Davidson-Davie Representatives to Participate in International Academic Partnership in Thailand

During the trip, the group will work alongside Thai institutions that focus on teaching, agriculture, engineering, and community engagement. According to IAPP, the cohort will learn first-hand about the Thai higher education landscape, and also meet with a range of entities that play important roles in higher education cooperation, such as the U.S. Embassy, EducationUSA and the Thai Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. The goal of the program is to work on developing and enhancing international higher education between the two countries.

For Wright, a partnership with Thailand is truly a golden opportunity to explore. “I am always looking for ways for (the college) to expand and diversify our International Education Program,” she explains. “I decided that the opportunity for developing partnerships and programs from the initial stages with guidance and facilitators would be invaluable to us and our program’s growth.”

Wright says she actively researches many international opportunities for the college, and in fact, is currently in Denmark helping to establish a formal program with two schools. She adds that Davidson-Davie already has partnerships with schools in France and Finland.

“International experiences are an invaluable resource for students in the modern world,” Myers notes. “Navigating these new opportunities and establishing a strategic plan is paramount to creating an effective program that will better serve our students.”

Both Wright and Myers will arrive in Thailand armed with ideas thanks to brainstorming sessions with their Thailand Design Team – a group they assembled on campus to gain strategic ideas to bring with them overseas.

“We are looking forward to possibilities that may appear throughout the process,” Wright adds. “For me, as the director of International Education, I want to gain more experience developing strategic partnerships and be able to apply those skills to develop even more international partnerships.”

Once the two return to campus, they’ll work on developing strategic goals that will lead to partnerships in Thailand. “We are so fortunate that we are viewing the trip as a fact-finding mission,” Myers says. “We are allowing ourselves to learn more about higher education in Thailand, then weigh our options and move forward with a plan that best serves our students and our goals for international education.”