A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 25 July 2012 by CSR Asia
Chairman Prof. Richard Welford and AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust
facilitates the continued joint delivery of graduate degree programs,
research and consultancy services and continuing professional education
in corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Signing the MoU at the AIT Main campus, President Irandoust said he
looked forward to the next phase of partnership which began with the
launch of the joint venture CSR Asia Center at AIT in March 2010. The
President said the programs carried out with CSR Asia are in line with
AIT’s strategy to broaden the skills of professionals in the
region.
“I’m excited to see how this enhanced partnership will go
beyond what we have achieved and work to articulate new knowledge and
understanding in this field,” he said.
A highlight of the renewed agreement is continued
delivery of the Professional Masters Program in CSR (PMCSR) at the CSR
Asia Center at AIT. CSR Chairman Prof. Welford is the academic
coordinator of PMCSR and adjunct faculty with AIT’s School of
Management. The program was launched in 2011 in collaboration with
SOM.
The agreement will enable the CSR Asia Center at AIT to
continue to operate, and to offer executive education, training and
capacity development for national and local governments, private
sector, NGOs and international organizations. The Center can also
continue to provide research and other consultancy services principally
aimed at companies and organizations in Southeast Asia and South
Asia.
Thanking the AIT president for his support of the
collaboration that emphasizes new ways to deliver advanced professional
and graduate level education in CSR, Prof. Welford said he was amazed
by what the partners have achieved in two years. He called the joint
venture a “great success” and added that AIT and CSR Asia have become
“the place for CSR education in Asia.”
The eight-stage modular PMCSR draws students from across
the region to Bangkok. “It is where we want to be,” Prof. Welford said.
“We are innovative and at the cutting edge in CSR thinking, training
and education.”
The MoU signing was witnessed by Dr. David Ferguson,
Assistant Professor and Acting Dean of the School of Management, AIT,
and Ms. Leena Wokeck, Director, CSR Asia Center at AIT. The signing
ceremony was also attended by Mr. Jonathan Shaw, Executive Director,
AIT Extension; Mr. Ahmed Amjad Ali, Head, External Relations and
Communications Office (ERCO); Ms. Tiamkare Thitihamtada, Senior Program
Officer, ERCO; and Ms. Clelia Daniel, Program Manager CSR Asia Center
at AIT.
