A NU Idea #2: Ivan Lee

Transforming AGSB: More for Less

By R080230

Let it be known that I was inspired to write this paper as I was watching Jerry Maguire, in my opinion one of the best movies ever written and produced. In the movie, Jerry Maguire wrote what he described as a mission statement, the blueprint of his company’s future success. The proposition was more for less. More care, less clients. More attention to their sports stars, less profit for the company. That was the changing point of his life which took him to a year of self assessment in life and in love.

The Ateneo program is good, but it is not the best. In a recent survey of top colleges all over the world, Ateneo came out ranked 300 plus, garnering it the second highest ranking in the country just behind UP which placed a little higher in the rankings. A happy event considering that we were up against the world’s best. But, is it truly that glaring that the Philippines, one of the world’s most populous country, can only come up with a university ranking of 300 plus? Ateneo can learn much from the movie Jerry Maguire. It is a sad fact that the school definitely cannot match the funding capacity of a lot of the top schools of the world. It is also a sad fact that Ateneo cannot provide the same level of educational opportunities that these same top schools can give its students. However, there are other ways to make Ateneo education more relevant to the Filipino community and at the same time, leaving up to its mission of community building.

My proposal is for AGSB to start a dedicated entrepreneurial program for deserving students. The idea of “more for less” shall be applied here where the program is intended to attract more quality students and mentors and less paying students. More focus on the student and the work on hand, less focus on conformity to the current structure. More care for the student and ultimately the nation, less concern for income and profit.

More quality, less in quantity.

The program will only be available for students with a valid business idea, as screened by AGSB officials. The program shall only take in the best students with the best and workable idea.

The program shall be backed by private companies – venture capitalist investors and big Filipino conglomerates who can really contribute something for the growth of the business. The chosen students shall be paired with one of the program supporter who then helps the entrepreneur grow the business. The student can opt not to take a “supporter” if funding will not be needed.

The program will assign mentors to the students. These mentors will help the student grow the business much like how a professor teaches a student. However, the mentor will teach the aspiring entrepreneur lessons inside the school and lessons out of the school. The purpose of this is to ensure that the student gets the principles inside the school and the actual application out of the school.

The program will provide students with a mini office within the campus which the student can use anytime during the program. This will be both the office and the classroom.

The program will run for 1 year but will not award a certificate right after the program nor publish any grade for the student. Instead, the student will only get his certification after completing his business objectives done at the start of the program. If it takes the student 2 years to complete his stated business mission, then that is the only time he gets his certification.

It would be nice to have a program like this – one that provides a different way of learning and one where the focus is on creating real entrepreneurs out of aspiring ones. For Ateneo, this program will be an expensive program to run since it will only be limited to a few. However, the success of the program and the businesses that it will come up with will be the school’s success. A claim to fame that the school is willing to take such radical change in providing education and opportunities to its students.

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