2006.

   The Loyola Schools' programs are geared toward student-centeredness.
   The Ateneo was one of the first schools in the Philippines to enact a
   Magna Carta for Undergraduates.

High school

   The Ateneo de Manila High School is a Catholic preparatory school for
   male students.

   The campus features various facilities such as a library, the
   Instructional Technology Centre, the Tanghalang Onofre Pagsanghan (
   Dulaang Sibol), and a large athletics complex with one of the largest
   school-based covered courts facility in the country. In 2003, the High
   School opened a new building called the Centre for Math, Science and
   Technology (commonly known as "MST"), which contains the school's
   science and computer laboratories and the faculty room for the Science
   and Math teachers.

   The High School is also known for religious formation programs, such as
   the Christian Service and Involvement Program (CSIP), which comprises
   the Dungaw-Exposure Trip for freshmen, Damá-Christian Service Program
   for sophomores, and the Damay Immersion and GK Programs for juniors.
   Other religious formation activities include the Tulong Dunong program
   for seniors, recollections and retreats. The Ateneo High School is
   notable for being the first school to hold sessions of Days with the
   Lord.

   The current principal is Fr. Raymund Benedict Q. Hizon, S.J.. His
   assumption of the post marks the first time a Jesuit has held the
   position since Carmela C. Oracion was appointed principal from
   1998-2006.

Grade school

   The Ateneo de Manila Grade School is an elementary school for boys with
   a current average population of 4000 students. It has facilities and
   classrooms for students from the preparatory level to the seventh
   grade. It is an integral part of the Ateneo de Manila University
   governed by its own by-laws and administrative set-up. Its current
   headmaster is Fr. Jose Moises T. Fermin, S.J.

Auxiliary units and Research Centers

     * Ateneo Art Gallery
     * Ateneo Centre for Asian Studies
     * Ateneo Centre for Economic Research and Development
     * Ateneo Centre for Educational Development
     * Ateneo Centre for English Language Training
     * Ateneo Centre for Organization Research and Development
     * Ateneo Centre for Psychological and Educational Assessment
     * Ateneo Centre for Social Policy and Public Affairs
     * Ateneo Information Design Studio
     * Ateneo Institute of Literary Arts and Practices
     * Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Centre
     * Ateneo Language Centre
     * Ateneo Macroeconomic Research Unit
     * Ateneo-PLDT Advanced Network Testbed
     * Ateneo Research Network for Development
     * Ateneo Teacher Centre
     * Ateneo de Manila University Press
     * Ateneo Wellness Centre

     * Centre for Communication Research and Technology
     * Centre for Community Services
     * Governor Jose B. Fernandez Ethics Centre for Business and Public
       Service
     * Institute of Philippine Culture
     * John Gokongwei School of Management Business Accelerator (SOMBA)
     * John Gokongwei School of Management Business Resource Centre
     * Konrad Adenauer Asian Centre for Journalism (ACFJ)
     * National Chemistry Instrumentation Centre
     * Ninoy and Cory Aquino Centre for Leadership
     * Pathways to Higher Education-Philippines
     * Philippines-Australia Studies Network
     * Ricardo Leong Centre for Chinese Studies

Affiliate units

   Affiliate units are allied institutions which may or may not formally
   be part of the Ateneo de Manila, but which are based in an Ateneo
   campus, and support or augment the work of the university in various
   fields.
     * Arrupe International Residence
     * Asian Public Intellectuals Fellowships
     * Ateneo Union Office
     * Centre for Family Ministries Foundation (CEFAM)
     * Centre for Leadership & Change, Inc. (CLCI)
     * China Office
     * East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI)
     * Faculty Housing
     * Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute (GZOPI)
     * Health Alternatives for Total Human Development Institute
       (HealthDEv Institute)
     * Institute of Social Order (ISO)
     * Institute on Church and Social Issues (ICSI)
     * ISO Canteen
     * Jesuit Basic Education Commission
     * Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom)
     * Jesuit Music Ministry (JMM)
     * Jesuit Residence

