By Andre’ Socorro F Doria
Various stakeholders from the Xavier University administration, mission and ministry, and academic
clusters, faculty members and students under the College of Agriculture and College of Arts
and Sciences gathered in the turnover ceremony Photo from the XU DevCom Department
Marking a significant milestone on 22 February 2025, the XU Development Communication (DevCom) Department symbolically transitioned from the College of Agriculture (CA) to the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) through a turnover ceremony held in the AVR 1 to commemorate the department’s legacy, strengthen present connections, and shape the program’s future as a prominent educational and service institution of the University.
Key figures attended the ceremony facilitated by the University Office of Mission and Ministry (OMM) including current higher education and college administrators, chairpersons alongside their faculty members. The DevCom department’s current and former faculty members, alumni, students, and parent-officers were also invited, together with Mrs Corazon G Calub, renowned as the “Mother of XU DevCom” for laying the groundwork of the program since 1976.
In an opening speech, 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” towards 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,” Fr Tan, SJ remarked.
Xavier University President Fr Mars P Tan, SJ opens the turnover ceremony and discusses major
university developments. Photo from the XU DevCom Department
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 1973, 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, Mrs 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 Mrs Calub citing challenges in farming practices and nutrition among others. She became the first Director of the Rural Communication Center at XU with the center’s equipment sourced by Rev Fr James Reuter, SJ, and donated by the Carmelite Fathers Communication Bureau.
The center responded with School-On-The-Air radio programs that banked on the popularity of the Visayan Radio Drama, producing success stories of local farmers applying new technologies. RCC was found to be an effective development and Aggie extension tool.
Mrs 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.
Pioneering XU Rural Communication Center Director Calub narrates the practice's
inception in the 1970s. Photo from the XU DevCom Department.
DevCom was introduced at the XU College of Agriculture in 1978 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 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.
In a seminal speech on 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… [sic].”
“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… [sic] It is people who have worked in the grounded truths and realities of the field and this is what DevCom is all about,” Dr Rivera emphasized.
XU DevCom Former Chairperson Dr Rivera narrated the program’s legacy and future.
Photo from the XU DevCom Department
Making Change
In her speech, Dr Rivera especially highlighted, “DevCom graduates, both graduates and students, they’re not just learners, they are […] changemakers.”
“Being DevCom means having a heart full of empathy and a mind ready to tackle the challenges of our world. It means bringing a legacy that values communication as a means to build and connect, uplift and empower, inspire and make change,” she noted.
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 F. 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.
Left photo: XU CAS Dean Dr Judy P Sendaydiego engages in an interactive activity with retired
DevCom faculty members Mrs Estrella Borja and Mr Tito Alex Besinga; right photo: XU Vice
President for Mission and Ministry Fr Frank Savadera, SJ, synthesizes and offers guidance
during the interactive activity of the turnover ceremony.
Photos from the XU DevCom Department
Turning 50
The lattermost part of the ceremony witnessed the symbolic responses of both XU CA 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,” Dean Dr Sendaydiego said.
XU CA Dean Dr Maria Rosario Mosqueda, in turn, acknowledged the commitment of the DevCom community to a smooth transition and further recognized its faculty for grounding the Aggie tradition through technical electives and possible social development extension programs with XU CA 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.
The turnover ceremony marks a historical milestone as these major developments occur in time for the XU DevCom’s golden anniversary in 2026 further leading up towards the University’s centennial year in 2033.
The department’s transfer to the CAS will take full effect in the next academic year of 2025 - 2026.