Wednesday, October 25, 2006 Wenceslao: SWU’s young Turks By Bong O. Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
IN a highly commercialized educational setup, balancing quality education with profitability is one tricky proposition. I had a very short discussion on that with Andrew Aznar, one of the so-called young Turks now at the helm of Southwestern University (SWU), during the first grand alumni homecoming of the high school department last Oct. 21.
Andrew, younger brother of my high school classmate Stephen, is treasurer of the university. Andrew's other brother, Peter, is vice president for academic affairs. They are sons of Matias Aznar III. With Lasse Matti Aznar-Holopainen---cousin of Andrew and Peter---as university president, one can say the third generation Aznars has taken over.
The takeover was not without hitches. Their ascendancy was a result of a power struggle among the older Aznar siblings, with a case pending in court. I asked Andrew about it because any long-term plan for the university will depend on how the case will be resolved. He smiled and expressed confidence their hold on power will remain strong.
With a new team, new goals. The young Aznars are apparently determined to arrest SWU's slide. Holopainen, in his speech, and Andrew, in our talk, had only one thing in mind: raise the quality of education of the university. That means infusion of money into projects meant to upgrade the school's facilities and human resource.
One interesting plan is the construction of a new elementary and high school campus in a lot near the Espina compound in B. Rodriguez St. "It will be a state-of-the-art campus," Andrew said. I say it has been a while since the elementary and high school departments have been given the attention they deserved and their potentials recognized.
Good journalism is good business, we in Sun.Star say. That mantra recognizes the relation between the practice of our craft and profitability. That should apply, too, to running a firm catering to education, a basic need. Quality education is good business. If the young Turks at SWU don’t deviate from that point, then they should succeed.
Which means there is hope. When I was in college there, I was easily drawn to a radical point of view considering environment we were in. The commercialized setup was apparent. So too the repression (I quit school partly because I was concerned with my security). But listening to Andrew and the other Aznars, perhaps SWU is really in for a change.
