Aim high!
In partnership with the University of Houston, the Asian Institute of Management holds its historic convocation for the pioneering freshmen of its double degree program
By Jules Vivas
At A Glance
- 'For 55 years, AIM has been a graduate school. We want to be able to make a huge difference faster, contribute to nation-building, and be able to do our part in what we have been doing early.'
Filipinos have a flair for business. Becoming the boss of your own operation, having a stable income without excessively slaving away, getting stacked, and making it big, are some of the dreams most of us chase our entire lives. Building a business, however, like life, is full of tribulations, distress, and suffering. It takes a lot of courage, a strong heart, and an even stronger mind to survive and thrive.
Data from 2014 by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reveals that 6.2 percent of the adult population in the Philippines are established business owners. Meanwhile, 18.4 percent are engaged in early-stage entrepreneurship, which makes the country’s entrepreneurial activity rate significantly higher than the average for Oceania and the entire Asia.
Reflecting on the words of the famous entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell, “A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today,” to dream is a tiny portion of our journey toward success and what comes next is acting upon our aspirations. And yet, to “do,” we must first be equipped well.
Beyond individual gains, businesses are also essential in growing a country’s economy—all the more reason to develop the business-oriented youth. The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) has been instrumental in the Philippines, in particular, as a breeding ground for CEOs, businessmen, and leaders. To this day, the school is, as its vision states, “a nexus of innovation, transformation, and excellence in management education that creates inclusive and sustainable impact in Asian businesses and societies.”
As the learning institution continues to change the landscape of Philippine business, its Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ASITE) has joined forces with the C.T. Bauer School of Business at the University of Houston (UH) in launching a pioneering double-degree undergraduate program called Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Business Administration (BSDSBA) and Bachelor of Business Administration Major in Management Information Systems (BBAMIS).
In mid-August, the first batch of BSDSBA-BBAMIS students was welcomed in a convocation ceremony at AIM’s Fuller Hall in Makati. The 51 freshmen, slated to graduate in 2027, are composed of the top students in the country’s most prestigious high schools. AIM president and dean Dr. Jikyeong Kang gave a rousing opening remark.
“For 55 years, AIM has been a graduate school. We want to be able to make a huge difference faster, contribute to nation-building, and be able to do our part in what we have been doing early,” she said.
Some of the key people to attend the event were Commission on Higher Education chairman J. Prospero de Vera, ASITE school head Dr. Christopher Monterola, BSDSBA academic program director Prof. Michelle Banawan.
Representatives from UH, namely global initiatives director Dr. Nikhil Celly and undergraduate programs associate dean Frank Kelley, were also live via video call, joined by clinical professor and associate dean of AIM, Michelle C. Antero.
“You have embarked on a degree that is really focused on the future,” Dr. Nikhil explained to the undergraduate students. “This is the digital age. You will be equipping yourself with all the skills and knowledge [necessary to cope with] the transition of our economy, to deal with AI, and all of the opportunities and challenges coming up in this exciting field.”
The joint initiative aims to provide students with comprehensive training and insights from world-class faculty members at both AIM and UH, ensuring they graduate with a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving global landscape.
“It’s a wonderful partnership between our two schools,” says Frank. “We’re very experiential in our teaching methodology. We’re focused on developing the business leaders of tomorrow.”
In their senior year, students may choose to attend classes at the UH campus.
Considered one of the best business schools globally, AIM is the first educational institution in Southeast Asia to receive accreditation from the US-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), recognized everywhere for having the highest standards. The learning center, since its conception in 1968, has been offering practitioner-oriented and immersive education that is unique yet “fully relevant to empower its students to thrive in challenging, rapidly shifting environments.”
UH, on the other hand, has been operating for almost a century since it was established in 1927. For its high level of research activity, it is recognized as an R1 institution by the Carnegie Foundation. It is the third-biggest university in Texas and the largest public research university in Houston.
“We [AIM] have a very ambitious goal, and that is to be among the top 100 universities in the world. This partnership with UH will allow that to happen,” says Dr. Christopher.
AIM has helped shape over 45,000 business leaders all over the world. In the Philippines, the school has produced more than 1,000 entrepreneurs who have scaled up their businesses.