AIT Strategy 2013
AIT Strategy 2013
AIT Strategy 2013
Photo: Paitoon Tinnapong
Partnering Asia’s Future
AIT Strategy 2013
Strategy 2013 2009 - 2013 Partnering Asia’s Future
AIT Strategy 2013
Photo: Rawin Viruchpintu, AIT Student Union Photo Competition 2009
This strategic framework document has been produced using a participative and iterative process involving all AIT stakeholders. It will be revisited regularly to assess progress in the realization of its four strategic themes and to check its alignment to the changing environment.
Contents 1 President’s Message 2 About AIT 3 Vision and Mission 4 Why AIT ? 5 Research 6 Teaching and Learning 7 Institutional Knowledge for Outreach 8 Key Focus 9 Four Strategic Themes 10 Internationality as a Regional Network Institute 13 Excellence and Relevance in Education, Research and Outreach 14 > Create systems for academic program renewal and quality enhancement 15 > Strengthen institutional orientation towards the professions 16 > Embed entrepreneurial leadership in academic and management culture 17 > Enhance AIT’s focus on research
19 Positioning and Branding 20 > Manage institutional knowledge for competitive advantage 21 > Develop and implement a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy
22 Development and Resources Management
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AIT Strategy 2013
23 > Expand the resources base 24 > Develop facilities that serve strategic goals 25 > Enhance administrative effectiveness
President’s Message In 1959, a special collection of visionaries from around the globe laid the groundwork for the creation of the Asian Institute of Technology; a pioneering regional institution charged with a noble cause of uplifting the people and countries of the Asian region through capacity and institutional building initiatives, teaching and learning, research and outreach. In those days, in an era when much of Asia lagged noticeably behind the developed world, AIT stood out as a prominent force for regional progress by bringing many of the continent’s best and brightest young people together to a unique and enriching higher learning environment. Half a century later, many countries in Asia are experiencing tremendous economic development and growth. AIT is proud to have played a supporting role in this wonderful Asian success story. Today the Institute possesses a tremendous wealth of knowledge from its accumulated experiences and provides a platform for sharing best practices from Asia on higher learning in science, engineering and technology, and management that is hard to match. Indeed, AIT is a leader in Asia for its treatment of emerging issues, particularly those related to sustainable development, and the direct application of research findings to situations of concern. At the same time, the regional context has undeniably changed. Asia’s success has profoundly altered the issues of the day, and the challenges that AIT must now tackle. Economic growth is increasing pressure on the environment and the social fabric of Asian nations. In light of both the changing landscape of higher learning as well as the priorities for funding of development partners active in the region, AIT is adapting itself in the form of imaginative interactions and connections with both the public and private sectors. Ever changing scenarios oblige us to seek new forms of operations and new sources of support. In a complex world where no institution can hope to stay relevant by working alone, AIT is leveraging the depth and breadth of its numerous partnerships and is redefining itself as a “Regional Network Institute”. A new AIT Charter has been finalized recognizing these profound changes and will accord the Institute full-fledged international / intergovernmental organization status, thus enabling it to take on a much stronger and proactive regional as well as global role into the future, together with its partners. Drawing on the Institute’s rich experience, its core values, its true international nature, its capabilities in teaching and learning, research and outreach, and an analysis of emerging trends in the external environment, AIT has developed the “AIT Strategy 2013” — a robust five-year strategy for the Asian Institute of Technology to move forward from 2009 to 2013. This strategic document has been produced using a participative and iterative process involving all AIT stakeholders. Organized along four core strategic themes: “Strengthen Internationality as a Regional Network Institute”, “Excellence and Relevance in Education, Research and Outreach”, “Positioning and Branding” and “Development and Resources Management”, it will be implemented through targeted action plans which will map out in detail the actions the Institute will take, the resources that will sustain them and the indicators against which success will be measured. We intend to revisit this strategy regularly to assess progress in the realization of our goals and to check its alignment to the changing environment. Most importantly, we welcome and value feedback from you, our stakeholders, at any time and in any form you may choose. Through this exercise, AIT aims to remain a key focal point for teaching and learning, and research and outreach that contributes to the development of Asia and beyond. Our hope is to continue the work of our forward-thinking founders for the benefit of Asia and the world. We plan to further extend our role as a multicultural meeting point where all our partners and stakeholders, from the public, private, and informal sectors, from Asia and beyond, whatever their nationality, gender, religion or status, will continue to develop meaningful and productive ties of friendship and goodwill and act together for the good of people and communities.