     * Jesuit Volunteers Philippines
     * Loyola House of Studies
     * Loyola School of Theology
     * Manila Observatory
     * Office of Joaquin G. Bernas, S.J.
     * Partnership of Philippine Support Agencies
     * Philippine Development NGOs for International Concern
     * Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PIPAC)
     * Program for Cultural Cooperation
     * San Jose Major Seminary
     * Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN)
     * Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
     * Social Service Centre
     * Society of Jesuit Social Apostolate (SJSA)
     * Ugnayan at Tulong para sa Maralitang Pamilya Foundation (UGAT
       Foundation)
     * Vietnam Service Office

International programs

   A souvenir shop and cashiers at Xavier Hall
   Enlarge
   A souvenir shop and cashiers at Xavier Hall

   The Ateneo has growing international linkages with universities,
   institutions, and organizations from all over the world, particularly
   in Asia, Australia, North and South America, and Europe. Through these
   cooperative efforts, the university hosts visiting faculty and research
   fellows from institutions abroad, and in turn, Ateneo faculty members
   also engage in teaching, research, and study in institutions abroad.

   International cooperation also includes active student exchange through
   Philippine immersion programs for a month or two for small groups of
   15-18 students or full study programs wherein students from partner
   institutions abroad take regular courses.

   The Loyola Schools also offers students an opportunity to study abroad
   under a student exchange program during their undergraduate or graduate
   years. Students engage in either semestral or yearly study or exchange
   programs in partner universities abroad. Students of the John Gokongwei
   School of Management and the Fine Arts Program of the School of
   Humanities can also sign up for the Junior Term Abroad program, wherein
   they will spend a semester in one of the Ateneo's partner schools for
   undergraduate business studies.

History

Early history

   The founding of the Ateneo de Manila University finds its roots in the
   history of the Society of Jesus as a teaching order in the Philippines.

   The first Spanish Jesuits arrived in the Philippines in 1581 as
   missionaries. They were custodians of the ratio studiorum, the Jesuit
   system of education developed around 1559. Within a decade of their
   arrival, the Society, through Fr. Antonio Sedeño, founded the Colegio
   de Manila (also known as the Colegio de San Ignacio) in Intramuros in
   1590. The San Ignacio formally opened in 1595, and was the first school
   in the Philippines.

   In 1621, Pope Gregory XV, through the Archbishop of Manila, authorized
   the San Ignacio to confer degrees in theology and arts and elevated it
   into a university. In 1623, Philip IV of Spain confirmed the
   authorization, making the school both a pontifical and a royal
   university, and the very first university in the Philippines and in
   Asia.

   However, by the mid-18th century, Catholic colonial powers, notably
   France, Portugal, and Spain, had grown hostile to the Society of Jesus
   because the Jesuits actively educated and empowered colonized people.
   The Society was particularly notorious for encouraging indigenous
   people to seek self-governance. Because of this, the colonial powers
   eventually expelled the Society, often quite brutally, from their
   realms.

   In 1768, the Jesuits surrendered the San Ignacio to Spanish civil
   authorities following their suppression and expulsion from Spain and
   the rest of the Spanish realm, including the Philippines. Under
   pressure from Catholic royalty, Pope Clement XIV formally declared the
   dissolution of the Society of Jesus in 1773.

   Pope Pius VII reinstated the Society in 1814, after almost seven
   decades of persecution and over four decades of formal suppression.
   However, the Jesuits would not return to the Philippines until 1859,
   almost a century after their expulsion.

19th century

   Through an 1852 Royal Decree from Queen Isabella II, ten Spanish
   Jesuits arrived in Manila on 14 April 1859, nearly a century after the
   Jesuits left the Philippines. This Jesuit mission was sent mainly to do
   missionary work in Mindanao and Jolo.

   Because of the Jesuits' entrenched reputation as educators among
   Manila’s leaders, on 5 August the Ayuntamiento or city council
   requested the Governor-General to found and finance a Jesuit school
   using public funds. On 1 October 1859, the Governor-General authorized
   the Jesuits to take over the Escuela Municipal, a small private school
   maintained for some 30 children of Spanish residents. Ten Spanish
   Jesuit priests and a Jesuit brother began operating the school on 10
   December 1859. The Ateneo de Manila University considers this date its
   foundation day.

   Partly subsidized by the Ayuntamiento, the Escuela was the only primary
   school in Manila at the time. The Escuela eventually changed its name
   to Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1865, when it became accredited as an
   institution of secondary education. It began by offering the
   bachillerato or bachelor's degree, as well as courses leading to
   certificates in agriculture, surveying, and business.

