New Ventures Goes West 7,646 Miles

“What other Jesuit University would be partnering with a university in the Philippines, or in Puerto Rico, or in Ireland?” 

Only at Regis

In contrast to sister Jesuit institutions like Georgetown, Loyola, Santa Clara, and Boston College, Regis College/University between 1980 and 2013 was an anomaly. It had recently expanded its mission to include a unique academic format that suited the learning needs of a working adult population that had been deprived of educational opportunities. Traditional academics scoffed at it and the public embraced it. College dropouts from years past and local employers reaped the benefits and rewards. 

By 1988, Regis further extended its foray into educational eccentricity by establishing a “New Ventures” unit. Within a decade, New Ventures assisted other colleges and universities to adopt similar accelerated adult education programs. That decade was followed by the development, implementation, and management of an extensive nationwide online consortium involving the membership of over 70 higher education institutions.

During the years following 2003, New Ventures partnered with Ana Mendez University System in Puerto Rico to form a dual language (English and Spanish) corporation that conducted 4 fully staffed facilities in Florida and Texas.

In the Meantime

During these numerous activities, a New Ventures staff member had been assigned the task of identifying potential international partnerships. Dr. Ira Plotkin made several trips to Europe and South America, but it was during a trip to the Philippines that he contacted another Jesuit University that welcomed serious discussions including an on-site visit.

The President of Ateneo de Manila, Fr. Ben Nebres, came the Regis campus in 1997 to better understand how the accelerated adult programs could incorporate the Jesuit mission.  Fr. Nebres visited classes and talked with students and decided that this program should be adopted to the Ateneo some 7,646 miles away. 

Ateneo de Manila University

Ateneo is a renowned Jesuit Catholic university that is highly acclaimed in the South Pacific. Founded in 1859, it is recognized for its excellence in the arts, humanities, law, business, and the sciences. Most people at Regis were only faintly aware of its existence and rank in the global education communities.

The new program at Ateneo would become known as the “Ateneo- Regis” MBA program. According to the Ateneo description:

“Ateneo-Regis MBA caters to managers, supervisors and those with work experience for at least (5) five years and who can carry courses in an accelerated, intensive and hands-on fashion. It can be completed in one year & one term. The program uses a highly interactive methodology and allows students to interact with students taking a similar course in the partner school abroad. This in effect, makes the program of international standing.

The curriculum for the Ateneo-Regis MBA Program includes analytical learning through time intensive courses designed specifically for working adults. The design of the courses recognizes that adults learn most effectively and most rapidly through a process of self-learning, bringing both life and work experiences that can be a learning resources for the other students in the class.

Self-learning occurs before class so that each participant can contribute in a meaningful way to group discussions and be an effective resource in shared learning. Shared learning occurs in the classroom, where each participant learns from the life and professional experiences of others.

Each adult learner must be an active participant in the learning process. The principal responsibility of the facilitator is to assist in this process, not to teach the technical content of the course. The facilitator is a technical expert in the field and will answer questions beyond the competence of the participants, but the primary responsibility for learning belongs to the student. Ordinarily, the facilitator will not lecture for an extended period of time.” Ateneo Catalogue MBA Program

If this description of an accelerated adult education program sounds familiar, it is because it mirrors the Regis University MBA program in that era. 

Strong Relationships Equal Strong Partnerships

The New Ventures staff enthusiastically embraced the Regis-Ateneo partnership and established professional and personal friendships with Ateneo staff members. Between 2006 and 2012, I travelled to Manila five times and enjoyed every minute. The partnership afforded me an opportunity to share expertise and to learn much about the country while acquiring new Filipino colleagues. All were in it for the common good of all. The partnership that was initiated in 1997 continues as of this writing in 2022.

A few of my Filipino colleagues and friends are pictured below.

Upper left: Faculty Cesar Mansibang and Dean Albert Buenviaje. Middle: Bill Husson, Faculty Danny Barrenechea, Tom. Right: New Ventures staff with Fr. Ben. Bottom: Danny, Tom, and Bill.