UST signs on for Smart programs
The University of Santo Tomas recently highlighted the year-long celebration of its 400th anniversary by partnering with Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) on an education initiative and by agreeing to use the company’s Infoboard service to communicate with its publics.
UST Rector Rev. Fr. Rolando V. De La Rosa, O.P. signed a memorandum of agreement with Smart Public Affairs Group Head Ramon R. Isberto to officialise the university’s inclusion in the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP).
Also made available to UST is the Infoboard, Smart’s web-based group broadcast service that offers various SMS facilities with different functions and capabilities catering to the needs of a certain organization or community.
"“Many of our employees are graduates of UST. So, it’s also a way of giving back. Through SWEEP we are able to share our technical expertise especially in wireless communication,” says ePLDT President and CEO Beth Lui who herself is a product of the College of Commerce.
Lui led UST alumni who are now working in the PLDT Group of companies in attending the kick-off to the university’s year-long Quadricentennial celebration.
"The linkage between the academe and the business sector works beneficially both ways. They help us upgrade our education system, facilities, instruction materials, etc. Then we produce better graduates and they have better employees and industry leaders,” says Father Rector De La Rosa.
Established in 2003 by Smart, SWEEP is a first of its kind industry-academe partnership that aims to elevate the level of engineering and technology education, particularly in the field of Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE).
The program provides for the setup of a wireless laboratory within the campus of each partner school, a continuing education program and the SWEEP Innovation and Excellence Awards, Smart’s annual search for the best wireless application designed by partner schools to address community concerns.
With the Infoboard, UST already has a preview of the benefits of such innovative wireless applications.
The Infoboard Service allows UST to provide, upload and manage customized information. It also enables both the university and the Thomasians to send and receive information through text on their customized school SIM.
“It is a P2.5 million service. And we are happy that UST is among the first 100 schools we are offering the Infoboard Service for free,” says James Bernas, Smart Wireless Community Solutions head.
Aside from signing a memorandum of agreement with UST on the use of the Infoboard service, Smart officials also turned over commemorative SIM cards and limited edition call and text cards with the UST logo.
Smart is also among four companies led by PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan who pulled together P5M to help fund Simbahayan, the centerpiece project of UST’s Quadricentennial anniversary. These include the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) Co., Meralco, and Maynilad.
Simbahayan, which stands for ‘Tomasino para sa Simbahan, Tahanan, at Bayan’, consolidates all community service initiatives conducted separately by the university’s faculty, students, alumni and administrators.
(Published 31 January 2011, Smart Communications, Inc.)