AIT President’s Message 

(December 1, 2014)

Campus Rebuilding and Upgrade Overview

Dear Colleagues

I write this email to inform you about the overall status of our campus rebuilding and upgrade.

After the flood inundation of the campus on 21 October 2011, the AIT President then set up an "AIT Campus Rebuilding and Upgrade Committee (ARUC)" to manage the rebuilding and upgrading of the campus. AIT has received a lump-sum compensation of 440.32 million Baht out of the insurance value of around 1,300 million Baht. The amount was broken into 2 parts, one (307.72 Mil. Bt.) for quick restoration of campus to resume the campus academic life, and the other (132.60 Mil. Bt.) reserved for long-term upgrading of the campus.

ARUC then requested the submission of all units to confirm its list of repairs and equipment acquisition. The final allocations of budgets were made by ARUC with the following priority: (1) Academic Buildings; (2) Restoration of IT and Physical Infrastructure to resume campus life; (3) Basic Laboratory Equipment; and (4) Dormitories. Finally, ARUC allocated 307.72 million Baht for the first phase. All acquisitions of contractors and equipment were handled by AIT’s Purchasing Office, following AIT Procedures and Policies Statements. Some were done by Sodexo as special projects and the rest by outside contractors. The actual spending, already incurred and about to be made under commitment, is 298.84 million Baht as of 31 October 2014. So there is a residual balance of 8.88 million Baht from the first phase.

Out of 440.32 million Baht, 132.60 million Baht was reserved in the second phase for replacement of the 40-year-old infrastructure backbone, including the air-conditioning system, the electrical system, and the water supply system.  After the flood, although these time-worn systems were restored under patch work repairs to quickly resume the campus life, the campus still suffers intermittent power shut downs, low water pressure on the upper floors due to leaks of underground rusty water pipes, and uncomfortable class rooms due to the continued failing of the very old air-conditioning system. The situation is unfit or unsuitable for a reputed international academic institute like AIT, and the replacement with more advanced and efficient systems is almost a pre-requisite. A company own by our alumni, the Panya Consultants, has kindly offered a free service to make a preliminary survey of the current condition of our infrastructure back-bone, for which the cost of renovation has been estimated.

In addition to the infrastructure, the quality of library represents the heart of post-graduate institutes. After the flood, the library was originally allocated 10 million Baht from ARUC for the repair of its ground floor. The repair could have been carried out rather straightforwardly if one wished to keep the library in the same form and format. However today, the way library users (faculty, researchers and students) access, process, and use information is totally different from that of 40 years ago when the present AIT library was designed and built. Libraries are no longer just places to check out a book or to do homework; they are meeting places, media centers, digital repositories, and wonders of modern architecture and design. Thus, it is a good opportunity for the AIT library to be modernized to better meet the needs of the students and faculty who use them, adding amazing services and technology and creating spaces for students to study and meet. The budget required to modernize the library is 54.05 million Baht.

Thus, in the second phase, the estimated cost for the infrastructure renovation and library modernization combines to a total of 179.30 million Baht. With the allocated budget of 132.60 million Baht plus the first-phase residual of 8.9 million Baht, there is a shortage of 179.30 – 132.60 – 8.88 = 37.82 million Baht, which shall be raised by the library fundraising campaign. All faculty and staff will have the opportunity to contribute for the betterment of our beloved campus. I will later invite all of you to make contribution. The amount may not matter as much as your participation.

Any advice to make our campus a better place to work is welcomed by all.

 

With regards,

Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai

President

Campus Notes

 

Announcements from OFAM

Investment Scheme for AIT Faculty and Staff on Renovation of Flood Affected Units

According to the recent AIT Rebuilding and Upgrading Committee (ARUC) meeting, the panel decided to invite AIT Faculty and Staff who interest to invest in renovation of flood affected accommodation units.  An incentive of 5% per year Return on Investment will be granted upon the alternatives below:

1.      One time after 2 years of investment.

2.      One time after completion of return period (based on rental rate of each unit).

3.      Monthly basis until completion of return period (based on rental rate of each unit).

Please see the table below of available units for investment.  For further information or arrangements, please contact Ms. Elizabeth at bethc@ait.asia or call telephone extension 6323.

 

Call Center Services Holidays

Please be informed that OFAM Call Center will be closed on the following dates:

 

1.      Constitution Day: Wednesday December 10, 2014

2.      Christmas Day: Thursday December 25, 2014

3.      New Year Eve: Wednesday December 31, 2014

4.      New Year Day: Thursday January 01, 2015

 

Rearrangement of Call Center Services

 

Please be informed that from December 01, 2014, the Telephone Call Service schedule at Call Center by OFAM will be rearranged as follows:

Time:   0800 – 1700 hrs.