Prof. Said Irandoust, President
AIT Strategy 2013
About AIT
The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) is a leading international academic institute advancing technology-driven initiatives for the sustainable development of Asia and beyond.
AIT enjoys an international reputation based on the proven value of its work and its dedication to applying academic knowledge and skills to address the emergent challenges of the region. It exists to elevate our partners’ understanding of global changes and their impact in Asia, and to influence and enable sustainable development for the better. AIT is comprised of the School of Engineering and Technology, the School of Environment, Resources and Development, the School of Management, more than 30 established postgraduate programs, several outreach centers, and a continuing professional development center called the AIT Extension.
AIT Strategy 2013
The Institute is home to approximately 2300 students from more than 40 countries, some 150 academics from 30 countries, 100 research staff, 500 support staff, centers in Vietnam and Indonesia, and about 250 research and outreach projects. The AIT community extends far beyond its campus, including an extensive network of partners, alumni and former faculty and staff working in a wide range of sectors within the region and around the world. As a multicultural and multinational educational hub for a global network of development partners, AIT is dedicated to the generation and transfer of knowledge, and the strengthening of capacity across borders.
Vision and Mission AIT’s vision is to be Asia’s knowledge center and thought leader in technological innovation for development to foster a vibrant, prosperous Asia that joins the world in innovative responses to the greatest challenges of the 21st century: global climate change and poverty. The past few decades of development efforts have lifted hundreds of millions of people in Asia out of poverty. However, the impact of changing climates and environmental degradation are now among the greatest threats to Asia’s long-term prosperity. AIT’s mission is to build-up intellectual capital and impart our values through our work: Teaching and learning: Train leaders to hold the highest ethical standards, to think and to act beyond national boundaries, and to use knowledge to serve society.
Research: Conduct applied research to achieve a deeper understanding of the complex interaction and interdependence of social and economic systems with natural ecosystems, to develop unconventional solutions that cut across disciplines to achieve prosperity that is socially responsible and environmentally sustainable; and to bring that knowledge into the classroom. Practice and Outreach: Work in the field with global and regional networks of partners to develop comprehensive and innovative responses to the longer term development challenges of Asia and beyond, and to connect those experiences with the classroom. Advocacy: Use innovative research, problem-based teaching and learning, and outreach to advocate for people-centered policies designed to achieve our vision for a prosperous Asia.
Core Values AIT Strategy 2013 is built upon our ways of working and core values. These are:
• Commitment to improving the life quality of people and communities in Asia;
• Commitment to quality, excellence and continuous organizational learning;
• Commitment to student-centered and client-centered orientations;
• Engagement with partners across all sectors;
• The autonomy to think differently and to challenge conventional thinking and practices;
• Responsiveness, transparency and
accountability to our stakeholders;
• Embrace of diversity and differences. Photo: AIT Student Union Photo Competition 2009
AIT Strategy 2013
Why AIT ? AIT was founded in response to the dearth of quality postgraduate engineering education in the region in the 1950s. Today, higher education and development of technological capacity are at the top of many Asian countries’ agendas, and there are numerous excellent universities and research institutes serving national needs. National universities have entered the global higher education market, and compete aggressively for students and research funds. While AIT also competes globally, it remains distinctive in its commitment and approach to sustainable development. AIT’s strengths are our:
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Internationality and unparalleled network of partners, including international organizations and official developmental aid agencies, governments, industry, and civil society. People-centered perspective on development that recognizes the diverse factors that militate
against progress towards sustainable communities, effective natural resource management, social justice, and human security.
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Multidisciplinary approach, hybrid research to address the complexities and multifaceted challenges of development.
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Integrated ways of working, combining research, teaching and learning, and outreach. AIT is the only organization in the region that is a leader in all three domains. We strive to integrate these elements, recognizing the positive synergy this interaction generates.
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Reputation and credibility lasting over five decades that provides AIT with the convening power to bring together leading players in development practice and policy and to capture the attention of a wide audience.
