From left: H.E. Mr. Jan Axel Nordlander, Vice Chairman of AIT Board of Trustees and Swedish Ambassador to Thailand; H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun, Chairman of AIT Board of Trustees; Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, AIT President; and Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon, Provost.
AIT Board of Trustees meeting
On April 25, H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun, Chairman of AIT Board of Trustees, chaired the AIT's Board of Trustees Meeting held at the AIT Conference Center. The meeting started with the Board's observance for a minute of silence in memory of Mr. Viroj Phutrakul, Vice Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Executive Committee, who passed away in February.
H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun designated H.E.Ambassador Jan Axel Nordlander, Vice Chairman of the Board as Acting Chairman of the Executive Committee until June 30, 2003. On July 1, 2003, Dr. Kopr Kritayakirana will chair the Executive Committee.
H.E. Mr. Laurent Aublin, Ambassador of France and H.E. Mr. Herbert Traxl, Ambassador of Austria, were designated as new trustees. Prof. Olaf Kubler, President, ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland, was appointed as a member of the Academic Advisory Panel; while Mr. Alain Boublil, International Consultant, Former Advisor to the late President of the French Republic, in charge of Industrial Affairs, will serve as a member of the Corporate Relations Panel.
H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun also made a presentation highlighting the significant achievements and initiatives during the year 2002.
Other important issues discussed at the Board Meeting were the President's Term of Office, FY 2003 Budget, FY 2002 Financial Results, Annual Academic/Business Plan 2004, AIT Strategy: New Directions and Initiatives, Land Lease, Progress Report on Personnel Policy, Amendments of the Bye-Laws, and an Honorary Doctorate Degree.
The Chairman, on behalf of the Board, also expressed its deep and profound gratitude to H. E. Ambassador Jan Axel Nordlander for the honor bestowed upon AIT by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on his official visit to the Institute on February 26, 2003. H.M. King Carl's visit included a familiarization tour of the campus and highlighted the inauguration of the Thailand Accident Research Center (TARC) at the School of Civil Engineering.
Deep appreciation was extended by the Board to H.E. Mr. Janak Bahadur Singh, Ambassador of Nepal, and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Thailand, for his contribution to the Board and to the Institute. H. E. Ambassador Singh emphasized the privileges and close ties that Nepal and AIT has been enjoying and announced the forthcoming visit to AIT by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paras of Nepal.
Observing a moment of silence in memory of Mr. Viroj Phutrakul, the late Chairman of the Executive Committee, are from left: Mr. Thorsten Eisingerich of Austrian Embassy; Mr. Chang Jae-Yun of Korean Embassy; Dr. Leah Bunce of U.S. Embassy; H.E. Mr. Laurent Aublin, French Ambassador to Thailand; and H.E. Mr. Maj. Gen. Aqeel, Ambassador of Pakistan.
From right: H.E. Mr. Klauspeter Schmallenbach, Head of Delegation, European Commission to Thailand; H.E. Mr. Janak Bahadur Singh, Nepalese Ambassador to Thailand; H.E. Mr. Atsushi Tokinoya, Japanese Ambassador to Thailand; Dr. Phaichitr Uathavikul, Chairman, Executive Board of Directors, Thailand Environment Institute; Prof. Yongyuth Yuthavong, Director of Thailand Graduate Institute of Science and Technology, NSTDA; Prof. Nurul Amin, Chair of AIT Academic Senate; and Dr. Barbara Igel of SOM.