HIGHLIGHTING PLANS for campus-wide improvements, Vice President for Higher Education Maria Luz Vilches, PhD presented the University’s proposed budget for Academic Year (AY) 2025–2026 during the second semester Magtanong sa VP at mga Dekano last January 24.
According to Vilches, the proposed budget will prioritize reinforcing campus infrastructure, research and innovation, learning platforms, internationalization, and other Lux in Domino 2030 initiatives.
With 54 students and 50 faculty members and administrators in attendance, Vilches expressed her gratitude for the greater engagement of this year’s forum than previous iterations.
Proposed campus-wide developments
To enhance campus infrastructure, Vilches shared that donations to the Ateneo will also be used for the improvements of buildings, laboratories, and classrooms.
Planned laboratory improvements in the School of Science and Engineering are set to include the fitting of fume hoods, the conversion of Schmitt Hall’s fourth floor into a hot room for oven and furnace use, and the renovation of the Biological Research Facility. These upgrades are anticipated to be implemented in the upcoming academic year.
Vilches also revealed that the construction of three additional floors on Matteo Ricci Hall is slated to begin in April, with the target completion scheduled for November 2025.
Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan – Katipunan Spokesperson Miguel Basuel expressed his concerns over the presented timeline, pointing out that it may coincide with the finals season during the first semester next academic year. In response, the Campus Facilities Management Office said that they are currently looking into alternative spaces for students during the construction period.
Moreover, Vilches shared that buildings are repainted on a scheduled cycle as part of the University’s guidelines on energy and material conservation. Following this, seven buildings are proposed to be repainted—namely Leong Hall, Dela Costa Hall, the Science Education Complex, Schmitt Hall, and the CTC-SOM building.
In addition, Vilches mentioned that a portion of the proposed budget will be allocated toward expanding internet bandwidth and boosting cybersecurity measures to accommodate the projected increase of internet use by students and employees.
Meanwhile, with the ongoing construction of new e-jeep lanes, the Campus Safety and Mobility Office (CSMO) said that they will add barriers and signages along Gate 2.5 and Red Brick Road to ensure pedestrian safety.
Additionally, Assistant Vice President for Student Activities and Leadership Formation Marie Joy Salita, PhD disclosed that the Sanggunian, Council of Organizations of Ateneo – Manila, CSMO, and other offices involved in the e-jeep project have formed a committee to draft safety guidelines for the new routes.
Other than campus infrastructure, the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design will hold an Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy training program. This follows the release of the University-wide Generative AI (GenAI) policy last January 13, which highlighted GenAI policies on teaching, learning, research, and innovation work.
Furthermore, the administration aims to benchmark the undergraduate programs and institutional processes of the University through voluntary assessments such as the ASEAN University Network Quality Assessment (AUN-QA).
Steps for approval
After the budget proposal presentation, some students voiced their concerns over the handling of the forum. Partido Pandayan Secretary-General Ame Manansala questioned the earlier schedule of this semester’s forum in contrast to the previous semester.
Vilches explained that this schedule adjustment was due to a request from the Commission on Higher Education for an advanced report on the University’s consultations with its stakeholders.
According to Vilches, the process of finalizing the University budget involves consultations with the students, the administration, the Ateneo Schools Parents Council, the Faculty School Forum, the University Budget Committee, and the Loyola Schools (LS) Budget Committee.
Ultimately, Vilches stated that the final budget will be announced in June or July 2025 after its approval by the LS Budget Committee and the University Board of Trustees (BoT). She emphasized that no budget allocations for AY 2025–2026 are final until the BoT’s approval.
ERRATUM: Partido Pandayan Secretary-General Ame Manansala asked the question regarding the earlier schedule of Magtanong sa Vice President at mga Dekano, not Partido Pandayan Writing Committee Head Yannah Guda.
The article has already been updated to rectify this error. We apologize for the oversight.