Lander Delegation's Visit to Thailand

A delegation from Lander University, consisting of Mr. Ralph Patterson (Vice President for University Advancement), Mr. Randy Bouknight (Vice President for Student Affairs), Mr. Mett Davis (Senior Manager of Special Projects and Director of Research at Davis & Flody), Dr. Lee Vartanian (Associate Professor of Education), Dr. Austin Trousdale (Assistant Professor of Biology), and Dr. Franklin Rausch (Assistant Professor of History), traveled to Thailand from July 12 to July 21, 2013. 

The primary purpose of this visit was to participate in the Rajamangala University of Technology International Conference, co-hosted by Lander and hosted by Lander University’s sister school, Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon.  The theme of the conference was sustainability.  Ralph Patterson, Randy Bouknight, Mett Davis, and Lee Vartanian gave keynote addresses and Austin Trousdale and Franklin Rausch presented papers.

Lander Delegation and Rajamangala staff member Chutima Sudjanya at the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

After the conference, members of the Rajamangala administration and faculty provided the Lander delegation with a tour of two of their campuses and discussed ways to strengthen the relationship between the two universities.  

In addition, members of Rajamangala university provided tours to the delegation of important Thai cultural and historical sites.  It is believed that this delegation will lead to a stronger relationship between our two institutions and facilitate administrative, faculty, and student exchange, enriching both the universities, and their local and national communities.  

By Dr. Franklin Rausch, Assistant Professor in History, Lander University