Mapua Schools Collaborate with America’s Most Innovative University 

Manila, Philippines – iPeople, the publicly listed Yuchengco-Ayala education partnership, introduced today a first of its kind offering that enables Filipino students to immerse themselves in global educational experiences with top international universities and a top Philippine university, in a highly cost-effective manner. 

Last year, iPeople school Mapua University and its daughter schools Mapua Malayan Colleges Laguna and Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao, entered into a collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU), which has been ranked America’s most innovative university, ahead of Stanford and MIT, over the past 8 years. 

The collaboration is focused on Business and Health Sciences programs.  In the latest US News & World Report online program rankings, ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business ranked Top 10 in the US across 8 programs and disciplines, including the #1 spot for online bachelor’s in business programs, and ASU’s online bachelor’s program in psychology was ranked #4. 

Through this collaboration, the Mapua schools also became members of the ASU-Cintana Alliance, a global network of 15 of the most innovative higher education institutions in the Americas, Europe and Asia.   

Chris Hill, Chief Strategy Officer, and Head of Asia Pacific at Cintana, said, “We are delighted to be collaborating with the Mapua schools, whom we selected as our Philippine champions, because of their long-standing reputation for innovation and academic excellence.  The recent ranking of Mapua as one of the top 4 Philippine universities, together with UP, Ateneo and LaSalle, in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, is clear evidence of the quality of a Mapuan education.” 

Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, President of Mapua University and Chairman of iPeople, said: “We have long been focused on delivering the hallmarks of a Mapuan education: international, digitally enhanced, outcomes-based and research-driven. Our collaboration with global leader ASU and being part of the ASU-Cintana Alliance enable us to take these to a higher level for our students, by giving them numerous opportunities to learn with a top ranked US university, and other leading education institutions around the world.”  

At a press conference held in Mapua’s brand new Makati campus, the most modern in the NCR, the collaborating schools introduced several ground-breaking offerings.  

During their time at the Mapua schools, students now have the opportunity to be immersed in international learning experiences in numerous ways. Firstly, they have access to ASU’s world-class content in all their ASU-enhanced courses. Secondly, students are able to participate in Global Signature Courses through state-of-the-art virtual Global Classrooms, which give them the opportunity to learn remotely from professors at member universities of the ASU-Cintana Alliance, and interact with classmates from around the world, without leaving the Philippines. 

Students can also participate in classes co-lectured by ASU faculty in the US. Lastly, students will have many opportunities to participate in dozens of student exchange and summer immersion programs at ASU-Cintana Alliance schools. 

Lorenzo V. Tan, the CEO of House of Investments, the listed holding company of YGC (Yuchengco Group of Companies), and the majority shareholder of iPeople said, “YGC has long prioritized education as one of our contributions to nation building. It is very timely that our Mapua schools are launching this very innovative and global initiative as we celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of our past Chairman, Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco, who had always advocated for making quality education more affordable for Filipinos and had forged many successful partnerships with industry leaders from around the world.” 

Cezar P. Consing, the CEO of Ayala Corporation, added: “This initiative will allow young people access to education that, while Philippine centered, is also global in quality and in reach. We want to help develop a generation of truly global Filipinos, because our country deserves the best the world has to offer.”  

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