Last September 15, University President Fr Mars P Tan, SJ, shared to Xavier Ateneo's higher education cluster the priorities and targets for the new school year 2021-22 through the first University Convocation. With over 300 participants in the Zoom gathering, the Convocation was also the perfect opportunity to welcome the 91 new higher education faculty and 12 new formators of the Mission and Ministry cluster. Highlighted in the Convocation was the presentation of three faculty members who recently finished their MA Degrees and another three who completed their Ph.D. degrees.

Fr Mars presented the ten priorities and explained how they were identified based on the Covid Crisis Tactical Action Plan adopted by the University beginning 2020 and with new mandates and inputs from the Board of Trustees and the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. All the University units made their plans of programs and activities based on the ten priorities. "Our present plans should align with and support the over-all Strategic Plan 2033 of the University crafted in 2019," Fr Mars added.

The units and clusters will implement these plans this school year and the different lined-up activities, both new and ongoing programs, since the University embraced the online platform of learning last year. Another Convocation's highlight was the announcement and presentation of the "Campus of the Future" project, its history, the ongoing preparations, and the timeline. The new campus project elicited interest and excitement from the University's higher education community.

Fr Mars also challenged faculty and formators to have a strong partnership with parents and guardians, "We have to engage with our parents. With the online delivery of education, we should be collaborating with the parents of our students and show them we are partners in educating their children". The fully online education keeps students at home all the time with their parents and families.

The hiring of new teachers for tertiary and basic level clusters came after Xavier Ateneo exceeded its enrollment targets for the school year. The enrollment success is lauded as a celebration and is considered a milestone, especially after last year's successful online mode of teaching and learning.

This virtual university event also affirmed the University's true sense of the mission, not just to educate but to empower faculty and formators to provide excellence in education even during extraordinary times.

University Convocation 2021  | 305 participants composed of administrators, faculty and formators gathered together virtually in the first University Convocation for higher education this SY 2021-2022.