Day:     Monday to Sunday (7 days per week)

Effective Date:  December 01, 2014 

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Let’s join “United AIT, Towards the Future” Year-End Party on Friday, December 19

 

AIT’s Year-End Party under the theme, "United AIT, Towards the Future" for all AIT employees (faculty and staff members) will be held on Friday, 19 December 2014, starting from 8 a.m. at the area beside the Administration Building.

 

During the celebration, all AIT employees will be separated into 4 teams representing 4 colors to play various kinds of games (Tug-of-war, Musical Chairs, Hula Your Way, Centipede Run, and Balloon Stomp) at the football field behind the Administration Building.

 

In addition, we will have a Cheerleader Contest. To win the prize, each Cheerleader Team is required to have creativity of clothes and performance.

 

Tentative program:

 

17 – 18 December - T-shirt collection at the Human Resources Office

 

19 December

8:00 a.m.     - All AIT employees gather in the small football field

11:00 a.m.    - Registration for the raffle draws and lunch 

12:00          - Lunch

 

Lucky draw and awarding of prizes will be given during lunch. 

 

So come one come all, let us all join hands and cheer one another, for on this day fun and surprises will be on your way!  

 

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Events

 

Workshop on “Towards Sustainable Water and Environmental Management: Role of International Community and Higher Learning Institutes”

AIT and UNESCO-IHE will be jointly hosting a workshop entitled “Towards Sustainable Water and Environmental Management: Role of International Community and Higher Learning Institutes”, which will be held on 9 December 2014 from 09:00 am – 18:00 pm at AIT Conference Center (AITCC).

 

Winter School on “Sustainable Consumption and Production in Asia and the Pacific”

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partners, United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), is organizing a 2-week winter holidays school program on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) from 7-20 December 2014.

Program link: http://www.switch-asia.eu/events/un-winter-school-on-scp/

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Faculty and Staff Travel

 

Dr. Muhammad Abu Yusuf / Dhaka, Bangladesh / 29 Nov – 6 Dec 2014*

Dr. Masahiko Nagai / Tokyo, Japan / 24 – 28 Nov 2014*

Dr. Adisorn Lertsinsrubtavee, Mr. Preechai Mekbungwong and Mr. Nunthapat Weshsuwannarugs / Chiang Mai, Thailand / 25 – 30 Nov 2014*

Ms. Sweet Mae Monteclaro / Chiang Mai, Thailand / 25 – 30 Nov 2014*

Ms. Nisarat Tansakul / Chiang Mai, Thailand / 25 – 30 Nov 2014*

Mr. Pankaj Kumar Phukan / Yangon, Myanmar / 6 – 9 Nov 2014*

Dr. Than Lin / Mandalay, Myanmar / 6 – 10 Nov 2014*

Ms. Tripti Rajbhandari / Yangon, Myanmar / 3 – 7 Dec 2014*

Ms. Amalia S. Canullas / Yangon, Myanmar / 3 – 7 Dec 2014*

Dr. Sangam Shrestha / Samsen and Pak Kret, Thailand / 4 Dec 2014*

Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe / Colombo, Sri Lanka / 8 – 12 Dec 2014

Ms. Mahbooba Amin / Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam / 8 – 16 Dec 2014

Ms. Farah Nashid Hossain / Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam / 8 – 16 Dec 2014

Dr. Imran Ahmad / Rahwan, Pakistan / 12 – 21 Dec 2014

 

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

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Classifieds

 

Position: Faculty in the Natural Resources Management (NRM), SERD

Ref no: Fac 09/14

Deadline: 31 January 2014

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/276

 

Position: Assistant Admin. Officer (Admissions and Scholarships Unit)

Ref no: 52/14

Deadline: 10 December 2014

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/254  

 

Position: Program Officer (Planning and Outreach), SERD

Ref no: 72/14

Deadline: 12 December 2014

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/275   

 

Position: Technician (FEBT/FABS Cluster), SERD

Ref no: 70/14

Deadline: 20 December 2014

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/273   

 

Position: Career Counselor /IS Analyst (Career Center)

Ref no: 71/14

Deadline: 21 December 2014

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/274

 

Position:  Lab Supervisor (ISE) FoS, SET

Ref no:  04/14

Deadline: 31 December 2014

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/202    

 

Position: Assistant or Associate Professors, School of Management

Ref no: Fac 08/14

Deadline: 31 December 2014

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/266   

 

Position: English Language Lecturer/ Language Center

Ref no: 73/14

Deadline: 9 January 2014

http://www.hro.ait.ac.th/job/show/197