The one-day task force meeting in Ho Chi Minh City organized by AIT
Vietnam (AIT-VN) Director Dr. Amrit Bart brought together a number of
specialists to plan the development of an Undergraduate Program in some
selected fields.
Participating at the workshop via Skype from Pathumthani, Thailand, AIT
President Prof. Said Irandoust highlighted the key importance of the
initiative to strengthen and spread the AIT brand in Vietnam, and to
capitalize on the country’s fast-growing demand for undergraduate
education.
“Our Vietnam undergraduate program will certainly lead to overall
growth and even increased enrolments at our Thailand campus,” President
Irandoust said.
Given the ample opportunities for expansion in Vietnam, some
programs could start as soon as possible, and may run parallel to the
bachelor degree-level programs now being offered at the AIT main campus
in Thailand, experts recommended.
Officials attending the workshop on 12 September 2011 concluded that
AIT’s future program should be unique and not associated with any
current national universities. The program, students, and faculty
should also embody the very highest quality, and exude the
international character of AIT.
The AIT President also told the participants that inter-disciplinary
curricula and applied, hands-on and practical application of knowledge
set in a multicultural environment must be central to the program and
its management.
Development, sustainability and environment are all important features
of AIT education, President Irandoust advised, and these need to be
integrated into the undergraduate programs under development.
The meeting in Vietnam also reviewed issues concerning facilities
requirements, costs and time-lines for launching an undergraduate
program. Later, the workshop assessed issues related to AIT’s
comparative advantages such as its internationality, as well as program
differentiation, management and marketing.
Participants included external experts Mr. Boris Donglemans, Dr. Joyce
McHenry, Dr. John Davis, Mr. Dung and Dr. Phuong, as well as AITVN
senior officials Ms. Bich Hoa, Dr. Thuy Phan, Dr. Kim Ngoc, and Mr.
Nguyen Ha.