Dr. Tej Bunnag addresses Batch 106
Dr. Tej Bunnag, the newly appointed chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees on 15 December 2006 delivered the graduation address to Batch 106
graduates of the Asian Institute of Technology at a ceremony held at the AIT Conference Center. This semester's batch carries 160 students originating from 19 countries. AIT President Said Irandoust presided over the ceremony.
Among the 160 graduates, 38 comes from the School of Engineering and Technology, 34 from the School of Environment, Resources and Development, and 88 from the School of Management. Of these graduates, 135 received master's degrees, 24 doctoral degrees, and 1 diploma. The total number of AIT degree-holders now stands at 14,771.
At the graduation ceremony, Nazrul Islam of School of Management and Ganesh Shivakoti of School of Environment, Resources and Development were installed as new professors and later on delivered their professorial remarks.
Graduation Address by Dr. Tej Bunnag,
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
at AIT's 106th Graduation Ceremony
Professor Said Irandoust, President of the Asian Institute of Technology
Excellencies and honoured guests,
Faculty and staff of AIT,
Graduands and family members.
Let me begin by extending my wholehearted congratulations and my very best wishes to the graduands.
I would like to thank the President and members of the AIT community for inviting me to deliver today's graduation address. I consider it a great honour and privilege to be able to celebrate such an important moment in the lives of those graduating today.
AIT is a pioneering institution in the region conceived with the highest principles of education in mind – to pursue excellence in teaching, research and training. AIT's mission – 'To develop highly qualified and committed professionals who will play a leading role in the sustainable development of the region and its integration into the global economy' – is one that is as relevant today as at any time in the institute's half-century history.
I feel highly honoured to have been appointed as Chairman of the Board of this great institution, which has a distinguished record of much success and achievement. As I said at the meeting of the Board of Trustees in October, I pledge to continue what former Chairman Khun Anand had accomplished for AIT over the past six years in promoting the integrity, reputation, and academic excellence of the Institute.
I wish to commend the President as well all members of the faculty, staff, students and alumni for their solidarity, efforts and commitment in putting AIT on a firm foundation. We have been working with the President on the Institute's Strategic Development Plan, as well as on its ownership and governance aspects in order to attain full international status for AIT, which I am confident we will be able to accomplish within the next year or two. The Institute is also embarking on a fund-raising campaign, and I will do my best to help in that process as well. Under the Institute's new directions and strategies, new opportunities are being pursued, proving the vitality of AIT and of the importance of its role in the region.
In this context I welcome the Institute's efforts being pursued through the Strategic Development Plan to address the needs of the students in a new orientation directed toward professions which will encourage practical knowledge, experience, fieldwork, internships, with the focus on entrepreneurship, leadership and employability.
Entrepreneurial and leadership education should provide opportunities for students to experience entrepreneurship and leadership first-hand by working alongside practicing entrepreneurs and leaders. This will require our institute to foster interaction and networking and embed entrepreneurship and leadership in academic and management culture. It is important to integrate the concept of entrepreneurship and leadership across curricula and to tailor entrepreneurial and leadership education to local needs and marry the concepts of Asian entrepreneurship and leadership to those of the West.
Institutes of higher learning, such as ours, are key players in the generation of entrepreneurs who form start-ups and expand businesses, thus creating new jobs and new income streams that catalyze further investment in the economy. That in turn generates still more jobs, personal income and capital investment. In order to address the needs of the private and public sector and students alike, a new orientation directed toward professions at AIT will encourage practical knowledge, experience, fieldwork, internships and a focus on entrepreneurship, leadership and employability.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Nothing on Earth is static – particularly not thoughts and knowledge. Globalization and technological advancements have made the pace of change in terms of knowledge, process and product exponentially faster. This has been experienced especially by developing economies during the last 15 years. A nation's economic survival and competitive power are now determined by its knowledge content, for which life-long learning is essential. Demands by society and industry on knowledge and competence change in pace with the transformations that occur outside our walls, and keeping pace with the process of globalization is absolutely vital.
Cultures, habits and socio-economic systems are undergoing a revolution, putting tremendous pressure on institutes of higher learning like ours. Renewing oneself is the need of the hour in a knowledge-based world.
Successfully competing in the global economy requires the ability to innovate and to take calculated risks. To sustain economic development and provide sufficient quality jobs for the next generation, Asian economies must provide better conditions for new technology business creation. In this regard, institutes of higher learning must motivate and support a new generation of leaders, who can capitalize on the opportunities of new technologies and who can reinvent the way Asian firms develop new products and services, go to market, connect with customers and collaborate with their suppliers and share knowledge.
Graduands,
A convocation is an extremely important day in the life of a student. Each of you stands today at a new threshold in your life. Here, in this great institution, you have imbibed the values and skills needed to deal with the world outside. Some of you may have been trained to enter the private sector, while others may aim to work in the public sector or non-governmental organizations. These are not different worlds, for I strongly believe they are united in their commitment to improve the lives and livelihoods of people.
Whatever walk of life you may pursue, you will find that a commitment to excellence, to justice and fair play, to hard work and team spirit will stand you in good stead.