   After Americans occupied the Philippines in the early 1900s, the Ateneo
   de Manila lost its government subsidy from the city and became a
   private institution. The Jesuits removed the word Municipal from the
   school’s official name soon after, and it has since been known as the
   Ateneo de Manila.

   In 1908, the American colonial government recognized the Ateneo de
   Manila's college status and licensed its offering the bachelor’s degee
   and certificates in various disciplines, including electrical
   engineering. The Ateneo campus also housed other Jesuit institutions of
   research and learning, such as the Manila Observatory and the San Jose
   Major Seminary.

Early 20th century

   American Jesuits took over Ateneo administration in 1912. Fr. Richard
   O’Brien, the third American rector, led the relocation of the San Jose
   Major Seminary in Padre Faura, Ermita after a fire destroyed the
   Intramuros campus in 1932.

   Devastation hit the Ateneo campus once again during World War II. Only
   one structure remained standing – the statue of St. Joseph and the
   Child Jesus which now stands in front of the Jesuit Residence in the
   Loyola Heights campus. Ironwork and statuary salvaged from the Ateneo
   ruins have since been incorporated into various existing Ateneo
   buildings. Some examples are the Ateneo monograms on the gates of the
   Loyola Heights campus, the iron grillwork on the ground floor of Xavier
   Hall, and the statue of the Immaculate Conception displayed at the
   University Archives.

   But even if the Ateneo campus had been destroyed, the university
   survived. Following the American liberation, the Ateneo de Manila
   reopened temporarily in Plaza Guipit in Sampaloc, Manila. The Padre
   Faura campus reopened in 1946 with Quonset huts serving as buildings
   among the campus ruins.

   In 1952, the university, led by James Masterson, S.J., moved most of
   its units to its present Loyola Heights campus. Controversy surrounded
   the decision. An Ateneo Jesuit supposedly said that only the "children
   of Tarzan" would study in the new campus. But over the years, the
   Ateneo in Loyola Heights has become the centre of a dynamic community.
   The Padre Faura campus continued to house the professional schools
   until 1976.

   Fr. Francisco Araneta, S.J. was appointed as the Ateneo de Manila's
   first Filipino Rector in 1958. In 1959, its centennial year, the Ateneo
   became a university.

Late 20th century

   The following decades saw escalating turbulence engulf the university
   as an active movement for Filipinization and a growing awareness of the
   vast gulf between rich and poor grip the entire nation. Throughout the
   1960s, Ateneans pushed for an Ateneo which was more conversant with the
   Filipino situation and rooted more deeply in Filipino values. They
   pushed for the use of Filipino for instruction, and pushed the
   university to implement reforms that addressed the growing social
   problems of poverty and injustice. During that time, the Graduate
   School split into the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the
   Graduate School of Economics and Business Administration, which
   eventually became the Graduate School of Business.

   In 1965, Fr. Horacio de la Costa, became the first Filipino Provincial
   Superior of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. On
   September 25, 1969, Pacifico Ortiz, S.J., was installed as the first
   Filipino President of the Ateneo de Manila.

   Ateneans also played a vital role as student activism rose in academe
   in the 1970s. Students faced university expulsion and violent
   government dispersal as they protested the dismissal of dissenting
   faculty and students, oppressive laws and price hikes, human rights
   violations, and other injustices. On September 21, 1972, Philippine
   President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. The university
   administration had great difficulty reconciling the promotion of social
   justice and keeping the university intact. They locked down on the more
   overt expressions of activism--violence and miltancy--and strived to
   maintain a semblance of normalcy as they sought to keep military men
   from being stationed on campus.

   In 1973, Jesuit Superior General Fr. Pedro Arrupe called for Jesuit
   schools to educate for justice and to form "men and women for others."
   The Ateneo college opened its doors to its first female students in
   that same year.

   The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences moved to Loyola Heights in
   1976, and the Padre Faura campus finally closed in 1977 as the Graduate
   School of Business and the School of Law moved to H.V. de la Costa St.
   in Salcedo Village, Makati. That same year, the Ateneo, then the
   ‘winningest’ school in men's basketball, left the NCAA, which it
   co-founded, due to violence plaguing the league.

