Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

The most prestigious school here in Cagayan de oro city is Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan opened in 1933 with just 17 pupils enrolled in first year high school.It was founded by Fr. James T.G. Hayes S.J. who later became the first archbishop of the Cagayan de Oro Archdiocese, the first archdiocese in Mindanao. Its humble school building was a two-storey wooden affair, formerly the St. Augustine Parochial School established in 1928, on Burgos Street.Cagayan, then with a population of around 50,000, had the finest port in Mindanao and was a fast-growing town. Gradually, the school grew with the community and opened college courses in June 1938, and Grades five to seven in June 1940 to accommodate requests from parents all over Mindanao and Visayas.

Continuing to be of and in the society the university is progressing with, it has established institutions that not only provide additional exposure to its students and staff but also extend assistance to sectors and communities in need.In 1957, the Research Institute for Mindanao Culture (RIMCU) was established to study Mindanao, its culture, issues and concerns. The Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute (SEARSOLIN), formed in 1963, trains leaders from various countries in agricultural work grounded on present developments. Proud of its heritage, Xavier University has its own museum, Museo de Oro¸ which was started in 1968. Reminding the present generation of the humble beginnings of the university and its bigger community, it is home to an exhibit of previous and prevailing folk beliefs in Mindanao, artifacts found at Huluga Cave which date back to 377 A.D., and three of the remaining copies of the menu of the 1898 presidential banquet of Emilio Aguinaldo in Malolos Bulacan.

Presently, the university is composed of four campuses – the Manresa Complex, which is the main training grounds of the College of Agriculture and which also houses the SEARSOLIN, the Sustaining Agriculture Center, Appropriate Technology Center, and the Food Technology Center; the High School and Grade School annex in Pueblo de Oro; the Grade School campus in Macasandig; and the College campus along Corrales Street.But more than its physical expansion, the key to its success as an academic institution throughout the years had always been its thrust to instill in its students and staff its commitment to be of the people, for the people and with the people. And its biggest accomplishment, beyond all academic achievements, is still its continuing tradition of producing men and women for others.
Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan) is a Filipino, Catholic and Jesuit academic community dedicated to the integral development of the person for the needs of Mindanao and the country.As a University, Xavier pursues truth and excellence in teaching, research and service to communities: it is concerned with contemporary problems; it prepares men and women with competencies, skills and a keen sense of responsibility to their communities.As a Filipino university, Xavier is committed to the appreciation, preservation and enrichment of the Filipino culture and heritage as well as the welfare and sustainable development of the Filipino people.As a Catholic university, Xavier fosters in its members a deep personal commitment to Jesus Christ manifested by loyalty to the Church and a life of witness and loving service characterized by a preferential option for the poor.As a Jesuit university, Xavier acknowledges its historical linkages with the Society of Jesus and is rooted in Ignatian spirituality and an educational tradition of liberal education which today includes technology and the various professions and affirms the importance and necessity of cooperation among Jesuits and the laity in mission. In sum, Xavier University seeks to form men and women of competence, conscience, and commitment in service of the Church and the Filipino people.