A memorandum of agreement was signed by Mr Ricardo S Po, Chairman Emeritus, Century Pacific Group-RSPO Foundation Inc*, and Father President Jose Ramon T Villarin SJ, Ateneo de Manila University, to establish the Ricardo S Po Professorial Chair for Excellence in Business, an endowment for faculty development in the Ateneo de Manila University, starting in School Year 2018-2019. The agreement was signed at the Boardroom, 2F Xavier Hall, Ateneo Loyola Heights main campus, on 11 October 2017.
Being an endowment or perpetual fund, the principal shall not be spent. Up to 90% of the yearly interest earnings of the endowment shall be made available for disbursement yearly for the purposes of the endowment. The remaining 10% or more of the fund’s annual interest earnings shall be retained with the fund principal to help maintain or increase the value of the endowment in the face of inflation. Should any part of the annual income or earnings of the fund be left unspent or unused at the end of the year, the surplus will be added to the principal.
The endowment is primarily for a Professorial Chair Award for faculty members with the rank of Full Professor or Associate Professor with the Loyola Schools. The Chair is intended to support research and projects in the areas of, but not limited to, family business, business journalism, entrepreneurship, business innovation, sustainable business practices, and social entrepreneurship. When there are excess earnings after awarding a Professorial Chair each year, the fund may support research, scholarly work, and other academic pursuits by members of the Business Resource Center (BRC), the School of Management Business Accelerator (SOMBA), the Ateneo Center for Social Enterprise (ASCENT), and the Family Business Development Center (FBDC), including lectures and the publication of works. After awarding a Professorial Chair each year, the fund may also support attendance or participation of members of the John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) and its related centers, in various academic fora such as conferences and workshops, including travel and lodging accommodations.
It is Mr Po’s wish that through this Chair, the level of professional competence and service of Ateneo faculty will be elevated in order to continue to provide the best possible quality education to its students, and more business leaders will emerge for greater national development.
The First Ricardo S Po Professorial Chair Award shall be given to Dr. Queena N. LeeChua,
PhD, for at least two (2) school years, starting in SY 2018-2019, using interest earnings from the Endowment in Fiscal Year 2017-2018. Dr. Chua is a Full Professor with the Department of Mathematics, School of Science and Engineering, Loyola Schools, Ateneo de Manila University, and a member of the Board of Directors of the FBDC of JGSOM, Loyola Schools, Ateneo de Manila University. She is a graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University, BS Mathematics, Summa cum laude, 1987, has an MA in Counseling Psychology, 1992, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology, 1995. Dr. Chua writes a column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, titled “All in the Family.” Also in attendance at the MOA signing on 11 October 2017 were Mr Oscar A Pobre, CFO, Century Pacific Group Inc and an alumnus of the University, College 1977; College 1977 alumni, Ms Irma L Cecilio and Ms Bess Claudio Umali; Dr Luis F Dumlao, PhD, Dean, JGSOM; and Ria Sison with the Office of University Development.
Prepared by the Office of University Development, Ateneo de Manila University
*Century Pacific Group-RSPo Foundation Inc. was founded by and named after Ricardo S. Po Sr., the company’s founder and Chairman Emeritus, which serves as the corporate social responsibility arm of Century Pacific Food, Inc. (CNPF), the Philippines’ largest canned food manufacturer. The foundation was established as a way to help address some of the major issues our country faces today, such as those in the education sector.
