CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — Celebrating legacy, strengthening connections, and shaping its future as a leading educational and service institution, the Xavier University Development Communication (XU DevCom) Department officially transitioned from the College of Agriculture (CA) to the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) through a symbolic turnover ceremony at AVR 1, Xavier University, here, February 22.
University President Fr. Mars P. Tan, SJ, recognized this transfer as part of XU’s key changes in commitment to transformative education grounded in faith, service, and academic excellence for the university’s centennial year in 2033.
“In the strategic changes of our academic programs, we’ll provide our students with more opportunities, empower them to explore new pathways, and equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in an increasingly dynamic and interconnected world,” Tan said.
Key figures attended the ceremony facilitated by the University Office of Mission and Ministry (OMM), including current higher education and college administrators and chairpersons alongside their faculty members. The DevCom department’s current and former faculty members, alumni, students, and parent-officers were also invited, together with Corazon G. Calub, 86, renowned as the “Mother of XU DevCom” for laying the groundwork of the program since 1976.
Rooted in response to change
The study of development communication traces its roots to agricultural journalism and agricultural communication—using communication for development. It was pioneered in the Philippines as a response to the economic, social, and political crises during the late 1960s that impacted Filipino communities, particularly farmers across the country.
In 1974, the University of the Philippines Los Baños’ College of Agriculture started the new Development Communication undergraduate program. Many more agricultural colleges and universities in the Philippines and Asia, including Xavier University, then followed.
In Northern Mindanao around 1976, Calub, together with the visionary founder and director of the XU College of Agriculture Complex, Rev. Fr. William F. Masterson, SJ, actively sought to address problems in the local agriculture sector, including knowledge and attitudinal challenges among farmers who would decline development and agricultural technologies of the time.
“We looked at what were the problems of the farmers in the rural areas,” said Calub, citing challenges in farming practices and nutrition, among others. She became the first Director of the Rural Communication Center (RCC) at XU, with the center’s equipment sourced by Rev. Fr. James Reuter, S.J., and donated by the Carmelite Fathers Communication Bureau.
The center used school-on-the-air radio programs, inspired by popular Visayan radio dramas, to share new farming technologies, leading to success stories among local farmers. RCC proved to be an effective tool for development and agricultural extension.
Calub was then sent to Ateneo de Manila University to pursue a master’s degree in communication arts. The knowledge she acquired and her close association with colleagues at UP College of Agriculture Los Baños and the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE) paved the way for the development of the DevCom curriculum at XU.
DevCom was introduced at the XU College of Agriculture in 1976 as a BS Agriculture program major in DevCom and soon to the College of Arts as an AB major in DevCom. As student admissions of both programs grew and technological and facility constraints rose, the combined review committees of both colleges agreed to cease the AB Major in DevCom offering of CAS.
Hence, the College of Agriculture cultivated the full, four-year Bachelor of Science in Development Communication (BSDC) program with specializations in Development Journalism and Educational Communication. The program focused on communication for the development of agricultural communities, banking on its strength in group dynamics, social psychology, and radio dramas.
At the turn of the century and as decades followed, the DevCom program at XU expanded from a unit into a full-fledged department that adapted to contemporary trends and demands in the field, removing the two specialized tracks to form equipped and agile generalists in both rural and urban settings.
Sharing the program’s legacy and future during the ceremony, former Department Chairperson Dr. Maria Theresa Rivera recalled, “Through all these years, DevCom focuses on using a purpose-driven approach in communication, which sets it apart. It is not mass communication. It is not Comm Arts. It is not technology in communication. It is not ICT in communication. It is Development Communication. It is people who have worked in the grounded truths and realities of the field, and this is what DevCom is all about.”
Making change
“DevCom graduates, both graduates and students, they’re not just learners; they are changemakers,” Rivera said.
She added that being DevCom means having a heart full of empathy and a mind ready to tackle the challenges of the world. It means bringing a legacy that values communication as a means to build and connect, uplift and empower, inspire and make change.
In the panel conversation that followed, generations of guests composed of former department chairperson Evans Yonson, former faculty members Jacinto Alingasa Jr. and Divorrah Estrada Meneses, current part-time instructor Andre’ Socorro Doria, and student Noelle Anne J. Yap, together with XUCA faculty Dr. Glenda T. Orlanes, complemented the ceremony with meaningful discussions on the program’s practice and why it continues to be admired in diverse communities.
The panel guests specifically shared their unique past experiences and views on the school of thought’s prospects, complemented by their observations on DevCom practitioners’ wide-ranging areas of work and engagement.
Several alumni members can be traced to many levels of government agencies, international organizations, academe, civil society, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the private sector.
Smooth transition
The lattermost part of the ceremony witnessed the symbolic responses of both XUCA and CAS and the DevCom department’s leadership.
CAS Dean Dr. Judy P. Sendaydiego welcomed its 13th department, stressing the preservation of its identity and seeing the move as a two-way pushing of boundaries. “I hope that this transfer will help us to unite, come together, collaborate, and work, especially as we anticipate our centennial year—on to greater collaboration and newer grounds,” Sendaydiego said.
The dean of XUCA, Dr. Maria Rosario Mosqueda, praised the DevCom community for its dedication to a smooth transition and thanked the faculty for keeping the Aggie tradition alive through technical electives and possible social development extension programs with XUCA ahead.
OIC DevCom Department Chairperson Dr. Shiella C. Balbutin completed the ceremony with a heartfelt response that paid homage to the program’s pioneers, pillars, faculty, and students with its rich history nurtured under the XUCA while expressing excitement as an addition to the CAS’ diverse community.
Balbutin said the turnover ceremony represents a historic achievement, aligning with XU DevCom’s upcoming golden anniversary in 2026 and paving the way for the university’s centennial in 2033.
The department’s transfer to the CAS will take full effect in the next academic year, 2025-2026. (XU DevCom/PIA-10)