Bringing together Research, Teaching and Learning, and Outreach AIT aims to challenge conventional thinking and generate fresh ideas that foster new approaches to development policy and practice. Such problem-focused thinking requires a commitment to multidisciplinarity, not just within social sciences but across the spectrum of innovation, teaching and learning, and outreach. Photo: IntERLab / DUMBO
Photo: School of Engineering and Technology
Photo: School of Environment, Resources and Development
Photo: AIT Student Union Photo Competition 2009
AIT Strategy 2013
Research Research programs at AIT are organized in closely linked multidisciplinary teams. Through collaborative ways of working, we aim to establish creative partnerships in which research agendas can be driven by local perspectives. AIT is positioning itself under an Institute-wide thematic research area of Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change, focusing on:
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Exploring applications of technology that will drive poverty reduction, reduce risk, reduce consumption of resources, and create opportunities for job creation and building sustainable livelihoods.
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Technologies, policies and systems that mitigate the adverse impacts of an increasingly unstable natural environment, and enable urban and rural communities to adapt to that instability.
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Technologies and policies that contribute toward enabling countries and communities to attain energy, food and water to meet basic needs.
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How urban and rural communities can reduce their impact on the environment, while at the same time, increasing quality of life through better urban environmental management, more efficient transportation systems, greener construction practices, better management of all kinds of waste, sustainable consumption and engagement of the private sector.
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Technologies for data collection, processing, system modeling and user applications.
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Understanding and enabling the emergence of sustainable business practices, learning from traditions and recognized best practices, engagement with all stakeholders, and exploring how businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, can be created and built in order to contribute towards socially and environmentally responsible societies.
Photo: Asian Regional Research Program on Environmental Technology (ARRPET) / School of Environment, Resources and Development
AIT Strategy 2013
Teaching and Learning Photo: School of Management
Photo: School of Engineering and Technology
Photo: School of Environment, Resources and Development
Our accumulated knowledge of the region is the cornerstone of AIT’s teaching and learning, which has defined our focus on multiple perspectives and multidisciplinary enquiry. Our postgraduate degrees comprise academic (PhD) and professional doctoral programs, master’s of engineering and science, professional and executive master’s and MBAs, and a wide range of continuing professional development programs. The Institute will also work with partners in the region to implement distinctive undergraduate programs in key disciplines.
AIT will develop its capability to integrate applied learning, professional knowledge, and case study learning into a distinctive problem-oriented approach, which co-opts our networks of professional partners, and adds value to the experience that each individual student brings to the Institute.
Photo: School of Engineering and Technology
AIT Strategy 2013
Institutional Knowledge for Outreach A IT will expand its established range of activities through outreach activities carried out with development partners. An example is the regional professional bachelor’s degree in Poverty Reduction and Agricultural Management (PRAM). AIT hosts a range of innovative and highly regarded outreach centers, including the proposed Yunus Center at AIT, the ASEAN Regional Center of Excellence on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Center for Sustainable Consumption and Production, and the Asian Development Bank’s 3R Knowledge Hub (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Through these AIT mobilizes knowledge of sustanainable development best practices to support more informed decisionmaking by those in a position to influence change.
Engaging Lao PDR: The Poverty Reduction and Agricultural Management (PRAM).
Outreach to Afghanistan: AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust (below, third from right) and a delegation of AIT officials meet with
the governor of Balkh province, Afghanistan, as part of the visit to inaugurate the AIT-Balkh University Partnership Project Office located in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Through it’s partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and the World Bank, AIT supports the strategic planning and implementation of the development and reform program of higher education institutions in Afghanistan.
AIT Strategy 2013
Key Focus AIT’s new multidisciplinary research program focuses on the critical challenges facing Asia today, and builds on previous work at the Institute.
The core questions AIT addresses are:
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How can communities, organizations and individuals adapt to the effects of impacts of global warming and climate change?
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How can Asia ensure that it will meet its rapidly growing demand for energy, water and food?
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How can Asia recreate its cities as sustainable cities, while improving the quality of life?
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What part will Asian business and entrepreneurship play in the sustainable development of Asia?
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How can technology and business contribute to poverty reduction?
