Every Gesture Matters
Traditionally, the gap between industry and academia has been many years. When academia updated its curriculum, the industry often moved on to the next big thing. This drastic gap significantly contributed to the talent demand. But today, neither academia nor industry can afford this gap. This makes alumni with proven business acumen giving back to their alma mater all the more important. In fact, there are multiple ways to give back to your college, and one of the most rewarding ways is volunteering to mentor or career coach current students.
Recently, Nandan Nilekani, the co-founder of Infosys, announced a donation of $ 38.5 million to IIT-Bombay, marking 50 years of his association with the institute. Nilekani joined the institute in 1973 for a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. The endowment took Nilekani's total contribution to his alma mater close to $50 million, adding up to his previous grant of $10.2 million, which was partly used to build hostel facilities inside IIT-Bombay. This is the highest private donation ever, not just for the IITs but for any Indian university.
In the Philippines, Tony Tan Caktiong, the founder and chairman of Jollibee Foods Corporation and the co-chairman of DoubleDragon Properties, recently donated an innovation center to his alma mater, The University of Santo Tomas (UST). The ‘UST-Tony Tan Caktiong’ Innovation Center is located within the 40-hectare campus in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna. Tan Caktiong graduated from UST in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. He also received a Doctorate in Business Administration, honoris causa, from UST in 2018. It’s important to understand that your contribution to your college doesn’t necessarily need to be worth of millions of dollars. Every gesture matters as it could make a whole world of difference to a student. We dedicate this special issue to the prestigious UST alumni ecosystem. Do let us know your thoughts.