Thai Government Sponsors New University of Maryland Thai American Business Study Program

College Park, Md. - March 13, 2008 - The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business today announced the launch of the Thai American Business Study Program, sponsored by the Royal Thai Embassy and the Foreign Ministry of Thailand. The Smith program is Thailand's first partnership with an American business school and awards a three-year, $100,000-per-year grant to create a student club and a course on U.S.-Thailand/Southeast Asia business interaction, sponsor student and faculty exchanges, and support student study trips to Thailand. The program also includes plans for Smith to collaborate with the Thai government and universities to explore initiatives that expand business education in Southeast Asia, including numerous guest speakers and professional conferences.

The university thanks the Royal Thai Embassy for providing our business students with an authentic exposure to Thai culture and business practices, said University President C.D. Mote Jr. The Smith School is very excited that its students and faculty will have more opportunities to work and study in Thailand. This agreement builds on more than a decade of university partnerships with Thailand, an increasingly important economic and cultural force in Southeast Asia and friend of the University of Maryland.

Thai Ambassador Krit Garnjana-Goonchorn joined Mote, Smith School Senior Associate Dean G. Anandalingam, and Smith Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Patricia Cleveland to kick off the program at the Smith School yesterday. The event included a reception and a Thai classical dancing performance.

This is a fantastic opportunity to educate our students about Thailand and, conversely, share our knowledge with Thai people, too, said Cleveland. The Smith School strives to offer our students global experiences, and this program introduces both undergraduate and MBA students to the dynamic business environment in Southeast Asia a vitally significant piece of the global economy.

The United States continues to be a global center for business and business studies while Thailand has been emerging as a hub for business and business studies in Southeast Asia. The program capitalizes on these strengths and creates a student and faculty exchange program between Maryland and top Thai universities and is behind the founding of a Thai American Club at the Smith School. Club activities and program-sponsored study trips to Thailand for undergraduate and graduate students will expose Smith and Maryland students to Thai culture, experiences and business. The program also provides a platform for future Thai-based executive education initiatives a Smith School faculty member will attend the first sponsored trip next January and present a four-day, non-credit class to Thai professionals working in the field of logistics and supply chain management.

The Thai government initiated a plan in 2005 to forge educational collaborations between Thai and American universities to increase the number of Thai researchers and encourage knowledge-sharing. Currently, the Foreign Ministry of Thailand sponsors three similar programs at U.S. universities Georgetown University, the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin-Madison though no other is solely focused on business.  

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 14 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, executive MS, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations on three continents - North America, Europe and Asia.