In addressing these questions, AIT draws on a number of qualities: Agility, regional responsiveness, neutrality. Transboundary and regional challenges will only partially be addressed by national institutions. In addressing these questions, and in the solutions we advocate, we are unconstrained by national agendas. Academic freedom. The Institute follows a demand-driven approach encouraging the pursuit of any academic methodology and the freedom to draw conclusions, within the mandate given by its stakeholders. Academic freedom is defined as the freedom to conduct research, teach, speak and publish, subject to the norms and standards of scholarly inquiry, without interference or penalty, wherever the search for truth and understanding may lead. Focus on partnership. Strong partnerships, especially with institutions with a focus on Asia, will help shape our ambition to gain maximum relevance, ensure a meaningful plurality of perspectives, link us to key audiences, and facilitate learning across organizations. Focus on capacity building. Building the capacity of development partners, such as governments and education systems, is a core practice of the Institute.
AIT Strategy 2013
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If we reduce the number of poor people in half by 2050, each day there should be thousands of people coming out of poverty Are we working it out in our classrooms? Are we playing our role as an individual? ... We have a role to play, to question things and to set things right. Technology is what AIT is all about. If you match technology with finance, it becomes extremely powerful.
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- Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus (photo above), co-winner with Grameen Bank of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, speaking at AIT’s 101 Graduation Ceremony in 2004. Professor Yunus holds an AIT Honorary Doctorate Degree.
Nurturing leaders. Responses to the challenges confronting Asia require thought leaders able to communicate with diverse stakeholders, and able to make their own ideas happen. Dynamic diversity. Our internationality extends our reach and influence. We draw inspiration from our differences – in nationality, in professional backgrounds, in beliefs, and from the networks and partnerships that we create and to which we belong.
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Strategic Themes Building on the Asian Institute Technology’s core values, its capabilities in innovative teaching and learning, research and outreach, and a thorough analysis of emerging trends in the external environment for higher learning, the Institute has developed a five-year strategic framework for 2009 to 2013. AIT Strategy 2013 is comprised of Four Strategic Themes.
1 Internationality as a Regional Network Institute 2 Excellence and Relevance in Education, Research and Outreach 3 Positioning and Branding 4 Development and Resources Management
AIT Strategy 2013
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Internationality as a Regional Network Institute Working with the United Nations:
In a video broadcast at AIT, United Nations Secretary-General H.E. Ban Kimoon extends his personal endorsement for the creation of the ASEAN Regional Center of Excellence on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the Asian Institute of Technology.
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AIT Strategy 2013
Internationality as a Regional Network Institute Real-time education across time zones: (Above) Prof. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was the co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, lectures to an AIT audience from Delhi, India via the Asia-wide online educational video conference platform Asia Pacific Initiative (API) consortium.
There are no foreign students, faculty, staff or alumni at AIT. The Institute embraces all nationalities and cultures, making every individual feel equally at home. The Institute’s multicultural student body, faculty, staff, alumni and governing board will continue to be AIT’s core strength. Overcoming the higher learning and human resource deficiencies that exist in many parts of Asia will be necessary if the region is to grow in environmentally sustainable ways in the future.
Internationality as a Regional Network Institute will be achieved through:
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Attaining legal status of an international / intergovernmental organization;
As the region’s premier network institute, AIT contributes to this work by enhancing opportunities for local development partners to scale-up their knowledge, to analyze needs and to set priorities that bring educational and developmental stakeholders into regional and global agendas.
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Establishing networks of academic and development partners;
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Being more actively involved in regional and international associations;
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Increasing regional and international organizations hosted at AIT;
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Increasing the diversity of student, faculty and staff bodies by recruiting more from regions that have not been traditionally represented at AIT, such as the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa;
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Utilizing AIT’s diversity as an institutional strength;
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Increasing interaction among the nationalities represented within the AIT community.
AIT has direct connection to local and national institutions in most countries in Asia and beyond, and through its extensive regional alliances and networks is able to facilitate regional sustainable policy dialogues and course these to global levels. Through its increased collaboration with national institutions and developmental agencies, as well as its partnerships with the public and private sectors, the Institute will provide a pan-Asia bridge linking stakeholders to the latest education, research and best practices for sustainable progress and development.
