WEEK# 50, 9 – 15 December 2019

 In this issue:

A. Announcements

B. Events 

C. Visitors

D. Faculty and Staff Travel 

E. Classified (jobs)

 

A. Announcements

(i) OPEN INVITATION: AIT-Japan Cooperation 50th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony on 9 December 2019, featuring Dr. Chiaki Mukai, the first female astronaut in Asia from Japan

Email from Office of International Affairs (21 Nov. 2019)

Dear faculty, staff and students,

This year the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the Government of Japan mark 50 years of cooperation! To commemorate our half century of partnership, we are pleased to invite you to attend the AIT–Japan 50th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony scheduled on Monday, 9 December 2019 from 10:00 hrs to 12:00 hrs at the Robert B. Banks Auditorium, AIT Conference Center.

The detailed program (also enclosed) is provided below:

10:00 - 10:10 Welcome Speech:  Dr. Eden Y. Woon, President of AIT
10:10 - 10:20 Welcome Speech:  Mr. Shiro Sadoshima, Japanese Ambassador to Thailand
10:20 - 10:30 Congratulations by Japanese Alumni:  Mr. Masahiro Imbe, AITAA Japan Chapter
10:30 - 10:50 Special Remarks:  Dr. Chiaki Mukai, Vice President of the Tokyo University of Science and the first female astronaut in Asia, “21st Century Education: Pursuing Diversity”
10:50 – 11:30 On stage dialogue and photo with selected AIT students
11:30 - 11:45 MoU Signing Ceremony
11:45 - 12:00 Presentation: Mr. Sohsuke Nishimura, Kurita Water and Environment Foundation, “Kurita Scholarships: Contribution to the development of new technologies of water conservation and environmental protection”
Please kindly register in the below link to confirm your participation.

https://forms.gle/FQMfHqqBpiqpFsP9A

The registration is open until Monday, 2 December 2019.

(ii) AIT Newsletter: December 2019
Email from Office of Public Affairs (2 December 2019)

The December 2019 edition of the AIT newsletter begins with a story on the inauguration of the AIT Belt & Road Centre. We are also happy to announce the holding of the First Inaugural Distinguished Entrepreneur Talk. The newsletter tries to encapsulate the 60th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign, and we thank all donors who have contributed so far. Plus our regular features on Seminars and Conferences, Global Engagements, and Partnerships and Agreements.

The PDF and EPUB (iOS/Android) editions are attached with this email. MOBI (Kindle/Ereaders) edition can be downloaded from the link below.

Download Links:

Happy Reading

(iii) Broadcast of the 132nd Graduation Ceremony
Email from AIT Helpdesk (6 Dec. 2019)

The 132nd Graduation Ceremony will be live broadcasted on Internet on 13 December 2019, starting from 10:00 hrs. from the following URL:
https://apps.ait.ac.th/graduation/live/

Happy viewing

(iv) Gentle Reminder: December 31, 2019 closing announcement

Email from Finance Office (6 Dec. 2019)

To ensure that there will be no overlapping of transactions between 2019 and 2020, please strictly follow these guidelines:
 
1) 2019 Payments cut off
● All “approved” 2019 Payment Requests/ Cash Payment Summary with attached supplier invoices/receipts (dated within 2019) should be received by Finance Office by 24th December 2019.
● Please avoid any delay in submission of the above documents since Finance has deadline to close the annual account. Delay in submission means your request for payment will not be able to charge to 2019 budget.
2) Payroll 
● Overtime cut off is 13th December.
● Actual overtime up to the cut-off date plus estimation of overtime for the remaining weeks up to 31st December 2019 must reach Finance Office by 13th of December 2019 for reserving in 2019 account.
● Failure to submit estimated overtime within the deadline means there will be no budget to pay the overtime.
● All completed documents for reimbursement/refund through salary should reach Finance before 13 December; if not, it will be paid together with January’s salary.
3) Purchase Requisition (PR) and Purchase Orders (PO)
Before issuing Purchase Requisition and Purchase Order in December 2019, please check whether works/services can be delivered/completed within the year 2019 or not. If yes, Purchase Requisition must be approved before 13th December 2019 and all Purchase Orders must be approved before 19th December 2019. 

Work/service/Goods which cannot be completed/delivered by Suppliers/Contractors within 2019 will be charged to 2020 budget, even if Purchase Requisitions/Purchase Orders are issued in 2019. External Auditor will not accept to record goods /services delivered in 2020 as transactions of 2019. 

For materials/ services to be delivered in 2019, please request suppliers to submit their Suppliers’ invoices to Finance office by December 31 for recording in 2019 account. 

Note: There is a common misunderstanding that by simply placing Purchase Requisition (PR) or Purchase Order (PO) in 2019, it is sufficient to utilize the 2019 budget. 

