90th Graduation Ceremony

AIT awards degrees to 208 graduates and confers Honorary Degree on
H. E. Abdurrahman Wahid, President of the Republic of Indonesia

At the 90th graduation ceremony on 15 December, AIT
conferred the Honorary Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy on H.E. Abdurrahman Wahid, President of
the Republic of Indonesia, and awarded degrees to 208 graduates from
20 countries in Asia and other regions.
The AIT Honorary Degree was awarded in recognition of President Wahid's commitment, as a public
figure and a respected scholar, to the systematic and sustained development
of higher education in Indonesia. The degree was conferred by Prof. Jean-
Louis Armand, AIT President.

The 90th graduation brought the total number of AIT alumni to over 10,600 since
the first graduation in 1961.

President Wahid has always been a strong advocate of a democratic system
of education. As leader of the world's third most populous country, President
Wahid upholds education as the single most important basis for nation building
and for character formation. In his earlier years as one of Indonesia's foremost
educators, President Wahid promoted an innovative approach to improve
education, including its distribution, through community development projects
based at the pesantren or traditional Muslim school.

President Wahid received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership
in 1989.

AIT President, Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, and Prof. Mario T. Tabucanon, Provost, are seen welcoming H.E. Dr. Abdurrahman Wahid, President of the Republic of Indonesia.