Welcoming the incoming students, the AIT President, Prof. Said
Irandoust stated that the new batch of students was unique, since it
was the first time that students had been admitted into AIT after it
achieved the status of International Intergovernmental Organization on
30 January 2012.
Expressing his happiness on the occasion of commencement of academic
operations at the AIT campus after the flood, Prof. Irandoust remarked
that the aim of AIT is not only to return to its past glory, but to
achieve greater heights than before. We are working towards creating an
AIT that is “safe, secure and sustainable,” he added. The AIT President
complimented the tremendous dedication and solidarity of the AIT
community, stating that he was very proud of their performance in the
post-flood scenario.
Those admitted to AIT include students from Asia, Africa, Europe and
North America. Countries from which the students originate include
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Canada, Finland, France,
India, Indonesia, Iran, Lao PDR, Morocco, Myanmar, People’s Republic of
China, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, Nepal, Nigeria, United
Kingdom and Vietnam.
Addressing the students, Prof. I. M.Pandey, Vice President for
Academic Affairs, stated that AIT’s aim was to create enlightened minds
that can act as change agents. Teachers can act as mentors and
facilitators, but it is upto the students to emerge out of AIT as true
professionals. Dr. Nitin V. Afzulpurkar, Dean, School of Engineering
and Technology (SET); Dr. Barbara Igel, Dean, School of Management
(SOM); and Dr.Weerakorn Ongsakul, Dean, School of Environment,
Resources and Development (SERD) highlighted their respective schools
and the interdisciplinary nature of academic programs at AIT. President
of the AIT Student Union also welcomed the students. The ceremony was
conducted by Dr. Louis G. Hornyak, Director, Center for Learning,
Innovation and Quality (CLIQ), who introduced students to AIT.