4) Settlement of outstanding Promissory Note and RTA

Please settle your Promissory note and RTA within 24th December 2019. 

5) Invoicing Income 
● Schools/Units are requested to submit Requests pertaining to work/services performed for third parties in 2019 (e.g. fees recoverable from donors, income due from project sponsors) to Finance Office by 24th December 2019. 

6) Internal Charges
● All Units which have authority to update Internal Charges through ERP must ensure that the charges of 2019 have been completely updated by 24th December 2019. Units which do not have the authority must submit the Internal Charge Form to Finance Office by 24th December 2019.
Other issues
7) Sponsored Projects under Fund 30
Schools/Cost centers must ensure that Form E has been completely issued for all closing projects in 2019. Please also provide the list of the completed projects (both Academic and non-Academic projects) to Finance office. Khun Vandee, Administrative Staff, will contact schools/units for the list.
For further enquiries, please contact:
● Ms. Orawan Kosaipolkul, Senior Accounting Manager Ext # 6346
● Ms. Duangdao, Finance Manager Ext # 6342 (for Payment)
● Ms Pakkamol, Director, Procurement, Inventory and Assets Ext # 5029 (for Purchase Requisition and Purchase Order)

(v) Orders for AIT Academic Calendar 2020
Email from Office of Student Affairs (3 Dec. 2019)

Kindly be informed that the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) has now come up with a new design of the AIT Academic Calendar 2020 as attached. If you wish to order, please fill up the attached form and send to us through email no later than Monday, 9 December. The academic schedules for 2020 can also be accessed in the Students Website at this link. 

Kindly take note of the following corrections in the schedules:
3 January, Friday =  Accommodation  Allocation to New Students
6 January, Monday = Orientation to New Students / Enrollment
7 January, Tuesday = Classes Begin
The corrected importable file to e-calendar is also attached.
Thank you for your attention.

(vi) Important Changes on Admissions Requirements
Email from Admissions and Scholarships Office (22 November 2019)
Dear Academic Program Chairs, Department Heads, and School Deans,

Based on the recommendations of the Admissions Committee, which were approved by the AGT, the following important changes have been made in the admissions requirements:
1) No more offering of “certificate leading to Master Program” and “CAS leading to Doctoral program” to avoid confusion and possible misunderstanding with the applicant. Therefore, applicant with the low CPGA (below 2.75) to be admitted to Master program (provided the academic program agrees) with the condition to achieve minimum cPGA of 2.75 in the first two semesters. Similar conditions to be followed for Doctoral applicants but at cGPA of 3.50. 
2) Applicants for non-doctoral programs need not submit recommendation letters. For special cases, program /department can ask for the letter of recommendation for authentication;
3) Applicants applying for the full scholarships monitored by AIT are not required to submit nomination form;
4) AIT Fellowship to be termed as "AIT Partial Scholarships" in all internal documents;
5) The term “financial aid” mentioned in the online application system is removed.
6) Applications of applicants who are not able to pay the processing fees are to be processed internally, but reminded in the acknowledgement note to pay the fees. However, if still not paid, a conditional offer letter can be issued mentioning the fee (800 baht/25 US Dollar);
7) Accept good applicants with low English score and provide them an English-bridging course. If they pass, the cost of Bridging Program (BP) is to be supported by the program. The six week BP program should be arranged in June to July to target for the August Intake. The date of BP must be calendared. 

(vii) AIT official public holidays and year-end Break for the Year 2020
Director of Academic Administration (8 Oct. 2019)

In line with Institute policies, the AIT Management agreed to designate the following 13 official public holidays, and 6-day year-end break, for the year 2020.
§     1   January,     Wednesday  --  New Year's Day
§     2   January,     Thursday      --  Year-end Break
§     6   April,          Monday        --  Chakri Memorial Day
§  13   April,           Monday        --  Songkran Festival
§  14   April,           Tuesday       --  Songkran Festival
§     1   May,           Friday           --  National Labor Day
§     4   May,           Monday        --  Coronation Day
§     6   May,           Wednesday  --  Visakha Bucha Day
§     3   June,          Wednesday  --  H.M. Queen Suthida's Birthday
§  28   July,            Tuesday       --  H.M. the King's Birthday
§  12   August,       Wednesday  --  H.M. the King's Mother Birthday
§  13   October,      Tuesday       --  H.M. late King Bhumibol Memorial Day
§  23   October,      Friday           --  Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
§  7     December,  Monday        --  Birthday Anniversary of H. M. late King's Bhumibol Adulyadej (substitute for 5 December, Saturday)
§  25   December,  Friday           --  Year-end Break
§  28   December,  Monday        --  Year-end Break
§  29   December,  Tuesday       --  Year-end Break
§  30   December,  Wednesday  --  Year-end Break
§  31   December,  Thursday      --  Year-end Break
Please be guided accordingly.