   In February 1978, the Ateneo opened the Ateneo-Univac Computer
   Technology Center, one of the country’s pioneering computer centers.
   This later became the Ateneo Computer Technology Centre.

   On August 21, 1983, Ateneo alumnus Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. was
   assassinated upon his return from exile in the United States. Ateneans
   continued to work with sectors such as the poor, non-government
   organizations, and some activist groups in the dying years of the
   martial law era. On February 11, 1986, alumnus and Antique Governor
   Evelio Javier was gunned down. Two weeks later, Ateneans joined in the
   peaceful uprising at EDSA which ousted Ferdinand Marcos.

Recent history

   In 1987, nine years after the Ateneo joined the University Athletics
   Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the university went on to win
   its first crown in UAAP men’s basketball. The Blue Eagles won a second
   straight title in 1988.

   In 1991, the Ateneo joined in relief operations to help the victims
   affected by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. That same year saw the School
   of Law phased out its Bachelor of Laws degree and conferring the Juris
   Doctor degree.

   In 1994, the Ateneo was one of the first Philippine schools on the
   Internet, and was part of the conference that connected the Philippines
   to the world wide web. In 1996 the Ateneo relaunched the Ateneo
   Computer Technology Centre as the Ateneo Information Technology
   Institute and established the Ateneo School of Government. In 1998, the
   Ateneo’s Rockwell campus, which would house the Graduate School of
   Business and the School of Law, rose in Bel-Air, Makati, while the
   Science Education Complex was completed in the Loyola Heights campus.
   The Science Education Complex
   Enlarge
   The Science Education Complex

   In 2000, the School of Arts and Sciences which comprised the College
   and the Graduate School restructured into four Loyola Schools: the
   School of Humanities, the John Gokongwei School of Management, the
   School of Science and Engineering, and the School of Social Sciences.
   The completion of the Moro Lorenzo Sports Complex in Loyola Heights
   bolstered the sports program. Midway through the year, high school
   alumnus and Philippine President Joseph Estrada faced grave corruption
   charges. The Ateneo hosted KOMPIL II and other organizations and
   movements, as members of the university community gathered in force at
   the Jericho March at the Senate and other mass actions.

   In 2001, after a second popular uprising at EDSA, Ateneo alumna and
   former Economics faculty member Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn in as
   the 14th President of the Philippines, overthrowing Estrada. In May,
   she would face another uprising EDSA sparked by Estrada supporters, who
   protested his arrest on plunder charges. Arroyo quelled the uprising,
   but political uncertainty would continue to plague the nation
   throughout her administration.

   In April 2002, the Office of the President established Pathways to
   Higher Education-Philippines with the help of the Ford and Synergeia
   Foundations. In July, on the feast of St. Ignatius, the University
   Church of the Gesù finally rose in the Loyola Heights campus, and was
   consecrated by Jaime Cardinal Sin. The year also saw the Blue Eagles
   end a 14-year drought in men's basketball.

   In 2003, the Ateneo adopted its first formal, university-wide social
   action program, its partnership with Gawad Kalinga, a movement
   initiated by Couples for Christ that aims to eliminate poverty and
   build a new Philippines by building respectable homes and caring
   communities for the poor. In November 2004 typhoons and flooding
   devastated Luzon and the rest of the Philippines, even as tsunamis
   ravaged most of southeast Asia. In response, the Ateneo community
   launched its disaster relief program, Task Force Noah, which has
   continued to contribute to disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts
   in areas that include Calatagan in Mindoro and Guinsaugon in Southern
   Leyte. The Ateneo also earned the highest possible accreditation
   status, Level IV, from the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the
   Philippines and the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools,
   Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). That same year, the Ateneo de
   Manila celebrated its 145th anniversary, and the 145th anniversary of
   the return of Jesuit education in the Philippines as it launched the
   countdown to its sesquicentennial, its 150th anniversary in 2009.

