Ayala Foundation and Singapore Management University Launch Ayala Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration Scholarship

28 September 2015 (Monday) —  Ayala Foundation has partnered with Singapore Management University (SMU) to launch the Ayala Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration (MTSC) Scholarship today to inspire the best and most talented Filipino students enrolled in the MTSC program to greater heights of academic and practical excellence.

The launch of the scholarship was graced by Her Excellency Kok Li Peng, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to the Philippines; His Excellency Roland van Remoortele, Ambassador of Belgium to the Philippines; Mr. Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation; SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer; and Mr. Ruel T. Maranan, President of Ayala Foundation. Professor Ann Florini, Academic Director of the Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration programme at SMU was also present, and shared with the audience her insights on the power of tri-sector cooperation between government, society, and business as a catalyst for change in Asia.

“Our partnership with SMU is a strategic expression of our support for the global Filipino—committed to national development, but also highly attuned to what goes on in the rest of the world, and able to harness these for the benefit of everyone. It is also our way of strengthening our relationship with the rest of our ASEAN neighbors, one of the most exciting regions for economic and social development,” said Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, CEO of Ayala Corporation.

“This partnership with Ayala Foundation is testimony of the strong and collaborative relationship between SMU and Ayala, as well as the quality and rigor of our MTSC program, the first of its kind in the world. We look forward to welcoming the first batch of scholarship recipients to our campus next year,” said SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer.

Developed by and taught in SMU, the MTSC is the world’s only advanced degree program in professionalizing partnership development and management. It empowers emerging leaders from the private, public, and people sectors to work together to develop sustainable solutions to the world’s big problems. This integrated program provides a toolkit of collaborative and management skills to deal with a future of increasing complexity and scarce resources. Interdisciplinary training will come from both academic faculty and professional practitioners. Modules provide rigorous training in topics such as partnership mindsets, global trends, personal leadership, leading change from the middle of an organization, futures methodologies, and complexity science. Students undertake Capstone projects that address real-world challenges requiring tri-sectoral collaboration to solve.

“Through this scholarship, we encourage members of Philippine civil society and government to further hone their knowledge and skills in working closely with government, business, and the non-profit sectors covered by the SMU course. At the end of the 18 months dedicated to studies at SMU, it is our hope to see our scholars coming back to the country to make a stronger, more lasting contribution to the great cause of partnerships for nation building,” said Ruel Maranan, Ayala Foundation President.

The scholarship is housed under the education arm of the Ayala Foundation and will provide financial assistance to its scholars pursuing the Ayala Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration  post-graduate degree.

The recipient of the scholarship should be a citizen of the Philippines and a member of a civil society organization or the Philippine government. The applicant must demonstrate leadership qualities and aptitude to excel in the program, and have the potential to contribute to the bigger community. Up to four scholarships will be available every year for the next five years, each scholarship shall have up to a total value of between S$25,000 and S$50,000. The first scholarship will be awarded to students enrolled in the 18-month program commencing in January 2016. Deadline for this scholarship application period is on 20 October 2015. 

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