PLDT Chairman President & CEO Manuel V Pangilinan made a gift donation of US$1 million to The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. A Wharton graduate himself, his donation establishes the Manny V Pangilinan MBA Fellowship Fund and support the Tangen Hall Mechatronics Laboratory.
“We are exceedingly grateful for MVP’s gifts to the school. Thank you for all your contributions,” said Dean Erika H. James of The Wharton School during an e-meet where representatives of the school expressed their gratitude to Pangilinan and raised a virtual toast in his honor.
His gift donation of US$1Million will be allocated equally between the Fellowship and the Tangen Fund for the Mechatronics Lab.
The Fellowship Fund, which will be known as the MVP Fellowship Fund, will be created to provide financial support to MBA graduate students in Wharton. Students from the Philippines will be given priority in this fellowship grant, followed by those from ASEAN countries, and international students, subsequently.
The Tangen Hall houses the Mechatronics Lab, which provides great opportunities for students to conduct their research. James likewise thanks MVP for this meaningful gift. The Mechatronics Lab is a behavioral laboratory that supports data collection for behavioral research on business-related topics. In recognition of MVP’s generosity, a plaque – Manny V Pangilinan WG ’68 – will be placed outside the Mechatronics Lab.
Thankful for the opportunity to assist his alma mater and its students, Pangilinan said there’s a lot of community spirit among Wharton graduates. He recounted that he was only 19 years old when he attended The Wharton School through a scholarship grant. He graduated in 1968 with a Master’s degree in Business Administration.
Principal donors’ names will be included on a newly constructed donor wall, to be installed in Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall. Alissa Lurie, Wharton's regional director for external affairs says, “This wall will serve as an enduring reminder to the Wharton community that this world-class experience simply would not be possible without support from their greatest champions.”
In the Philippines, Pangilinan has been helping schools and universities as well as teachers and students through the companies under his leadership. For the past five years, he has funded 14 professorial chairs and four teaching and research grants at the University of the Philippines College of Engineering. He is also sponsoring a P4-million scholarship grant to students from San Beda University.
Guided by the principle of “no student, no learner is left behind,” Pangilinan is pouring support to the Department of Education and the country’s public schools through the various programs of his companies.