   In January 2005, as typhoon relief efforts wound down, the Ateneo,
   Gawad Kalinga, and other partners launched Kalinga Luzon (KL). KL is a
   program dedicated to the long-term rehabilitation of typhoon-stricken
   communities in Luzon. 2005 also saw the rise of initiatives such as the
   Social Involvement Workshops and other fora, especially in light of the
   political crisis sparked by allegations of President Arroyo's cheating
   in the 2004 presidential elections. The Ateneo also established more
   tie-ups and foreign linkages, as well as prepared efforts leading to
   the development of the Leong Centre for Chinese Studies in the
   university.

   In early 2006, members of the Ateneo de Manila University and
   affiliated Jesuit institutions continue to be at the forefront of
   movements calling for discernment, action, and sustainable solutions to
   the deeply divisive political issues that continue to rock Filipino
   society. The Ateneo de Manila University also intensified its social
   development efforts, launching Kalinga Leyte, a program for the
   long-term rehabilitation of Southern Leyte, with its GK partners. The
   Ateneo has also expanded the scope of its involvement with Gawad
   Kalinga and has begun to drive GK initiatives throughout Nueva Ecija,
   and in other provinces such as Cotobato and Quezon.

Campuses

Loyola Heights campus

   Overlooking the Marikina Valley, the main campus is located in Loyola
   Heights, along the eastern side of Katipunan Avenue, and is south of
   and adjacent to the campus of Miriam College.

   The Grade School, High School, and Loyola Schools are located in the
   Ateneo's Loyola Heights campus. Beside the Grade School is the Henry
   Lee Irwin Theatre, built in 1996 to house the school's formal events
   and productions. Complementing the old buildings of the Loyola Schools
   are the Science Education Complex, as well as the PLDT Convergent
   Technologies Centre-John Gokongwei School of Management Complex.

   Within this campus is the Rizal Library, the main university library.
   The library houses one of the largest collections in the Philippines,
   and has among its holdings key collections such as the American
   Historical Collection, the Ateneo Library of Women's Writings, the
   Pardo de Tavera a large collection of Filipiniana and rare books,
   electronic materials, bound and electronic journals and periodicals,
   and an assortment of microfiche materials. Near Rizal Library are the
   University Archives.

   Also located here are numerous units and research centers affiliated
   with the Ateneo, such as the Institute of Social Order, Institute of
   Philippine Culture, Institute on Church and Social Issues, Asian Public
   Intellectuals Fellowships, the Philippine Institute for Pure and
   Applied Chemistry, the Jesuit Communications Foundation, the Jesuit
   Basic Education Commission, and others. Also situated here are the East
   Asian Pastoral Institute, Loyola School of Theology, and San Jose
   Seminary, all Jesuit formation institutions all federated with the
   Ateneo de Manila University. The Manila Observatory is also located on
   campus.

   Among the buildings in the southern part of the campus is the Loyola
   Centre, also known as the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym, and at the north end
   stands the Moro Lorenzo Sports Centre (MLSC). The Ateneo Gym is one of
   the largest gymnasiums among the universities in Metro Manila while the
   MLSC is often used by the Philippine National Basketball Team as well
   as other professional teams for their training needs.

   The Church of the Gesu, completed in July 2002, overlooks the campus.
   The school's chapels include the St. Stanislaus Kostka chapel in the
   High School, the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in the College
   complex's Gonzaga Hall, the chapel at the Loyola House of Studies, and
   the Chapel of the Holy Guardian Angels in the Grade School, among
   others. Though strictly speaking not a part of the University but
   standing on its campus, San Jose Major Seminary also has a chapel.
   Moreover, walking distance from the University Campus are two parish
   churches: the Our Lady of Pentecost Parish Church and the Madonna della
   Strada Parish Church. The latter parish includes the university in its
   territory.

   The university has two on-campus dormitories for college students:
   Cervini Hall and Eliazo Hall. Located near the Loyola Schools, Cervini
   accommodates approximately two hundred male students, while Eliazo
   houses one hundred and sixty female students. Other dormitories which
   are also open to college and graduate school students are those of the
   Institute of Social Order, Arrupe International Residence, and the East
   Asian Pastoral Institute.

   The Ateneo de Manila is also home to the largest Jesuit community in
   the Philippines, most of whom reside at the Jesuit Residence in the
   Loyola Heights campus. These Jesuits are involved in teaching,
   administration, and research within the University and others work with
   other affiliated units.

