KU welcomed administrators from Meijo University, Japan

          On 13^th March 2024, Meeting Room No.9, 2^nd floor of the Kasetsart Golden Jubilee Administration and Information Center Building, Kasetsart University Bangkhen Campus, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kampanat Pensupar, Vice President for International Affairs, along with administrators and lecturers, namely Asst. Prof. Dr.rer.Soc Supapatpimol Simlee, Assistant to the President for International Affairs; Asst. Prof. Dr. Thanasin Tanompongphandh, Vice Dean for International Affairs, Faculty of Economics; Asst. Prof. Dr. Patamaporn Sripadungtham, Deputy Dean for International Affairs, Faculty of Engineering; Asst. Prof. Dr. Chinnapat Thipyopas, Deputy Head of Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Varameth Vichiensan, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Asst. Prof. Dr. Korakit Choomgrant, Deputy Dean for International Affairs and Educational Development, Faculty of Social Sciences; Dr. Cheewin Mallikamarl, Assistant Dean for International Affairs, Faculty of Social Sciences; Asst. Prof. Dr. Nattasamon Petchsang, Assistant Dean for Research and International Affairs, Faculty of Science; Mr.Rattapan Trongwiwat, Head of International Relations and Global Affairs Section, Faculty of Science; Asst. Prof. Dr. Paitoon Chetthamrongchai, Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Administration; Asst. Prof. Dr. Pratyaporn Rattanapongpinyo, Department of Eastern Language, Faculty of Humanities; Dr. Patcharaphan Suvanakoot, Department of Eastern Language, Faculty of Humanities; and representatives of the International Affairs Division, welcomed and discussed academic collaboration with an administrator from Meijo University, led by Dr. Hirokazu Okamoto, Vice President of Meijo University; Mr. Kazuyori Aoyama, General Manager of Office of International Affairs; and Mr. Jurai Hirata, International Exchange Coordinator of Office of International Affairs; and Prof. Fumihiko Tsumura, Faculty of Foreign Studies on the occasion of visiting Kasetsart University.

          Founded in 1926, Meijo University stands as the largest institution in the Chubu region, hosting 10 faculties and catering to over 15,000 students. The faculties include Science and Technology, Agriculture, Law, Business Management, Economics, Pharmacy, Human Studies, Urban Sciences, Foreign Studies, and Information Engineering. Since 2014, Meijo University has engaged in academic collaboration with KU, particularly focusing on co-research in Science and Technology. In 2018, Asst. Prof. Dr. Nattasamon Petchsang from the Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science, KU, traveled to Meijo University for collaborative research for 2 months.

          At the beginning of the discussion, administrators and lecturers of KU exchanged information regarding past and current agreements with Meijo University and Japan in general. For instance, during 2022-2023, the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, KU accepted 2 Meijo University students to participate in the Global Internship Programme. Subsequently, potential academic collaborations were deliberated upon. Meijo University expressed that a two-week student exchange program would serve as an interesting and beneficial starting point for further collaborations. This program would allow Meijo University students to visit Japanese companies in Thailand, and engage in extracurricular activities to learn about Thai culture, and reciprocally, KU students would have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Japanese culture.

          Moreover, Prof. Fumihiko Tsumura expressed his interest in a minimum 4 to 6-week administrative staff exchange program to facilitate the exchange of work processes, with a focus on internationalization. Administrators and lecturers, KU agreed to initiate the proposed collaboration to broaden the active collaboration framework. After the discussion, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kampanat Pensupar presented souvenirs to administrators from Meijo University before all participants participated in a group photo session.