SWU: P200M for ‘transformation’ period

SOUTHWESTERN University (SWU) Phinma plans to invest at least P200 million on new facilities and manpower in the next four years as it rolls out programs beyond the medical and allied health courses the school has long been known for.

Dr. Chito Salazar, president at PHINMA Education Holdings, Inc., said they are primed to spend P200 million to P300 million within this period of “transformation” for the university.

“This will mainly be for facilities. But beyond that, we’re also investing in people,” Salazar said during the SWU Next VIP launch held at Qube Gallery in Cebu City on Wednesday.

SWU Next refers to seven programs which show a different dimension of the university and students whose passions lie outside the medical field.

The school is set to offer degree programs in architecture and sports science beginning next year while also intensifying efforts to promote existing courses such as communication arts, business administration, hospitality, information technology and veterinary medicine.

“Our paramount thrust is to develop students to become the best they can be. We launched these programs to provide more opportunities to achieve that goal,” said Salazar.

He said they will renovate existing buildings and construct new ones to serve as dedicated facilities for programs in IT, design and communication, business and veterinary medicine, among others.

Salazar added that they will also be setting aside funds to send their teaching staff abroad for training, ensuring that their students get the best kind of education.

He said what sets SWU Next programs apart is its human-centric approach to problem solving, hands-on learning and collaboration with key players in their respective fields.

The official said that while SWU PHINMA’s strength lies in its medical and allied health programs, they realized there are still some areas in these fields of study they can contribute to.

“We’re not trying to compete with other big schools. If we feel like this school is already really known for a particular course, we won’t go there. Instead, we enter into a niche market,” he said.

Their upcoming architecture program, for example, will include sociology and psychology subjects to provide students insight on what their future clients really want.

Salazar also said that because they want to think outside the box this time, they are also eyeing to market these programs heavily on social media.
SWU PHINMA will also introduce the courses to other cities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Salazar said they expect for SWU Next to go full swing in June 2018 and that they are only waiting for the Commission on Higher Education’s approval of their architecture and sports science programs.