Rockwell Centre campus

   The Rockwell Center campus of the Ateneo de Manila University houses
   the Ateneo Professional Schools, namely the School of Law, Graduate
   School of Business, School of Government, AGSB-BAP Institute of
   Banking, and the Ateneo Centre for Continuing Education.

   The campus was donated by the Lopez Group of Companies to the Ateneo de
   Manila University. The Rockwell structure houses the different faculty
   departments, classroom and teaching facilities, several research
   centers, a moot court facility, and the Ateneo Professional Schools
   Library.

Salcedo campus

   The Salcedo campus houses the different facilities of the former Ateneo
   Information Technology Institute (AITI) and the Ateneo Centre for
   Continuing Education (CCE).

Ortigas campus

   Opening in 2007 is the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health in
   Ortigas. The ASMPH will be working with an adjoining partner hospital,
   The Medical City.

University traditions

The Ateneo name

   The word and name Ateneo is the Spanish form of Athenæum, which the
   Dictionary of Classical Antiquities defines as the name of "the first
   educational institution in Rome" where "rhetoricians and poets held
   their recitations." Hadrian’s school drew its name from a Greek temple
   dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The said temple, according
   to the Encyclopedia Britannica, was where "poets and men of learning
   were accustomed to meet and read their productions."

   Athenæum is also used in reference to schools and literary clubs. The
   closest English translation is academy, referring to institutions of
   secondary learning. The Escuela Municipal de Manila actually became the
   Ateneo Municipal only after it began offering secondary education in
   1865.

   The Society of Jesus in the Philippines established several other
   schools, all named Ateneo, since 1865, and over the years, the name
   "Ateneo" has become recognized as the official title of Jesuit
   institutions of higher learning in the Philippines.

   When the United States withdrew subsidy from Ateneo in 1901, Father
   Rector Jose Clos, S.J. dropped the word municipal from the school name,
   which then became Ateneo de Manila, a name it keeps to this day. Since
   its university charter was granted in 1959, the school has officially
   been called the Ateneo de Manila University.

Lux in Domino

   The Ateneo's motto is Lux in Domino, meaning "Light in the Lord". This
   is not the school's original motto. The Escuela Municipal's 1859 motto
   was "Al merito y a la virtud": "In Merit and in Virtue". This motto
   persisted through the school's renaming in 1865 and in 1901.

   The motto Lux in Domino first appeared as part of the Ateneo seal
   introduced by Father Rector Joaquin Añon, S.J. for the 1909 Golden
   Jubilee. It comes from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians, 5.8: "For
   you were once in darkness, now you are light in the lord. Live as
   children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness,
   righteousness, and truth."

Seal

   In 1859, the Escuela Municipal carried the coat of arms of the city of
   Manila, granted by King Philip II of Spain. By 1865, along with the
   change of name, the school's seal had evolved to include some religious
   images such as the Jesuit monogram "IHS" and some Marian symbols. A
   revision was introduced in the school's golden jubilee 1909 with
   clearer Marian symbols and the current motto, Lux in Domino. This seal
   was retained for 20 years.

   Father Rector Richard O’Brien, S.J. introduced a new seal for Ateneo de
   Manila’s diamond jubilee in 1929. This seal abandons the arms of Manila
   and instead adopts a design that uses mostly Jesuit and Ignatian
   symbols. This is the seal currently used by Ateneo.

   The seal is defined by two semi-circular ribbons. The crown (top)
   ribbon contains the school motto, "Lux-in-Domino", while the base
   (bottom) ribbon contains the school name, "Ateneo de Manila". These
   ribbons define a circular field on which rests the shield of
   Oñaz-Loyola: a combination of the arms of the paternal and maternal
   sides of the family of St. Ignatius.

   In precise heraldic terms, the Shield of Oñaz-Loyola may be described
   as: "Party per pale: Or, seven bendlets Gules; Argent, a two-eared pot
   hanging on a chain between two wolves rampant." In plain English, the
   shield is gold, and divided vertically. To the viewer's left is a field
   of gold with seven red bands. These are the arms of Oñaz, Ignatius'
   paternal family, which commemorates seven family heroes who fought with
   the Spaniards against 70,000 French, Navarese, and Gascons. To the
   viewer's right is a white or silver field with the arms of Loyola,
   Ignatius' maternal family. The arms consist of a two-eared pot hanging
   on a chain between two rampant wolves, which symbolize the nobility.
   The name "Loyola" is actually a contraction of lobos y olla (wolves and
   pot). The name springs from the family's reputation of being able to
   provide so well that they could feed even wild wolves.

