UP Maskom gets new name after 60 years

MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines Diliman has officially renamed its College of Mass Communication, stripping away the "mass" to become the UP College of Media and Communication. 

The change, approved by the UP Board of Regents (BOR) on Thursday, January 30, marks the removal of "mass communication" from the school's name, which it had carried since its founding as the Institute of Mass Communication in 1965.

The BOR is the university's highest decision-making body. 

The name change comes after years of internal debate over whether "mass communication" has become outdated. Some faculty members argued the term had become "limited and limiting" due to its traditional view of a "homogenous mass audience" and focus on legacy media platforms.

The BOR's approval of the college's new name makes it final, the college's dean, Fernando Paragas, told Philstar.com in a message. "Technically that's it," Paragas said.

The rebrand also comes with broader changes.

"Substantively, we have an instruction agenda for the revision of common courses and existing programs," Paragas said, adding that this includes the creation of new degree and non-degree programs. 

The college will also pursue "a research, creative work and public service agenda on media and information literacy," with corresponding personnel and facilities development to support these changes, Paragas added. 

The push to rename the college took shape in August last year when faculty and staff passed a resolution proposing to drop "mass communication" from the name. 

The resolution, which was passed after two years of consultations, noted that the college had been "significantly enriching its philosophies, programs and pedagogies beyond those of mass communication" since its foundation in 1965 and elevation from an institute to a college in 1988.  

In 2013, the UP BOR renamed the College of Business Administration to the Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business (VSB).