View Annual Review - IAESTE

Welcome
Dear Friends of IAESTE
Welcome to the 2005 Annual Review
which is the first to be produced
under the new Association IAESTE
Association sans but lucratif. At the
Annual Conference in Cartagena de
Indias, Colombia, in January 2005,
the former ad hoc Association was
dissolved and the new Association,
registered in Luxembourg was
established. The new Board then
elected Mr Lucien Seywert as the first
President of IAESTE A.s.b.l. Lucien, a
Senior Manager with ProfilARBED/Arcelor has been
National Secretary of IAESTE Luxembourg since 1970 and
has attended all Conferences from 1971, missing only 2 in
the intervening years. The chief architect of the founding
of IAESTE A.s.b.l. we wish him well in his new role.
In 2004, 4774 students of engineering, science and related
technical disciplines availed themselves of this unique
opportunity to not only gain relevant work experience
abroad as part of their degree course, but also to broaden
their horizons, make new friends, experience a different
culture and hopefully become better people for it.
Without the support of the 3636 Companies and 1174
Academic Institutions these students would not have
benefited from their IAESTE experience. On behalf of all
Members and Co-operating Institutions may I thank you
most sincerely for providing these placements and trust
that you will continue to do so in the future.
In June 2004 our first Central American Co-operating
Institution was admitted to IAESTE, the Technological
University of Panama, while in January 2005 at the Annual
Conference in Colombia 3 further Co-operating Institutions
were accepted, Uni-Group, Bulgaria, Trust Communication
and Training Institute, The Gambia and Palestine
Polytechnic University, West Bank. We welcome them all to
IAESTE and wish them much success in the Association.
This year I have included articles on Recipients of the
IAESTE International Award – the highest honour the
Association can pay to an individual or employer in
recognition of the outstanding service they have given in
helping to promote international professional training and
good will throughout the world. We congratulate and
thank them for their dedication to our Association over the
years.
Finally I would like to thank all the contributors to the
Annual Review 2005. To all Members and Co-operating
Institutions may I thank and encourage you all in the
rewarding and worthwhile work we all are involved in – the
exchange of students for technical experience all over the
world.
Pauline Ferguson
General Secretary
Congratulations!
IAESTE took a big step forward in
order to meet the new challenges of
a globalising world.
On 27 January 2005 at Cartagena
de Indias in Colombia, 55 Founding
Members from all continents
moved the ad hoc Association into
a legal body.
In 1948 from an informal meeting
of ten philanthropic idealists of the
educational board, each from a different European nation,
the newly created IAESTE A.s.b.l. - now a non-profit making
Association registered in Luxembourg - is implementing the
goals of their original founders in a more liable and
professional manner:
- providing practical and scientific/technical experience to
engineering and science students
- promoting mutual understanding between foreign
countries
Moving on this new track IAESTE is not only reinforcing its
means to expand its basic ideal of bilateral student training
exchange between National Committees. New tiers, new
ways may and will have to be addressed in order to cope
with the requirements of the 21st century. New academic
and professional/industrial needs and expectations under
changing political and environmental conditions are
provoking IAESTE to develop its activities.
In its constituent meeting the Founding members of
IAESTE decided to keep continuity by electing 8 more
countries as Associate Members and to operate the
exchange with a further 22 Co-operating Institutions.
The new Association does not only depend on its Board -
which obviously is in charge of developing and realising
the statuary missions and aims - but has to rely fully on the
involvement of its Members: the National Committees.
Whilst congratulating them all for the decision to
strengthen the network of IAESTE, I, as the first President of
IAESTE A.s.b.l. have to appeal to them all to boost their
involvement.
Lucien Seywert
President
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