The Board in session.
Board of Trustees Meeting
On October 31, 2003, H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, chaired the AIT Board of Trustees Meeting held at the AIT Conference Center.
Attending the Board meeting for the first time were newly appointed trustees namely, H.E. Mr. Antonio Rodriguez, Ambassador of the Philippines and H.E. Mr. Mir Hussain Bakhsk Bangulzai, Ambassador-designate of Pakistan. A special welcome was also extended to H.E. Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji, Ambassador of Bhutan and Mr. Ravic Huso, Minister Counsellor, US Embassy who were participating as observers and to Dr. Jingjai Hanchanlash, Chairman of the Corporate Relations Panel, Prof. Stephen Ogunlana, representing the Chairman of the Academic Senate, and to Mr. Bhoj Raj Khanal, President of the Student Union.
From left: H.E. Mr. Jan Axel Nordlander, Board Vice Chairman; Dr. Kopr Kritayakirana, Chairman of the Executive Committee; Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, AIT President, Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon, Provost; and Prof. Gothom Arya, Registrar.
At the meeting, the Board approved the nomination of Dr. Kopr Kritayakirana, Chairman of the Executive Committee as the third Vice Chairman of the Board. The other two Vice-Chairmen are H.E. Mr. Jan Axel Nordlander and Prof. Hans van Ginkel.
The trusteeship renewals of H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun, Prof. Hans van Ginkel, H.E. Mr. Jan Axel Nordlander, Professor Jean-Louis Armand, H.E. Mr. Heikki Tuunanen, Dr. Phaichitr Uathavikul, M R Pridiyathorn Devakula, Dr. Rung Kaewdang, Dr. Kopr Kritayakirana, H.E. Mrs. Ragne Birte Lund, H.E. Mr. H. M. G. S. Palihakkara, H.E. Mr. Hiem Phommachanh, H.E. Dr. Klauspeter Schmallenbach, and Dr. Vichit Suraphongchai were approved for a further three-year period by the Board.
From left: Prof. Lalit Johri, Prof. Rolf Dubs, H. E. Ambassador Kiyoaki Kikuchi, Dr. Vichit Suraphongchai and Prof. Yongyuth Yuthavong
The Board also approved the renewals as Executive Committee members of Dr. Kopr Kritayakirana, M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula, Prof. Rolf Dubs, Dr. Vichit Suraphongchai and Prof. Yongyuth Yuthavong for a further three-year period. H.E. Mr. Atsushi Tokinoyo, Ambassador of Japan informed the Board that Ambassador Kiyoaki Kikuchi has conveyed his wish to resign from the Executive Committee after completion of his term in April 2004. The Chairman of the Board will consult further with the Executive Committee to ensure that there is a certain degree of continuity on the Executive Committee by instituting a rotational membership wherein some of the old members are retained.
The Board welcomed and approved the nominations of new trustees H.E. Mr. Mir Hussain Bakhsk Bangulzai, Ambassador-designate of the Islamic of Pakistan succeeding H.E. Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Muhammad Hasan Aqeel; H.E. Mr. Antonio Rodriguez, Ambassador of the Philippines succeeding H.E. Ms. Sonia Cataumber Brady; Incoming Ambassador-designate of Nepal succeeding H.E. Mr. Janak Bahadur Singh; Incoming Ambassador-designate of Indonesia succeeding H.E. Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) Sutria Tubagus; representative (name and or/position to be designated) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand; representative (name and / or position to be designated) of the Ministry of Education, China succeeding Mr. Tian Xiaogang upon completion of term as trustee in March 2004; and nomination of H.E. Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji, Ambassador of Bhutan to Thailand as participant who would be attending meetings of the Board as an observer.
The Board approved the nominations of Lord Ronald Oxburgh, Former Rector of Imperial College as a member of the Academic Advisory Panel and of Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, Honorary Chairman, Toyota Motor Corporation as a member of the Corporate Relations Panel.
In view of the recent reorganization having taken place at the Ministry of Education, Royal Thai Government and the restructuring of the Office of the National Education Council (ONEC), the Chairman of the Board was authorized by the Board to invite a representative from the concerned government agency who should be represented in the Board in addition to the representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand.
H.E. Mr. Antonio Rodriguez, Ambassador of the Philippines was appointed as the Co-Chairman of the Alumni Relations Panel, in replacement of H.E. Mr. Hemayet Uddin, Ambassador of Bangladesh, whose term in Bangkok has come to an end. The other current Co-Chairman of the Panel is Ambassador Tuunanen of Finland.
Other Institute's matters that have been discussed at the meeting were the establishment of a Presidential Search Committee, FY 2004 Budget, New Personnel Policy, Annual Academic/Business Plan 2004, AIT Strategy: New Directions and Initiatives, Land Lease, establishment of the AIT Provident Fund: Progress Report, Report from the Audit Committee, Honorary Doctorate Degree, Community Prayer Room, and MoU with Universite de la Mediterranee pertaining to administrative situation of AIT President.