History of UMEDFI (UMEDFIstory)

When you invest in education, you cannot go wrong. - President Elyxzur Ramos

The University of Makati (UMak) is a local university under the provision of the Makati City government. This means that the institution’s budgetary system does not work similarly to other universities. Hence, the late President Tomas B. Lopez envisioned an institution that can address certain gaps that the Makati City government cannot provide for the university. Enter his brainchild and concept, the UMak Educational Development Foundation, Inc. (UMEDFI), which was created to extend its financial and developmental support to the university outside of its fixed annual investment plan. The initial intent of addressing funding-related issues expanded into delivering the best for its Herons in terms of faculty excellence and student development. Hence, the foundation selected the different deans of each college as the Board of Trustees, with then Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Elyxzur C. Ramos, serving as one of the board members and an officer of the foundation.

With everything in place, UMak signed a Memorandum of Agreement with UMEDFI on January 3, 2011, signifying a strong partnership between the two. Additionally, in order for UMEDFI to be completely recognized as a foundation, necessary requirements and documents were submitted, and UMEDFI was registered in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 19 of that same year. In full operation, one of UMEDFI’s first initiatives was to develop programs that are different from the usual mainstream courses of the university. These include special and executive courses that are designed specifically for working professionals who aim to widen their knowledge and earn their respective degrees in a short period of time. They are run under the College of Continuing and Advanced Professional Studies (CCAPS).

Everything seemed to work out for UMEDFI until a huge challenge came. In August 2017, the Commission on Audit (COA) argued that UMak’s academic deal with UMEDFI was unauthorized due to the foundation’s board of trustees consisting of the university officials and faculty, which caused a conflict of interest. The people behind UMEDFI assessed the situation and paused its operations for the meantime. Opting to change the composition of the board, the foundation looked at UMak’s industry partners and selected qualified professionals to stand as members of the board. With a new set of board members, UMEDFI continues to operate to what it stands for: providing a helping hand to UMak. Furthermore, to officially recognize the new board of trustees, an oath-taking ceremony was conducted, led by Makati Mayor Abigail Binay, on April 19, 2023.

For the following years since, the board retraced the foundation’s roots, re-evaluating its vision and mission, and aligning them with President Ramos’ ten-point agenda. The board then eventually settled to launch UMEDFI again by rebranding the foundation in collaboration with the Institute of Arts and Design, providing assistance in the conceptualization, design, publication materials, and its social media. As the foundation sets their sights on a new direction, UMEDFI aims for accreditation this 2025 with their plans of not just being a pillar of strength to UMak, but to change the educational landscape in Makati City and beyond.

Written by: Japhet Christianrei R. Marquez