HRH Princess Sirindhorn confers degrees upon 469 graduates
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the 105th graduation ceremony of the Asian Institute of Technology, held 24 May 2006 at Thailand Science Park Convention Center. This was the first time the Princess has conferred degrees at an international postgraduate institution. 469 graduates were awarded master’s or doctoral degrees at the ceremony. A total of 538 graduated, with some not able to attend the ceremony.
The Princess awaits the next row of graduates.
“AIT’s mission has been very closely aligned to His Majesty the King’s support for the promotion of holistic education as an important base for the development of scientific knowledge and skills; and their appropriate applications,” Her Royal Highness said in her address to the graduates. “His Majesty the King has always adhered to a scientific approach to development while at the same time drawing upon great lessons from nature. AIT’s mission has always emphasized this important aspect and continuously sought scientific yet practical solutions to development in the region.”
AIT President Said Irandoust addresses the Princess and other dignitaries attending the graduation ceremony.
H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun, the former prime minister of Thailand and AIT’s chairman of the Board of Trustees, AIT President Said Irandoust and the most outstanding student, Mr. Manavit Vinaipanit, who received his master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management, also addressed the graduates and audience of approximately 1,200.
“What is unique about AIT is that it symbolizes not only international cooperation, but partnership,” Mr. Anand noted in his welcome address. “Whether donors or recipients, there is a genuine belief and conviction in partnership which serves as proof of the vitality of AIT and of the importance of its role in the region. AIT has made an excellent start along the required path of change so that new opportunities are being opened up with partners in the region and stands poised to embark on an exciting new phase in its development.”
Graduands wait for the arrival of the Princess.
In his address, AIT’s president challenged graduates to use their newly acquired knowledge and skills to change the world.
“You have been prepared for a purpose to fulfill for yourself and for the society,” Prof. Irandoust said. “You finally made it; you have successfully completed your studies at AIT. You have accomplished a feat that not many have had the opportunity of mastering, overcoming obstacles that you yourselves may have not imagined when you first came to AIT. This celebration of achievement is rightly to be shared with your families and friends whose loving support and encouragement have carried you through the fulfillment of your goals as an AIT student. The degree you receive not only signifies the knowledge, skills and competencies you possess but also the unique experience you have gained in AIT, elements which will serve you well, as you take on with confidence the challenges of the real world.”
HRH Princess Sirindhorn addresses the graduates and crowd totaling more than 1,200.
The 105th graduating batch of students hailed from 26 countries. AIT now has more than 14,000 degree-holding alumni and 22,000 alumni of short-term courses from more than 70 countries.
The presence of the Princess at the commencement exercise allowed AIT to join the Thai nation in celebrating the Sixtieth Anniversary of His Majesty the King of Thailand's Accession to the Throne. AIT prepared a special five-mute video presentation documenting the Royal Family’s relationship with the 47-year-old institute. Throughout its history, AIT has been fortunate to receive royal patronage and support of His Majesty the King and members of the Royal Family.
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has long been associated with AIT. She is an honorary faculty member and alumna of the institute. In 1984, she attended a two-month course at the Asian Regional Remote Sensing Training Center and became AIT’s first royal alumna by earning her certificate of course completion. In 1989, as part of the institute’s 30th anniversary celebration, AIT conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Technology on Her Royal Highness.
The Princess has visited AIT’s campus on several occasions: For the opening of the Agricultural and Food Engineering Building in 1988, the inauguration of the Computer Science Building in 1991, the inauguration of the Chalerm Prakiat Building in 1996 and the 40th anniversary of AIT in 1999. Her last visit was in 2003, when she led students from Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy on a study visit.
HRH Princess Sirindhorn walks to her awaiting limousine with H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun, the former prime minister of Thailand and AIT’s chairman of the Board of Trustees, and AIT President Said Irandoust after lunch at the AIT Conference Center.
A Royal presence at AIT dates to the 50th anniversary of the founding of Chulalongkorn University in 1967, when His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej graciously awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering to Dean Milton E. Bender Jr. and to Assistant Dean Aroon Sorathesn of what was then still called the SEATO Graduate School of Engineering.
A year later, at the newly renamed Asian Institute of Technology’s graduation ceremony, His Majesty conferred degrees upon 52 candidates.
Five years after that, in 1973, Their Majesties King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit ushered in yet a new era at AIT, presiding over opening ceremonies of the present Pathumthani campus. The King returned in 1975 to speak at the graduation ceremony and was conferred AIT’s first honorary doctorate degree. In 1987, AIT sought to give tribute to His Majesty by presenting him with a gold medal for outstanding leadership in and selfless contribution to rural development.
AIT likewise paid respect to Her Majesty The Queen in 1992 with a gold medal for outstanding leadership in the protection of the environment and preservation of natural resources. In 2003, AIT named the 28-hectare Queen Sirikit Arboretum Garden in humble tribute to Her Majesty’s dedication to conservation.
