Question: What are the features of the proposed campus?
Answer: The planned Campus of the Future and the township will feature state-of-the-art school buildings and administration facilities that will cater to academic courses in Agriculture, Arts & Sciences, Business & Management, Computer Studies, Education, Engineering, and Nursing, and Medicine. The master plan will provide common or shared facilities such as sewerage treatment plant, power center, and other major utilities; and a cohesive road network. This new campus will be fit for the New Normal as it will provide innovative and smart components for synchronous and asynchronous learning, pioneering research, artistic expression, and whole-person formation.
Question: What will the new campus provide the students?
Answer: Main masterplan elements will include an abundance of open and green spaces – the main plaza, interconnected courtyards, sports facilities, an amphitheater, and a University Forum which will incorporate a museum, theatre, and a gallery. The campus will also be adaptable to developments in academic disciplines, 21st-century learning curricula, and technological innovations. The XU Masterson Campus, which at 21 hectares, will be three times larger in area than the current main campus. It will be near XU’s 12-hectare Basic Education Complex (Grade School, Junior High, and Senior High - Academic Track and ALGCIT) in Pueblo de Oro, allowing the integration of campuses for greater efficiency and modernization.
Question: What’s the name of the new campus?
Answer: The new campus is proposed will be named the “Masterson Campus” honoring the great visionary Jesuit, Fr William Masterson SJ, who foresaw the potential of Manresa in the 1960s. This proposed masterplan for the Campus of the Future is in line with the University’s vision to be a leading ASEAN university especially as it moves forward to celebrating its centennial in 2033.
Question: How will the pandemic impact the construction of the new campus?
Answer: The construction of the new campus will not be immediate while the pandemic drags on. The designs of the facilities will also be modified according to the needs of the New Normal. The campus development, which will be done in phases, is expected to start in the second quarter of 2022, mindful of the safety health protocols given the current pandemic.
Question: What is the importance of the New Campus for the New Normal?
Answer: During this pandemic, we have seen the importance of a new campus for the new normal. We really need post-pandemic learning spaces such as classrooms that can be easily reconfigured for simultaneous or alternating face-to-face and online learning, reconfigured as video recording studios to film lectures, and learning activities. We will need collaboration areas, group working stations that will facilitate student-centered learning. We certainly need a smart campus with state-of-the-art online facilities. The new normal will require XU to have a green campus with lots of natural ventilation, with a variety of spacious and open green areas, wide roadways, bike lanes, water recycling, integrated waste management systems, a campus powered by renewable energy as much as possible.
Question: How will the Manresa Town complement the Masterson Campus?
The Masterson Campus will be constructed on a 21-hectare land in Manresa, adjacent to the 14.3-hectare township to be known as “Manresa Town.” The Manresa Town will be integrated as a complementary to the Masterson Campus to provide students with generous open spaces, convenient and safe residential options, easy access to commercial establishments, and future-ready offices.
Question: What will happen to the forest and sanctuaries in Manresa?
Answer: The new main campus will retain the 25-hectare forest reserve and animal sanctuaries in Manresa. With the proposed 21-hectare new campus and 25-hectare forest reserve, XU will still retain the majority of the Manresa property.
Question: How will the new campus impact the College of Agriculture?
Answer: The College of Agriculture facilities (e.g. demonstration farms, workshops, field laboratories) presently located in Manresa are envisioned to be transferred to XU’s 104-hectare property in Puerto known as "El Gaucho." The Aggie facilities will be reconstructed and upgraded in the new location. Agricultural research, training facilities, and farming system models will be established at El Gaucho.
Question: Has XU been listening to the sentiments of the public on this matter?
Answer: Yes, Xavier Ateneo has conducted stakeholder consultations with parents, students, employees, and alumni of XU, including CDO's civic and government leaders to present the project, raise concerns, address issues, and generate possible solutions. The results of the consultations were incorporated in the comprehensive masterplan. Although there had been a series of consultations with the various stakeholders in 2019, rest assured that Xavier Ateneo will still provide a venue for dialogue and conversations about the new campus.