(viii) Customer Satisfaction Survey of OFAM services/facilities ; giveaways to first 16 participants and 16 participants with best suggestions
The objective of this survey is to understand the need of the community and to get your feedback. Your feedback will help us to evaluate the performance of the contracted services and facilities provided by OFAM. The services provided include Technical Maintenance, Janitorial Services, Landscape Maintenance, Security Services, Cafeteria, Snack bar, AITCC, Dining, Call Center, Accommodation, Motor Pool Services, Mail Delivery Services.
Please participate in this survey and express your views on how we could improve and provide better services/facilities to the community.
To fill the survey, please click on the below link

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sbO3YxLFEdNL7lsLskX_2YvQu23cQuCtQuWd-Uz...

Kindly note that the survey can be filled using AIT email only and the closing date of the survey is 15 December 2019 (Sunday)
   
To encourage participation in this survey, we would like to announce the following giveaways to the first 16 participants and 16 other participants with your best suggestions.

For the first 16 participants*
• Two (2) AIT 60th Anniversary Umbrella @ 350B
• Two (2) AIT 60th Anniversary Tumbler@300B
• Two (2) AIT 60th Anniversary Cap@250B 
• Five (5) AIT 60th Anniversary Bag@150B  
• Five (5) AIT 60th Anniversary Coffee Mug@120B
  * The survey form should be filled in completely.
 
For the 16 participants with the most appropriate/best suggestions     
• Two (2) AIT 60th Anniversary Umbrella @ 350B
• Two (2) AIT 60th Anniversary Tumbler@300B
• Two (2) AIT 60th Anniversary Cap@250B 
• Five (5) AIT 60th Anniversary Bag@150B  
• Five (5) AIT 60th Anniversary Coffee Mug@120B

B. Events

(i) EVENTS

(a) 132nd Graduation: 13 Dec.2019

AIT will organize the 132nd Graduation Ceremony on 13 December 2019 at Robert B. Banks Auditorium, AIT Conference Center.

(iii)TRAININGS / COURSES

(a) "WINTER CAMP2019": 14 – 16 Dec. 2019
SET’s Construction, Engineering and Infrastructure Management Program will organize a "WINTER CAMP2019" Essential Skills Project Management Training for all engineers and architects who work in construction projects.
Date: 14 - 16 December 2019
Venue: Asian Institute of Technology
Please click to register here:
https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSeUTiptbMvBEaZcm…/viewform…

(b) EL course schedule for the January 2020 Semester
Email from AIT Language Center (22 Nov. 2019)

We have updated the English course timetable for the January 2020 Semester. Please see our website here: http://languages.ait.ac.th/english-writing-courses .
Students who are required to take the EL15 or EL19 must select one time from session A and one time from session B.
We are asking for your cooperation during the scheduling of courses in your program to allow room for those students required to attend EL 15 and 19 to attend these courses.

C. Visitors / MoU

• MoU signing between AIT and Tokyo University of Science / 9 December 2019 /  to have academic cooperation

D. Faculty and Staff Travel
Prof. Mukand Singh Babel / San Luis Potosi, Mexico / 26 October – 2 November 2019*
Mr. Jonathan Flores Manuel / Singapore / 4 – 6 November 2019*
Jirapas Sangsue / Dhaka, Bangladesh / 8 – 13 December 2019
Ms. Nisarat Tansakul / Bengaluru, India / 11 – 16 December 2019
Dr. Ram C. Bhujel / Siem Reap, Cambodia / 12 – 13 December 2019
Mr. Voravate Chonolasin / Phnom Penh, Cambodia / 15 – 18 December 2019
Ms. Narumon Wangnai / Phnom Penh, Cambodia / 15 – 18 December 2019
Dr. Manzul K. Hazarika / Songdo, Korea / 15 – 18 December 2019

*(Staff or faculty member travelled and returned to AIT prior to documentation received for publication)

E. Classifieds (Jobs)

Position: Software Developer (IntERLab)
Ref. No. 57/19
Deadline: 15 December 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/633

Position: IT HelpDesk Officer (IntERLab)
Ref. No. 58/19
Deadline: 15 December 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/632

Position: Post-doctoral Research Fellow / Research Associate (School Of Environment Resources and Development)
Ref. No. 49/19
Deadline: 15 December 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/628

Position: Post-doctoral Research Fellow / Research Associate (School of Environment Resources and Development)
Ref. No. 56/19
Deadline: 15 December 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/629

Project Officer (School Of Environment Resources and Development)
Ref. No. 50/19
Deadline: 15 December 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/630

Position: Administrative Staff (IntERLab)
Ref. No. 47/19
Deadline: 20 December 2019
http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/631