President Kheruuga, who was accompanied by Mr. Sukhtulga Tserennadmid,
Chief of Administration and International Affairs, was welcomed to the
AIT Boardroom by President Worsak. His visit came less than a fortnight
after Mongolia’s Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Mr. Battumur Chimeddorj
visited AIT on November 12.
Discussions also involved Prof. Chettiyappan Visvanathan, Dean of the
School of Environment, Resources and Development, (SERD), Prof. Voratas
Kachitvichyanukul, Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology
(SET), Dr. Gabrielle Groves Punyaratabandhu, Head, External Relations
and Communications, Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe, Executive Director
Fundraising and Interim Director of Alumni Affairs, and Dr. Zakir
Hossain, Senior Program Officer, IT, AIT Extension.
Referring to a recent decision by the Mongolian Ministry of Education
and Science to allow qualified student applicants to AIT to avail of
government-funded scholarship opportunities, Dr. Kheruuga announced
that 31 MULS students have just submitted applications for funding
support to the Government of Mongolia. “I will try my best to send
Master and PhD students to AIT,” he told the AIT officials.
Pleased with the news, President Worsak also suggested that MULS could
dramatically increase its international profile by seconding some of
its young 30 to 40 year old faculty members to AIT for short term
teaching and research assignments. At AIT visiting academics could make
use of the institute’s considerable external networks to build up their
international connection with universities and organizations across
Asia and the West, he said.
Fields of study such as natural resources management, energy, and
geo-technical and earth resources engineering offered at SET could be
promising areas for joint work, the president recommended. AIT is keen
to attract top students from MULS, and could look to tap third-party
funding sources, President Worsak explained.
The MULS president noted that his university wished to increase its
research capability and would consider sending young researchers for
attaining higher degrees as well as for specific professional short
course training during the yearly summer break.
Indicating interest in aquaculture science, President Kheruuga later
visited the lab facilities at the School of Resources and Development’s
Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management field of study.
Dean Visvanathan outlined a raft of collaboration possibilities
involving joint programs academics and research. SERD could boost the
degree qualifications of MULS faculty he said, adding that MULS might
in turn identify top students and work with the government to
facilitate their enrollment in AIT postgraduate programs. Tailor made
short term certificate programs could also be arranged in the summer of
2015, the dean mentioned, as did Dr. Hossain, who outlined a number of
possibilities for working with AIT Extension.
