The August 2013 batch at AIT includes students from North and South
America, Africa, Europe and Asia, with one student from Sierra Leone
becoming the first from his country to join AIT. The maximum student
intake is from Thailand, followed by Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh and
India. Close to 80 per cent of the students have enrolled for Master's
programs, while the remaining are Doctoral students. Forty-three per
cent of the incoming student body is female.
Welcoming the students, Interim AIT President Prof. Worsak Kanok
Nukulchai reminisced a similar student orientation event that he
attended at AIT back in 1971. It was at AIT, that I learnt to voice my
opinions, challenge my peers and question my Professors, he said.
Decades later, as he introduced the students to AIT, Prof. Worsak
stated that AIT produces global citizens who excel in all walks of
life. “Most alumni become leaders in their respective professions and
some of them have reached ministerial positions in Thailand, the
Philippines, Taiwan Korea, Pakistan and Nepal,” he said.
The Interim President remarked that five key factors make AIT a truly
great institution – academic excellence, internationality, relevant
research, strong faculty pool and support from donors. AIT was the
first international postgraduate program in Asia when it commenced
operations in 1959, Prof. Worsak added.
Prof. Sivanappan Kumar, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
remarked that the accomplishment levels of its students are a true
measure of AIT’s success. AIT alumni are successfully serving various
international organizations like UNEP, UNDP, UNIDO, World Bank and ADB,
he added. Congratulating the students on joining AIT, Prof. Kumar
mentioned that one in every third student who has been admitted in AIT
was among the top students in his or her respective batch, which speaks
about the caliber of the students admitted to AIT.
Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan, Acting Dean, School of Environment,
Resources and Development (SERD); Dr. Nitin Kumar Tripathi, Acting
Dean, School of Engineering and Technology (SET); and Dr. Donyaprueth
Krairit, Acting Dean, School of Management introduced the students to
their respective schools. Ko Ko Lwin, President, AIT Student Union
(AITSU) enumerated about the various activities of the Student Union.
Prof. Louis Gabor Hornyak, Director, Center for Learning, Innovation
and Quality was the Master of Ceremonies for the morning session.
The daylong orientation program included an afternoon session where
students are informed about the AIT harassment policy by Dr. Donyapruet
Krairit, Chair-Gender Equality Committee. Other sessions include
information on “Student Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards”, and
“Academic Requirements and Practices” by Ms. Laarni B. Roa,
Coordinator, Registry and Head-Students; “Language Center Services and
the English Language Requirements” by Mr. Thomas Hamilton, Director,
Language Center; “Student Welfare, Placement and Counseling Services /
Medical Services” by Ms. Joan Carla Gonzales, Coordinator, Student
Affairs Unit and Career Center; “Use of SIS” by Dr. Harianto, IT
Services; “Laptop Subsidy, Computing & Network Facilities/Services
and Internet Ethics” by Mr. Olivier Nicole, AIT IT Committee; “Student
Accommodation and Facility Management” by Mr. Suradeh Boontanrart,
Executive Director of Operations, Sodexo; and “Educational Visa and
Government Relations Services” by Ms. Wannapa Pliansri, Coordinator,
Government Relations Unit. Mr. Tenzin Rabgyal, acting Head, Admissions
and Scholarships Unit was the Master of Ceremonies in the afternoon
session.
Photo Gallery from the event is available at these links:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151770877064709.1073741853.102952369708&type=1
Google Plus:
https://plus.google.com/photos/113705895909660110340/albums/5910005117581730481
