Ateneo de Davao University

The Ateneo de Davao University is a premiere Filipino, Catholic and Jesuit University founded by the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus in 1948. It aims to establish a standard of excellence in academic and spiritual formation in various fields. The University single-mindedly aspires to champion a strong tradition of academic excellence and of greater service. It offers a comprehensive formation underscoring the holistic development of the person as an individual, and as a member of the human community. It labors to realize its mission of being “stronger in faith” in pursuit of God’s ultimate plan. In the spirit of service, various schools, colleges, divisions and departments of the Ateneo community reach out to local communities and other institutions, living out its mission ad majorem Dei gloriam. One significant initiative, is the Curriculum Integration dubbed as “Arrupe Program” under the Arrupe Office for Social Formation. In this program, students live with marginalized communities, such as indigenous peoples, farmers and fisherfolks, street children and the urban poor. Some students and faculty volunteer to build houses and homes for the internally displaced people in coordination with Gawad Kalinga. Thus, to enable the students to become persons-for-others, the Jesuit education insists on critical thinking, academic excellence, creativity, scholarly research, and personality development that includes integrity, and commitment to the poor and marginalized.