Her Royal Highness Princess Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand visited IUPUI today (Dec. 17, 2010) and attended a presentation by Patrick Rooney, executive director of the IU Center on Philanthropy. Afterward she was greeted by IUPUI students and faculty from Thailand.
The IUPUI visit coincides with Princess Sirindhorn’s travel to Indiana University Bloomington, where she is to receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters on Dec. 18, 2010.
Princess Sirindhorn earned a Ph.D. in Educational Development from Thailand’s Srinakharinwirot University and received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Chulalongkorn University, which has had an active exchange relationship with Indiana University since the 1960s.
Princess Sirindhorn “virtually” visited IUPUI in March 2008 via videoconference between IUPUI and Chulalongkorn for the Thai university’s dedication of a new student center with international videoconferencing capabilities.
In addition to her honorary degree from Indiana University, Princess Sirindhorn has received over 15 honorary degrees from Thailand and six honorary degrees from universities in India, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. She was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, often referred to as the “Asian Nobel Prize,” in 1991. In 2004 she received the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development in India. She was named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2005.
Indiana University’s involvement in the development of Thailand dates back the 1950s when Ph.D. candidate John Ryan, who went on to become president of IU, wrote his dissertation on Thailand.
In addition to the IU Center on Philanthropy, part of the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, several schools on the IUPUI campus have a special relationship with Thailand, including education, dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, public and environmental affairs, business, and engineering and technology, among others.
A number of influential leaders of Thailand are graduates of IU, and these graduates have maintained an active alumni association for many years, with a current roster of more than 800 members from all campuses of Indiana University.
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