AIT Strategy 2013
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Photo: AIT Student Union Photo Competition 2009
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AIT Strategy 2013
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Excellence and Relevance in Education, Research and Outreach
Photo: School of Environment, Resources and Development
Photo: Paitoon Tinnapong
Photo: AIT Student Union Photo Competition 2009
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Create systems for academic program renewal and quality enhancement
Excellence in teaching and learning will continue to be the foundation of the Institute. AIT has an opportunity to better integrate into its curricula the experiences and results of its research, development and outreach initiatives. This cross-fertilization will be a source of program quality development and renewal. AIT will aim to develop a distinctive approach to teaching and learning, focused on case learning, problem-based learning, and drawing on its knowledge of technological change and sustainable development in the region. AIT will develop adaptive organizational structures that enable academic fluidity and allow students to attain diverse personal learning goals. The Institute will foster an academic culture that emphasizes critical thinking that is dedicated to excellence, disciplinary competence, teamwork, effective communication and a commitment to mission. The integration of gender issues into our curricula, research and outreach activities is a matter of quality, increased relevance and applicability. Taking stock of ongoing initiatives in other parts of the world such as the Bologna Process, AIT will further harmonize its academic structures for better academic interaction and easier credit transfer with other universities. AIT’s involvement in these international processes will stimulate its quality enhancement focus. The Institute will continue to advance the application of newly emerging knowledge to the region and other parts of the developing world, particularly Africa. To extend its reach, AIT will work with partners to launch innovative degree program structures such as its five-year unified bachelor’s-master’s degree programs. By modularizing continuing professional development courses, professionals will be able to accumulate credits by enrolling in short courses. AIT will take full advantage of its position as a regional pioneer in the development and application of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning to create flexible delivery mechanisms for its programs, to develop more efficient learning methodologies, to extend its reach, and to facilitate networking with partner institutions.
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AIT Strategy 2013
Creating systems for academic program renewal and quality enhancement will be achieved through:
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Implementing structures and technologies such as ICTs that enable agility and flexibility in academic programs, including modularization;
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Establishing new multidisciplinary programs with better integration of social sciences;
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Developing Quality Assessment (QA) mechanisms and securing accreditation for all academic programs;
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Investing in our capability to develop case studies for teaching and learning;
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Utilizing the unique features of AIT in developing its signature approach to teaching and learning;
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Establishing a Center for Learning Innovation and Quality to lead curriculum innovation;
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Becoming a reference and accreditation body for partners in the region;
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Introducing other innovative academic programs such as unified bachelor’s - master’s programs and unified master’s - doctoral programs with partner institutions;
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Developing various models for engagement in undergraduate programs that build on AIT’s strengths and institutional networks.
Strengthen institutional orientation towards the professions
The coming years will see a sustainability revolution that will alter much of humankind’s thoughts and actions. This transformation will have a profound effect on many of today’s existing professions. By creating a new generation of professionals equipped with highly entrepreneurial and technological approaches for addressing sustainable development and climate change issues, and critical challenges such as food, water and energy security, AIT will play a leading role in facilitating this change in Asia. Our professional orientation will include integration of scientific knowledge and experience-based knowledge from the professions, research questions generated from practical application, and encouragement to solve multidisciplinary problems. Some important considerations include recognizing the validity of vocational experience-based knowledge, engaging professions in partnership, emphasizing the criterion of relevance, forming strategic alliances, implementing new models of master’s and doctoral studies, and implementing an appropriate organizational structure. Continuing professional education is an essential element of positioning AIT as an institute with strong professional orientation. The necessary interactions are multi-directional. Professionals come to AIT for short course training and for executive degree programs as part of their continuing professional development. Similarly, experienced practicing professionals contribute to degree-program lectures and to short course training, and through their organizations provide opportunities for study visits, case studies and internships. Our faculty continue learning about professional practices from interactions with experienced professionals attending short courses. Close ties with the public and private sectors, and international and nongovernmental organizations will be a central feature of every academic program at AIT. Internships will form an integral part of every program, as will adjunct faculty from the public and private sectors who will bring real-world perspectives into classrooms. AIT will continue to focus its
Strengthening institutional orientation towards the professions will be achieved through:
• Developing partnerships with both the public and private sectors;
• Creating mechanisms that facilitate
knowledge and exchange with professions;
• Increasing the number of adjunct faculty members from various professions;
• Increasing the number of executive and
flexible programs, and professional master’s and doctoral programs;
• Increasing linkages between degree
programs and continuing short courses and executive programs;
• Working with professions on long-term
models of sustainability, including taking advantage of workforce diversity;
• Tracking the employability of graduates
as a basis for the further development of AIT programs;
• Further strengthening the AIT Career Center’s services for students and alumni, including internship and placement opportunities in international companies and workplaces;
• Building strategic partnerships with major employers.
