Dr. Pitigala-arachchi appointed as SLIIT Deputy Vice Chancellor Int’l
SLIIT has appointed Dr. Athula Pitigala-arachchi, as the institute’s Deputy Vice Chancellor International.
Dr. Pitigala-arachchi, who was CEO of the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT) from 2004 to 2020, is a highly accomplished individual with a notable career in education.
“As SLIIT has rapid expansion plans for the coming year, we are fortunate to have experienced people in the higher education sector joining our institute. This is an endorsement of our potential to grow this industry in the right direction.
“In this post-lockdown environment in Sri Lanka, this sector is at crossroads and we believe this is an opportune time to expand our offerings so that students here and in the region will see Sri Lanka as a hub for higher education,” said SLIIT Vice Chancellor Professor Lalith Gamage.
An alumnus of the University of Peradeniya, the newly-appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor holds a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Bristol, UK and BDS (Hons) degree from the University of Peradeniya.
He has had advanced training in research and other facets of higher education in the UK, Netherlands and USA. He has participated in numerous international conferences on higher education,
gaining a deep understanding of the global trends.
His experience in higher education is vast with years spent in teaching, research and academic leadership. He has an interest to promote internationalisation of the higher education system in Sri Lanka.
Dr. Pitigala-arachchi served the University of Peradeniya for many years as a senior academic and administrator. He served the university as Deputy Vice Chancellor for four years, before joining APIIT, where he held the position of CEO for the past 16 years.
Dr. Pitigala-arachchi played a key role i n strengthening and restructuring APIIT and developing successful corporate strategies that helped the institute to expand and stay competitive.