ADAMSON University (AdU), the educational institution managed by the Congregation of the Mission (CM), aims to develop entrepreneurs to promote inclusive economic growth in the country.
AdU President Fr. Gregorio Bañaga Jr., CM, said the new thrust of the school will start on the opening of the school year. He said it is high time that Adamsonians developed a new mind-set, because many of them often end up as employees. “We want to shift that thinking. Why don’t you start your own business? Look for your own passion, and we’ll help you develop it. So when you leave [the university], you can start your own industry,” he said in an interview with the BusinessMirror in his office.
While AdU already has entrepreneurial courses, Bañaga wants to have all courses and colleges insert entrepreneurship into their curricula. Bañaga said he wants to send the message to AdU students that engaging in business is open to all, “because very often, we only think of entrepreneurship in the context of Business Administration. But even in Engineering or Pharmacy, you can be an entrepreneur,” Bañaga said.
Bañaga said a third-year Chemistry student gifted him with a perfume she made herself, a feat that gave him hope for the entrepreneurial track among the youth.
During the AH1N1 scare a few years ago, AdU’s Chemistry Department crafted loads of hand sanitizers to give out to their employees, he said. Bañaga said AdU’s chemistry programs continues to be recognized as a producer of top-caliber chemists.
To promote and encourage innovation among the students, Bañaga said AdU established the Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO). The ITSO will play a key role in pushing innovation in the school and the country.
Bañaga noted that ITSO functions as a patenting office for products and technologies that are intended for commercialization. IdeaSpace Foundation is one of the major clients of ITSO.
Bañaga said ITSO is committed to provide affordable quality-patent information and intellectual-property services to the school, local community and the country.
He said ITSO will be active in supporting research and development. ITSO’s objective is to meet the user’s expectation for quality and service and, at the same time, pay close attention to each user’s individual needs.
Bañaga said AdU, with around 16,000 students, is moving toward integrating the entrepreneurial spirit in any of its courses.
“I think the future of the Philippines, if we want people to get out of poverty, is really through entrepreneurship, not really through employment,” Bañaga said, citing the lack of industries in the country. Rizza Marie Edu / Special to the BusinessMirror