See Ma. Theresa Mendoza-Rivera's strategic plan for 2024-2027
Ma. Theresa Mendoza-Rivera is a University Research Fellow and Professor of Communication at Far Eastern University in Manila, Philippines. She holds a PhD in Communication from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, and received a Dissertation Scholarship grant under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)- Fulbright, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA. She holds a Masters in Communication Management from the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication in Manila, and a BS in Development Communication at UP Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines. She was also a Visiting Research fellow at the Institut Kajian Malaysia dan Antarabangsa (Institute for Malaysian and International Studies) ,Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM-National University of Malaysia) in Bangi, Selangor darul Ehsan, Malaysia(2004)under the Asian Scholarship Foundation (ASF) grant, where she researched on the Challenges and Potentials for E-Governance in Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC).
Formerly a Professor and past Chairperson of the Development Communication Department at Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, (1984–2017). She also lectured at the Development Academy of the Philippines (2012-2017), teaching Communication and Advocacy for Inclusive Value Chain for the Masters in Public Management, major in Rural Development (MPM-MRD) under the National Convergence Initiative (NCI) program of the Philippine Government.
Theresa’s research ranged from disaster risk and health communication, the intersections of community media and technology, including Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), and the use of grounded theory. She has co-authored chapters of books on media and communication in the Philippines and continues to conduct training and research. more recently on Social and Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC).
She has published several articles in journals and chapter in books, more recently in “COVID-19, Racism, and Politicization: Media in the Midst of a Pandemic,” published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Her paper “Rural Radio and Citizen Participation: The Role of Digital Technology in Multi-Stakeholder Engagement,” won the IAMCR Rural Communication Services Award at IAMCR 2023 and will be featured in the book “Rural Communication Services,” edited by R. Lie and M. Acunzo, under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Rural Communication Working Group of the IAMCR.
Beyond academia, Theresa actively contributes to professional associations. She was Editorial Manager and Associate Editor of Media Asia, an international Scopus journal published by the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) until 2022. She is a Founding member and Board of Trustees of the Philippine Academic Society for Climate and Disaster Resilience (PASCDR) based at the University of the Philippines. Additionally, she remains connected to the Philippine Association of Communication Educators, Inc. (PACE, Inc.) as a current member and former Vice President for Mindanao.