   Above the shield is a Basque sunburst, referring to Ignatius' Basque
   roots, and also representing a consecrated host. It bears the letters
   IHS, the first three letters of the Holy Name of Jesus in Greek, and an
   adaptation of the emblem of the Society of Jesus. Many erroneously
   believe that the Ateneo de Manila seal features the letters JHS. This
   stems from the peculiar rendering of the letters in the Ateneo de
   Manila seal. The letter I is drawn in a florid calligraphic style that
   conforms to the circle’s shape. It therefore appears similar to a J.

   Both scalloped and unscalloped versions of the seal are extant. Since
   scallops are not formally a part of a seal's design in traditional
   heraldry, they are merely a decorative element applied for aesthetic or
   nostalgic purposes.

   The seal’s colors are blue, white, red, and gold. In traditional
   heraldry, white or silver (Argent) represents a commitment to peace and
   truth. Blue (Azure) represents fortitude and loyalty. Red (Gules)
   represens martyrdom, sacrifice, and strength. Gold (Or) represents
   nobility and generosity.

   White and blue are also Ateneo’s school colors, the colors of Mary. Red
   and gold are the colors of Spain, home of Ignatius and the Ateneo’s
   Jesuit founders. Finally, these four tinctures mirror the tinctures of
   the Philippine flag, marking the Ateneo’s identity as a Filipino
   University.

Marian devotion

   Ateneans value symbols of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Maria
   Purissima, Queen of the Ateneo. Among them are the rosary in the
   pocket, the October Medal (the Miraculous Medal of the Immaculate
   Conception with a blue ribbon), and the graduation hymn, "A Song for
   Mary."

   In official Jesuit documents (e.g., Catalogus Provinciae Philippinae
   Societatis Jesu), the Ateneo de Manila is also referred to as the
   "University of the Immaculate Conception BVM", the Immaculate
   Conception being the official patron of the University. This is why the
   eighth of December, the Solemn Feast of the Immaculate Conception is
   always a school holiday although the University community honours her
   liturgically a few days before or after the feastday itself.

"A Song for Mary"

   Before the Ateneo de Manila moved to Loyola Heights, the school anthem
   was "Hail Ateneo, Hail," a marching tune.

   When the Ateneo moved from Padre Faura to Loyola Heights in the 1950s,
   the school adopted "A Song for Mary" as its graduation hymn. Fr. James
   Reuter wrote the lyrics, and Ateneo band moderator Captain Jose Campana
   composed the melody, adapted from the 1880 composition of Calixa
   Lavallée's hymn " O Canada," which Canada adopted as its national
   anthem in 1980.

   Over the decades, the graduation hymn eventually supplanted "Hail
   Ateneo, Hail" and is now widely considered the Ateneo de Manila's alma
   mater song.

Colors: blue and white

   The Ateneo has adopted blue and white, the colors of its patron Mary,
   as its official school colors. Marian blue is traditionally
   ultramarine, a deep ocean blue tincture derived from lapis lazuli,
   which historically has been used to colour the vestments of Mary in
   paintings. But since Mary is honored as Stella Maris (Star of the Sea)
   and Queen of Heaven, various shades of blue, such as royal blue and sky
   blue are acceptable shades of Marian blue as well.

Athletics

   The Ateneo de Manila University is a member of the University Athletics
   Association of the Philippines, where it fields teams in all events. It
   was also a founding member of the National Collegiate Athletics
   Association in the 1920s. The Ateneo left the NCAA in 1978 due to the
   league-wide violence prevalent at the time, and then joined the UAAP in
   the same year.

   Aside from the UAAP, the Ateneo also participates in the Father Martin
   Cup, the Home and Away tournament, and the Shakey's V-League. Different
   university units also field teams in leagues such as RIFA (football),
   PAYA and PRADA (basketball), the Inter-MBA Friendship Games, various
   inter-university golf tournaments, and so on. The Ateneo also fields
   teams to the Jesuit Athletic Meet, an athletic meet of the different
   Jesuit schools in the Philippines.