offerings for their relevance to prospective students, the changing workplace, and the requirements of professions, rather than be oriented to traditional disciplines. The Institute will pursue Triple Helixtype partnerships between academia, government, and industry by focusing on the needs of the region and our stakeholders.
AIT Strategy 2013
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Embed entrepreneurial leadership in academic and management culture
Successfully competing in the global economy requires the capability to innovate and take calculated risks. To sustain economic development and provide quality jobs for the next generation, Asian economies will need to provide better conditions for new technology business creation. AIT must motivate and support new entrepreneurs and leaders who can capitalize on the opportunities of new technologies and who can reinvent the way Asian firms develop new products and services, go to market, connect with customers, collaborate with their suppliers and share knowledge. Entrepreneurs and leaders prefer learning experiences that are short, to the point, contentoriented and taught by practicing professionals. While classroom-based knowledge input is a vital component of learning, traditional, didactic methods of teaching and learning alone are insufficient. Entrepreneurship and leadership education should provide opportunities for students to experience entrepreneurship and leadership first-hand by working alongside practicing entrepreneurs and leaders. AIT has an established record in entrepreneurship and leadership education. The High-tech Business Incubation Program-in collaboration with Thailand’s National Electronics and Computer Technology Center and Thailand Science Park-was designed and managed by School of Management faculty and is in its fourth year. This program has supported the startup and/or expansion of twenty new high-tech firms with a combined investment of about USD 1 million and more than 200 employees. AIT will become an entrepreneurial institute that fosters interaction and networking and embeds entrepreneurship and leadership into its academic and management culture. The entrepreneurship and leadership program will serve as an incubator for ideas with practical value. The coverage will be expanded to other technologies capable of reducing poverty, sustaining the environment, mitigating disasters and creating value for the world. AIT will serve as a regional center of learning that can be replicated in other countries in the region in order to accelerate the pace of development.
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AIT Strategy 2013
Embedding entrepreneurial leadership in academic and management culture will be achieved through:
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Tailoring entrepreneurial and leadership education to local needs and marrying the concepts of Asian entrepreneurship and leadership to those of other regions;
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Integrating the concept of responsible entrepreneurial leadership and entrepreneurial business practices across the Institute’s activities;
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Taking a more proactive stance regarding intellectual property rights;
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Encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship through active technology transfer;
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Enabling commercialization of knowledge-based business ideas;
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Establishing an AIT licensing office and “pre-incubator” as an umbrella under which potential entrepreneurs can test their ideas in the market;
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Establishing a venture capital fund.
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AIT has an established record in entrepreneurship and leadership education.
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Enhance AIT’s focus on research
AIT has been engaged in research with a focus on sustainable development for decades. The climate change issues currently impacting the region are in many ways sustainable development issues and require the involvement of many disciplines. Leveraging its multidisciplinary approaches and applied research experience, and the networks it has built at local, national and regional levels, AIT will devise and conduct an applied research agenda for climate change adaptation and mitigation in the region. The sheer complexity of the challenge requires an approach that weds engineering and technology with management practices, together with environmental, economic, ecological, social, gender and cultural dimensions. With its record of integrating specific fields of expertise and mobilizing resources into areas such as renewable energy, low-cost environmental technologies, cleaner production, and integrated water resources management, and by making selective investments and strategically building partnerships, the Institute will make sustainable development and climate change the core focus of its research activities.
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AIT will devise and conduct an applied research agenda for climate change adaptation and mitigation in the region.
