www.ait.ac.th
JUNE 2019
Asian Institute of Technology
JUNE 2019
4 LESSONS FOR GRADUATES FROM DISTINGUISHED 60TH ANNIVERSARY GRADUATION SPEAKER Be ready when an opportunity presents itself. Take calculated risks, especially when you are still young. Know thyself and have a vision. Finally, be a leader, not a follower. These four lessons were offered by Prof. Tony F. Chan, President of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, at the 131st graduation of AIT held on 17 May 2019. Offering lessons based on his personal experiences, when he, as a student opted for the newly emerging field of computer sciences, Prof Chan quoted the example of Jeff Bezos who left a lucrative Wall Street job to start Amazon. Prof. Chan highlighted four significant changes in the operating environment of universities: globalization, changing expectations, technological disruption, and the emergence of innovation and entrepreneurship. Universities will have to chart their own individual course in order to respond to these challenges, Prof. Chan said, as
he enumerated four possible ways of responding: devising a global and international strategy, creating a balance between its long-term mission of creating knowledge and short-term societal expectations, encouraging technology and knowledge transfer, and creating an environment conducive to innovation and nurturing talent. “The case in point for AIT, in particular, is that Thailand and much of Southeast Asia are on China’s Belt and Road. How will it leverage this initiative?” Prof. Chan remarked. Congratulating graduates, President Dr. Eden Y. Woon stated that the motto of the Institute’s sixtieth-anniversary is “Transforming AIT.” Exhorting students to embark on a path of lifelong learning and transformation, Dr. Woon stated that “any living organization or human being must transform or face irrelevance. In the same way, you have to constantly learn and transform yourselves,” just as AIT realized that if you do not continuously renew yourself, you will soon become irrelevant, Dr. Woon said.
I NS I DE I S S UE . . . Graduation................................................................................2 Recent News / Happenings at AIT............................................3 Global Engagements................................................................4 Seminars/Workshops/People...................................................5 Backpage.................................................................................6
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