Mascot: The Blue Eagle

   Prior to the 1930s, Ateneo had no mascot. Meanwhile, Catholic Schools
   in the United States, particularly those named after saints, were
   distressed by the cheekiness with which they were mentioned in
   newspapers' sports pages. Headlines read "St. Michael’s Wallops St.
   Augustine’s", or "St. Thomas' Scalps St. Peter’s". It was then agreed
   that each school adopt a mascot, a symbol for the team which
   sportswriters could toss about with impunity.

   The idea quickly caught on in the Philippines. By the 1930s, the Ateneo
   adopted Blue Eagle as a symbol, and had a live eagle accompany the
   basketball team.

   The choice of the colour blue is clearly based on the Ateneo's colors.
   The choice of an eagle holds iconic significance. It is a reference to
   the "high-flying" basketball team which would "sweep the fields away"
   as a dominating force. Furthermore, there was some mythological— even
   political—significance to the eagle as a symbol of power.

   In On Wings of Blue, a booklet of Ateneo traditions, songs, and cheers
   published in the 1950s, Lamberto Javellana writes:

   "The Eagle — fiery, majestic, whose kingdom is the virgin sky, is swift
   in pursuit, terrible in battle. He is a king - a fighting king… And
   thus he was chosen—to soar with scholar’s thought and word high into
   the regions of truth and excellence, to flap his glorious wings and
   cast his ominous shadow below, even as the student crusader would
   instill fear in those who would battle against the Cross. And so he was
   chosen — to fly with the fleet limbs of the cinder pacer, to swoop down
   with the Blue gladiator into the arena of sporting combat and with him
   to fight — and keep on fighting till brilliant victory, or honorable
   defeat. And so he was chosen — to perch on the Shield of Loyola, to be
   the symbol of all things honorable, even as the Great Eagle is perched
   on the American escutcheon, to be the guardian of liberty. And so he
   was chosen—and he lives, not only in body to soar over his campus
   aerie, but in spirit, in the Ateneo Spirit… For he flies high, and he
   is a fighter, and he is King!"

   The eagle also appears in the standards of many organizations, schools,
   and nations as a "guardian of freedom and truth." Dante in his Divine
   Comedy uses the Eagle as a symbol of the Roman Empire, which used the
   bird as part of its standard. The ancient Romans considered the eagle
   sacred to Jupiter himself. The eagle is often seen as the bird of God,
   the only bird that can fly above the clouds and stare directly at the
   sun. This is also why it represents St. John the Evangelist, in honour
   of the "soaring spirit and penetrating vision of his gospel."

   The national bird of the Philippines is, incidentally, an eagle.

Cheering tradition

   The Ateneo de Manila was rather successful in athletics even before the
   NCAA began. To help cheer the Ateneo squad on, the Jesuits decided that
   the Ateneo ought to have some sort of organization in its cheering. The
   Ateneo then introduced organized cheering to the country by fielding
   the first-ever cheering squad in the Philippines, which is now known as
   the Blue Babble Battalion.

   The Ateneo was a proud pioneer, arguing about how the Ateneo’s brand of
   cheering is both unique and rooted in classical antiquity. In the 1959
   Ateneo Aegis (the college yearbook), Art Borjal argues:

   "It all started about 2,000 years ago along the Via Appia in Rome. The
   deafening cheers of Roman citizens, lined along the way, thundered in
   the sky as the returning victorious warriors passed by…The type of
   cheering that the Ateneo introduced was, in a way, quite different from
   that of the Romans. When the warriors came home in defeat, the citizens
   shouted in derision and screamed for the soldiers’ blood. To the
   Atenean, victory and defeat do not matter much. To cheer for a losing
   team that had fought fairly and well is as noble, if not nobler, than
   cheering for a victorious squad."

   The words of some of the cheers seem incomprehensible or derived from
   an exotic language. Loud, rapid yells of "fabilioh" and "halikinu" to
   intimidate and confuse the enemy gallery. Meanwhile, fighting songs
   help inspire the team to "roll up a victory".

Notable alumni and professors

   Retrieved from "
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ateneo_de_Manila_University"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