I urge you, dear graduands, to remain committed to the values espoused by AIT.
Finally, I wish you and AIT the very best in the years to come.
Thank you
Graduation Address by AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust
at the 106th Graduation Ceremony
Dr. Tej Bunnag, Chairman of the AIT Board of Trustees
Excellencies and honored guests, members of the Board of trustees, partners, members of the School Boards, former senior members of the administration and former faculty, members of the AIT alumni, faculty, staff, our dear graduands, family members, good morning.
As President of AIT, I am very pleased on behalf of everyone at AIT, to welcome all of you. Today's graduation ceremony marks a significant milestone in the lives of the members of the graduating class, and hence I encourage you, the graduands, to savour and treasure this momentous event. It is a celebration of your accomplishment during your student years.
This is not to say that you have accomplished the remarkable feat of graduating from AIT all on your own, however! We are surrounded by faculty members, staff, parents, family, friends, spouses, and children who have supported and sustained you through the years. You will recognize them today by their smiles, brought about by their great pride in your accomplishments. Let us, express our deep appreciation to all who are here and have come to AIT today to join in your graduation ceremony. Will you, the graduands, please rise, look to the stage and gallery, and give them the applause they so richly deserve.
The theme of my thoughts for the graduands this morning is centered on the promise your education has afforded you. You have been prepared for a purpose to fulfill for yourself and for the society. 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.
The degree you receive not only signifies the knowledge, skills and competencies 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. With over half-century of international experience at the service of the development of the region AIT has the proven capacity and agility to rapidly mobilize both regional and global networks and partners, collaborating together in research, teaching and development activities and it provides a unique and important platform for the development of the entire region. The Institute is engaged in advanced technology directly applied to answer the concerns and the needs of communities, enterprises and nations.
Learning at AIT is grounded in the deep realities of a world in development and which is facing many crises. The learning environment at AIT has prepared you to cooperate productively with others, for one who relates to himself, herself, and to others is a useful and fruitful addition to society. You have been prepared to be individuals who are able to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams. As you set to pursue your professional careers, pursue them with passion, purpose and responsibility. However, you will soon realize that there is still so much to learn, re-learn or even un-learn – it would then be wise to remain open-minded and teachable in this process.
The key to success in today's world is about finding ways to be different, to radically change the way of doing things and to develop ways to respond quickly to all kinds of changes. I hope AIT has helped you to find the direction of that changes. As Steven Kerr has said: 'the future is coming so fast, we can not possibly predict it; we can only learn to respond quickly.' And today's leadership is mainly about how to manage change. For this one needs to build trust, to drive out fear of failure and to develop team culture – a culture of partnership – in which everyone offers unique knowledge and talents.
Another key point, I think, is that dealing with change is about understanding that change is never over. This is simply today's reality. In order to cope with an unpredictable world one must be flexible and able to react positively to needed changes. Most people do not like change – maybe because we do not like being changed or maybe because change generates uncertainty and reduces predictability. We can bring it about ourselves or it can come in ways that give us little choice about its what, when and how. The saying, 'change is the window through which the future enters your life,' is indeed very true.
It is my hope that your future endeavors would resonate with commitment to developing yourselves further in every respect as a person, to making the quality of lives of your people and of the world -better, and to helping people less fortunate than yourselves to realize their dreams and their potentials. It is for these worthy purposes for which you have been prepared and equipped. All these in the keeping with the noble mission by which this great Institute was founded – to develop men and women, highly qualified and committed professionals who play leading roles in the region's sustainable development and its integration into the global economy.
You will soon cease being students and will become part of the well respected body of our alumni. I request you to become advocates for the Institute and you can do this by being excellent examples for the type of individuals we educate at AIT. Take to heart not only the pride your degree brings you but also the responsibility of fulfilling the promise of providing excellent contribution in your respective fields or across fields, which will affect the lives of people in the society – by this you are also fulfilling your responsibility towards our generous partners and donors that supported your education here at AIT.
And last but not least, your responsibility to this Institute – which is to represent AIT honorably that will give us much cause for pride – proving that you have acquired the essential attributes of an educated person including human values, ethical and moral assets. Therefore I challenge you to live up to the highest standards. As President of AIT, I want you to know that we are always committed to excellence in all that we do; we are committed to excellence in teaching, learning and research and we are committed to the community, for this is what we are.
Always remain guided by your moral compass or inner conscience and make sure that you nurture it and never allow it to be suppressed simply because you want to get ahead. I believe that one must strike a fair balance between doing good and doing well, between ensuring equity and pursuing excellence. To focus on one and lose sight of the other cannot serve the interests of either your future organization for which you will work or society at large.
In comparison, ladies and gentlemen, dear graduands, the subject of your degree is less important than how your practical, social and intellectual skills have developed under the stimulus of AIT's academic, intellectual and social life. In summary, you should recognize that to be successful in a graduate job, you will have to demonstrate a combination of knowledge, intellectual skills, and personal qualities. I hope you will reflect on these ideas and thoughts as you go forth with these portals as informed and empowered citizens of our society.
Once again, congratulations to each one of you – not only for your accomplishments, but also for the enormous promise your future holds.
Thank you very much.
