THE Asian Institute of Management (AIM) has received from the Aboitiz Group over P500 million in donation to be used for the school’s program on data science and innovation.
The AIM last Wednesday secured the amount from the Aboitiz Group, through the Aboitiz Foundation Inc., in support of its data science initiatives.
The gift will be used to fund two data science professorial chairmen, an interest-free student loan program and future facilities improvement of the newly named Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship (Asite).
AIM President and Dean Jikyeong Kang said the donation fortifies the strong collaboration between the school and the conglomerate known for its investments in power, banking and financial services, food, infrastructure and land.
“Aboitiz Foundation and AIM have a shared vision of thought leadership within the education, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. This gift cements the beginning of a long-term partnership to develop innovation and technology-oriented managers, leaders and entrepreneurs who will take the lead in transforming Asian business and society,” Kang said in a statement. Kang recalled there were two donations handed over to the AIM amounting to over P500 million before. Aboitiz’s gift is the largest cash donation granted to the academic institution.
“We are extremely grateful to the Aboitiz family for empowering AIM to continue to generate and sustain our mission of providing this region with future-ready leaders who can create value for their organization and the communities within which they operate,” she added.
The gift will finance the establishment of two professorial chairmen, to be known as the Aboitiz Chairman in Data Science and to be held by faculty members Christopher Monterola and Erika Fille Legara. Monterola is concurrently the head of Asite, while Legara is the program director of the Aboitiz School’s Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) program.
Further, it will fund the zero-interest Aboitiz Student Loan Program for the MSDS and the Master of Science in Innovation and Business programs. The ASLP is expected to expand AIM’s social inclusiveness by assisting deserving but financially challenged students to obtain a postgraduate degree.
Aboitiz Foundation Chairman Erramon I. Aboitiz said the firm made the donation to the AIM as it believes in the history and vision of the school in sustaining businesses and societies not only in the Philippines, but in Asia as a whole.
“Over the past 50 years, AIM has contributed immensely to sustaining the growth of businesses and societies not only in the Philippines, but in Asia, by developing professional, entrepreneurial and socially responsible managers and leaders. Similarly, sustainability is at the core of our growth story anchored on our philosophy that we can do well by doing good, always making the right long term decisions that balance the interests of people, planet and profit,” Aboitiz said in a statement.
“With the Aboitiz’s 100th Anniversary Commitment Fund, we hope this new innovation-focused school will be able to benefit AIM as it leads and blazes new trails, to inspire real-world learning and to transform principled leaders,” he added.
Asite provides a platform for innovators, data scientists and entrepreneurs to work collaboratively and produce actionable insights that foster new knowledge, create value across industries and generate positive impact, especially within the Asian context.
The Aboitiz school enrollees totaled 167 students in different masteral programs, a big jump from only 75 students in 2017. The AIM is targeting to enlist 200 students next year. “We are growing the number gradually to ensure that the quality of the teaching and learning experience is maintained,” Kang concluded.
Image credits: Roy Domingo