Congratulating the graduates, Mr. Hulse exhorted the graduates to
“keeping the spirit of AIT alive” by remaining open to the outside
world, welcoming a diversity of thoughts and ideas, and maintaining
friendships with people from different countries and leanings. “Be a
role model for others,” was his suggestion to all students. “You have
to be citizens not just of your hometown or country, but be citizens of
the world,” he remarked.
Narrating his association with AIT, Mr. Hulse stated that he found AIT
an idyllic place when he first visited the campus in 1986 – a campus
that was “peaceful, green, and quiet except for the bird songs.” The
association of the Ford Foundation with AIT dates back to 1979, and it
is based on “trust and respect” that the Ford Foundation has to AIT as
an exceptional academic institution, he added.
Listing similarities between the Ford Foundation and AIT, Mr. Hulse
remarked that both believe in supporting innovation, human development,
freedom of expression and inherent dignity of people. He concluded by
asking graduating students to “take AIT home” with them, so that the
world looks a little more like the AIT campus.
