The University Name -- Ateneo

Included in the school's rich heritage is its name -- Ateneo.

The word "Ateneo" is the Spanish form of Atheneum, the name of the first school in Rome built by the Emperor Hadrian at around 135 A.D. Hadrian's school derived its title from the Greek designation of a temple dedicated to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.

The term atheneum is frequently used today to designate schools and literary clubs. In the Philippines, the name "Ateneo" is the official title of Jesuit institutions of learning. This name, writes James J. Meany, S.J. "is reminiscent of a Græco-Roman civilization, of Spanish culture," and is identified in modern times in the country with the Jesuit traditions of excellence, service, and liberal education.

In academics, the name "Ateneo" is spoken with an air of reverence. The school has made for itself a reputation of being one of the country, as well as Asia's premiere Jesuit institutions of learning. The name "Ateneo" has always been associated with high academic standards and exceptional training. It is a name associated with intellectuals and great leaders.

In Philippine history, the name "Ateneo" is spoken with a sense of great pride. Like the tradition it continues today, the Ateneo of Spanish times was also one of the nation's prime schools, having the pride of using the best methods of instruction during that time. The country's national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, took his secondary and tertiary education in the Ateneo, graduating Bachelor of the Arts. The Ateneo is reknowned for being a maker of heroes for God and for country, among them Gen. Gregorio del Pilar, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, Claro M. Recto, and Gen. Antonio Luna just to name a few. During modern times, the name is still spoken with the same sense of grade pride, for it is a name associated with great Filipinos who have made their mark on society such as Raul Manglapus, Edgar Jopson, Benigno Aquino and Evelio Javier. It is also associated with a great school which was at the forefront of the most trying times during the two People Power Revolutions.

In interschool athletics, the name "Ateneo" is spoken with a sense of either admiration or fear. Admiration because the Ateneo produces athletes honed in the philosophy "mens sana in corpore sano," a sound mind in a sound body. Ateneo has always been a major contender in interschool sports, having established itself as a school that is home to champion teams. The name is also breathed with fear, fear for the relentless contention and fiery spirit that Atenean athletes are known for. Ateneo's athletes are known never to resign, to concede, to give up a fight, but rather to ceaselessly batter the opponent with powerful offenses and to turn them back with iron defenses. The Ateneo has been associated with the Blue Eagle, the symbol of its soaring spirit.

In society, the name "Ateneo" is spoken with a sense of grace and of national pride. Ateneans have been associated with tireless community service and outreach, with passion for the needy, with religious zeal, and with great nationalistic involvement. It is the name of a school remembered for its generosity, especially during great times of natural calamity, of a school that gave aid to the victims of Mt. Pinatubo. It is the name of a school so that so devoutly participated when the World Youth Day was held in the Philippines in 1995, and so valiantly took a stand during 1997 against Charter Change or "Cha-cha." It is a name linked to a school that trains not only the minds but the hearts of its students, teaching them to reach out and care for others as they have so been cared for.

Ateneo. A name as powerful, as beautiful, as its heritage. A name associated with greatness, with honor, with pride, with sportsmanship, patriotism, and compassion.