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Enhancing AIT’s focus on research will be achieved through:
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Developing an Institute-wide thematic research area of Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change, with a critical mass of researchers;
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Transforming organizational structures to enable multidisciplinary collaboration;
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Enhancing outreach efforts for AIT’s research to benefit communities;
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Realigning budgetary priorities to enable investment in research infrastructure;
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Devising a human resource development policy supporting research leadership;
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Developing strategies for increased research collaboration with the private sector;
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Creating an opportunity tracking system for research projects;
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Creating structures and a culture that attract research partnerships and joint research platforms;
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Creating dedicated regional centers for technology and policy research on key thematic areas;
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Marketing our research expertise and services through establishing a Consultancy Services Unit and other means;
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Becoming a designated operational entity for validation and verification of Clean Development Mechanism projects.
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Photo: AIT Student Union Photo Competition 2009
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AIT Strategy 2013
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Positioning and Branding
Photo: AIT Student Union Photo Competition 2009
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Manage institutional knowledge for competitive advantage
The Asian Institute of Technology creates knowledge and develops human capital for sustainable economic growth and development across Asia. Complementing the academic offerings and research and outreach activities of national institutions located around Asia is integral to AIT’s mission. This role becomes more pronounced as the pace of technological change accelerates, placing a premium on knowledge and its local application within the context of national development strategies. AIT will develop its capability as a regional knowledge hub of innovation for sustainable development.
Photo: Udayan Mishra, Student Union Photo Competition 2009
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AIT Strategy 2013
Managing institutional knowledge for competitive advantage will be achieved through:
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Making explicit “the AIT way of doing things”; Developing systems for validating, structuring, documenting and communicating institutional knowledge, know-how, innovations, best practices, and wisdom; Institutionalizing case study methodology; Synthesizing results developed elsewhere and contextualizing these to local realities.
Develop and implement a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy
Communication is central to everything we do and to the success of the Institute. How we communicate – to internal community members, various forms of media, to partners, to stakeholders, or to prospective students – needs to be constantly adapted and improved. Developing and implementing a comprehensive communications strategy covering internal communications, overall media penetration, and marketing and promotions, will be a major strategic priority for AIT in the coming five years.
Developing and implementing a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy will be achieved through:
• Increasing awareness of AIT’s work among key audiences by branding AIT with comprehensive positioning statements and strategic messages, in line with Strategy 2013;
• Devising marketing strategies aligned to
changing target markets and audiences that are based on market intelligence and analyses;
• Recruiting leading media in key countries as communications partners;
• Utilizing new media and internet
technologies to communicate AIT messages;
• Enabling efficient flow of information within and beyond AIT;
• Training Institute employees on the importance of the AIT brand;
• Establishing and creating dedicated
information and knowledge dissemination centers.
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Development and Resources Management
AIT Alumni Association (AITAA) Board members with AITAA President Mr. Somprasong Boonyachai (center).
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AIT Strategy 2013
Expand the resources base
Major challenges lie ahead for AIT in ensuring its long-term financial stability. Development agencies are increasingly looking to Asian governments to drive regional and national development agendas. Donors contribute to the national development strategies formulated by developing countries by agreeing to co-finance components of these strategies. This trend is also reflected in changes in the donors and funding partners of AIT over the years. This has led to the emergence of several Asian countries as strong contributors to AIT. A successful institution of higher learning must be able to attract top students, international faculty and staff, and have world-class laboratories and facilities. It is important for AIT to find additional sources of revenue, complementing the revenue stream from teaching by putting more effort towards revenue generation through new and innovative programs, and research and services such as training activities and consultancy. In addition to more diversified revenue generation, the Institute needs to develop a culture of fund-raising at all levels of its wide-range of activities. There is also a need for establishing an Institute-owned endowment fund for the long-term financial sustainability of AIT. AIT’s lack of clearly identifiable owners leads to difficulties in defining the duties and responsibilities normally associated with the concept of ownership. As a fundamental step towards addressing the lack of ownership, our renewed AIT Charter has reaffirmed the Institute’s internationality and provides the legal basis for the governance and ownership of the Institute. Under the new AIT Charter, partner countries and international organizations which are part of its new governance will be expected to take on a more proactive role in the further development of the Institute. AIT can also utilize its international / intergovernmental organization status to enhance its resource mobilization efforts.
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A successful institution of higher learning must be able to attract top students, international faculty and staff, and have world-class laboratories and facilities.
