The Office of Community Extension Service (OCES), now known as the Center for Community Extension Services (CCES) was created on June 16, 1993, under the Office of the University President. It was founded to take care of the extension programs of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, in line with its vision “to serve as an agent of change in bringing about peace and development in the city, the region, and the nation”.

The Ateneo community extension program has risen from purely teacher – student off – campus activities to service in the community. Community development projects are being implemented by AdZU in many poor communities in the city.

In line with the university’s thrust of creating more evident contribution towards the improvement of the quality of life in the city and the region, CCES focuses its efforts on building partnerships with communities of mixed lumads (indigenous peoples), Muslims and Christians which situation of poverty and vulnerability to conflict in this part of the country are found most serious.

At present, the three main extension programs – Education, Health and Livelihood – are still implemented in response to the various development issues and concerns that has been identified and the emerging development challenges that it hopes to address within the next five (5) years. Aside from the main programs, the office is handling projects that are aligned to the objectives of the programs as well as tackling other issues that are signs of the times such as on IP Rights, Women and Youth Empowerment, Election/ Voters’ Education, Environmental Protection and CoVid 19 awareness.