At a meeting chaired by Interim President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai
on 30 June 2014, Prof. Mathe presented an overview of the ongoing
two-stage MBA and two-stage undergraduate programs jointly offered by
AIT and NEF—CCN.
“We are in this partnership for the long term,” Prof. Mathe said.
Still, for the current arrangement to work it must achieve “win-win”
results for both partners, he told senior administration
officials.
The consortium of four colleges he represents in Nepal has heady
ambitions, he announced. After informing AIT that NEF – CCN recently
applied to become one of the country’s national universities, he said
the consortium intends to develop its research and consultancy
capabilities, and will launch a school of public policy.
Currently, Nepalese graduates make up the third largest segment of AIT
alumni by nationality. Commenting on the strong imprint AIT has made in
his country, he said the institute’s good reputation is buoyed by the
numerous graduates who have achieved high levels of professional
success in their private and public sector careers.
Prof. Mathe also elaborated on the lucrative market for Nepal students
searching for their higher education opportunities abroad, particularly
in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and
India.
Though Nepal ranks as a least developed country, it continually
produces large numbers of students studying overseas. But the recent
appreciation of the US dollar against the Nepali rupee has impacted the
demand for educational offerings priced in dollars, he said.
AIT can be a strong option for these prospective students, he
explained, provided costs and student tuition levels can be made more
affordable, and arrangements can be struck that satisfy both parties,
he said.
One reason NEF – CCN struck its partnership with AIT originally was to
promote a satellite campus on modern new facilities in suburban
Lalitpur, Nepal, that were secured through heavy investments, he said.
“AIT needs to push ahead with establishing a satellite campus, said
Prof. Mathe, as he tabled a number of proposals for moving the existing
partnership forward.
President Worsak recommended re-visiting the terms of the original
agreements for the two-stage programs, in light of recent developments.
He also explained that the situation of AIT undergraduate programs
would be known in the near future, and that any decision on operating
an AIT satellite campus in Nepal would be a matter for the AIT Board of
Trustees to decide.
Later, Prof. Mathe held detailed talks with Dr. Donyaprueth Krairit,
Interim Dean, AIT School of Management, and followed up by meeting with
Dr. Sundar Venkatesh of AIT Extension. On July 1, Prof. Mathe conducted
a series of meetings with AIT’s Prof. Nitin K. Tripathi, Dr. Matthew
Dailey and Dr. Naveed Anwar.