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Expanding the resources base will be achieved through:
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Capitalizing on its international / intergovernmental status under a new AIT Charter for mobilizing support from its partner countries and international organizations;
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Establishing an internationally competitive resource mobilization function geared to researching new funding opportunities and proposal writing;
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Developing high margin programs in line with AIT’s mission to provide seed funds for new initiatives;
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Implementing a comprehensive fundraising strategy;
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Establishing an endowment fund;
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Significantly increasing non-tuition revenue;
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Strengthening alumni networks and mechanisms for enabling alumni to engage in the Institute’s development.
Alumni
Mr. Sumate Tanthuwanit (above) exemplifies the success experienced by many of AIT’s more than 16,000 alumni. A master’s degree graduate of sytems engineering (1972), he is a 35-year shipping industry veteran who formed his own container company and took it public in 1988. He is the first Thai-national inducted into Lloyd’s List Maritime Asia Hall of Fame.
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Develop facilities that serve strategic goals
The original master plan for AIT’s campus provided a blueprint for the development of a flood-prone greenfield site on the outskirts of Bangkok, with the Institute forming the core of a new university city. With the subsequent establishment of the Thailand Science Park, and the rapid development of adjacent Thammasat University, the area has since evolved to become a true knowledge center hub for Thailand and the region. This has presented opportunities for AIT. Rather than being an isolated island in the region, AIT is now at the center of a rich archipelago of knowledge-producing institutions. AIT seeks to build on its capital resources in ways that fully serve its strategic themes. Modern physical facilities that provide an inviting environment for work and scholarship are a key factor in attracting outstanding faculty, staff, and students. A new campus plan will provide a comprehensive blueprint for the Institute’s stewardship of this valuable land during the next twenty-five years. This will convey a strong signal of institutional purpose to our partners and neighbors, and to our host the Royal Thai Government. It will also guide the Institute in its efforts to become a leader in environmental good governance and best practices. The plan will provide a comprehensive framework for investment by corporate and municipal partners, alumni and alumni chapters and associations. Satellite centers in a number of partner countries will enable AIT to work more closely with governments and agencies in those countries, enabling AIT to address in-country development needs efficiently and effectively, and will provide loci for catalyzing multi-country program development.
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Developing facilities that serve strategic goals will be achieved through:
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Revising the campus development plan in line with changing needs;
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Establishing an AIT Property Fund;
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Providing a friendly environment for physically-challenged individuals;
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Ensuring that AIT’s campus and satellite centers model best practices in sustainable development;
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Building state-of-the-art laboratories in key areas;
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Integrating the needs of laboratories and facilities in funding proposals for sponsored research projects;
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Utilizing the facilities of partner institutions;
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Developing new satellite centers.
Enhance administrative effectiveness
In order to effectively facilitate our core functions of teaching and learning, research and outreach, the AIT administration will streamline its work, emphasizing the delegation of authority and accountability to achieve enhanced transparency of operation and a service-oriented approach at lowest cost. In streamlining and restructuring the administration, the competitiveness of the Institute will be maintained and further strengthened.
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Implementing Responsibility Center Management and Results Based Management.
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Enhancing administrative effectiveness will be achieved through:
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Building management structures based on the principles of operational effectiveness, transparency and accountability;
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Placing high priority on serving the needs of students;
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Implementing Responsibility Center Management and Results Based Management;
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Strategies and incentives for achieving a better gender balance among students, faculty and staff, at all levels;
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Empowering individual decision-makers by fully devolving authority to units and making them accountable;
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Strengthening the human resources function for strategic recruitment and professional development;
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Improving financial management and practices, including planning and budgeting processes at all levels;
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Outsourcing non-core functions when clear benefits can be identified.
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Based on this document, and the strategic themes it highlights, implementation will be achieved through action plans which will be developed collaboratively by relevant AIT units. These will include precise targets and performance indicators against which progress will be measured. Resources needed for implementation of the outlined goals will be drawn internally. Additionally needed resources will be raised through partnerships with various stakeholders.
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Photo: School of Environment, Resources and Development
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Š AIT 2009. All rights reserved This publication is available in electronic form at www.ait.asia P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand Tel: +66 (0)2 516-0110-44 Fax: +66 (0)2 516-2126 / 516-1418 E-mail: erco@ait.asia 28
AIT Strategy 2013
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Photo: Kamon Ruengdet, AIT Student Union Photo Competition 2009
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AIT Strategy 2013