Testimonial Dinner in Honor of Mr. John Gokongwei, Jr.
On the completion of the John Gokongwei School of Management Endowed Fund, friends, family, faculty and administrators came together for a testimonial dinner for Mr. John Gokongwei, Jr., Chairman Emeritus and Founder, JG Summit Holdings, Inc. on November 29, 2005 at the PLDT-CTC Room 201, Ateneo de Manila University.
Special guests present at the dinner were Gov. and Mrs. Gabriel Singson, Washington Sycip, Manuel V. Pangilinan and other close associates of Mr. John. Fr. Nebres, Ateneo President, in his welcoming remarks, thanked Mr. John for his generosity and his faith in the Ateneo School of Management.
Mr. Rudy Ang, the Ateneo School of Management's Dean presented the accomplishments of the school through a powerpoint presentation he entitled, "Raising the Bar of Excellence: The First Four Years of the John Gokongwei School of Management."
Mr. Ang spoke of the vision the school started with in 2002 namely: to create the right physical environment to support educational efforts; to recruit the best possible group of students; to recruit, develop and keep the best possible group of faculty; to develop new and innovative programs that are responsive to the needs of the rapidly changing world around us; to establish a stronger presence in the nation and regional business and business education communities; and lastly, to build a stronger research capability and contribute to the development of educational materials and the creation of new knowledge in the field of business. The presentation clearly showed the great strides the school has taken to ensure the concretization of these key goals. The dinner then was not just a celebration of the completion of the endowment but also a chance for the community to see what the school has achieved, how the goals were achieved and the School's continuing plans and goals.
In his response, Mr. John spoke of being grateful for the honor to serve his country by helping out a cause that is close to his heart – that of education. He spoke of his own gratitude to the Jesuits for the education it had given to his children. The dinner ended on a high note as the Ateneo Glee Club sang the song, "I Can Go the Distance". The School thanks once again, Mr. John Gokongwei, Jr. for his act of generosity that has equipped the school to reach this great distance.