Vision

A future-proof academic institution in development communication contributing to inclusive and sustainable development among marginalized and underprivileged communities.

Mission

To nurture development communication scholarship and praxis through participatory and inclusive engagements with stakeholders in addressing existing & emerging development issues

Core Goals

To sustain CDC’s academic leadership and excellence in development communication

To undertake DevCom research grounded in local realities of the community and leading towards devcom theorizing

To promote the use of UPLB and DevCom knowledge and technologies towards Inclusive and sustainable growth

To create an enabling environment in CDC for creativity and innovation towards resiliency amidst uncertainties

To forge alumni and industry partnerships

Core Values

Critical thinking

Collaboration

Inclusivity

Innovation

Organizational Values

As a catalyst for planned social change, CDC’s initiatives are guided by the principles of 4Es: Empowerment, Equity, Entrepreneurship, and Environmentalism.

Motto

To encapsulate the ideals of CDC, we go by our motto: “Unfolding human potential.” The phrase is lifted from Dr. Nora C. Quebral’s definition of Development Communication as a field. We do this by molding minds, creating new knowledge, sharing our expertise, and closely working with communities.

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Devcom’s story as an institution started when the then UP College of Agriculture (UPCA) established the Office of Extension and Publication (OEP) in October 1954. It was renamed as the Department of Agricultural Information and Communication (DAIC) and was established on July 1, 1962. The Department was renamed to the Department of Agricultural Communication (DAC) on June 3, 1968. In March 28, 1974, the Department was renamed as Department of Development Communication (DDC) after Quebral defined “Development Communication” as a discipline in December 10, 1971. The BS Development Communication curriculum, and PhD in Development Communication curriculum were instituted around this time. The Department became the Institute of Development Communication (IDC) in November 12, 1987, before becoming a full-fledged College (CDC) in December 18, 1998.

CDC is recognized as the pioneer in the study and practice of development communication. It is the first academic institution in the world that offers BS, MS, and PhD in development communication. CDC was recognized as a Center of Excellence by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), first in the field of Communication in 1999, and then in Development Communication in 2012 and 2015. The BSDC degree program also passed the ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance Certification in 2015, making it the first social science degree program in UP to receive such accreditation.