When university personnel travel overseas, we typically share, as do other professionals, tales of our time abroad. Food, characters, troubles, quirks, gleanings and sensories. We often leave out the reasons we went in the first place, and what transpired during the trip, professionally. Having arrived on Saturday and spent time with students on Sunday, today, Monday, was our first day with colleagues from Assumption University.
The general setting for our meetings is as follows. Father Nash, the long-time mainstay of our program here (I cannot recall the exact number of years, but it is seventeen or so), has decided to seek new opportunities. During this time, the importance of Asia, globally, has increased significantly. Asian influence and especially its increasing stake in global economics, along with its political presence, are increasing. The opportunity for students to learn in an environment like Bangkok brings, along with all that is normally imparted through study abroad, new abilities and experiences in assimilating a culture quite unlike one's own. For the current generation, such learning is important; from coming generations, it will be necessary. Father Linnane touched on this in his blog last night. Father Nash's departure presents certain concerns (e.g., how will we find somebody who is so gifted with students, and who is so interested in sharing knowledge of Thai culture and politics?), but it also gives us an opportunity to assess what we have done here, with an eye toward yet further improvement, and possibly toward increased involvement.
Our first meeting this morning, with Assumption University's president, Brother Bancha, began with Father presenting him a gift from Loyola. This is customary when academic administrators meet, especially intercontinentally. We did this at each of our meetings today, and we have been told that we are likely to receive gifts during tonight's formal dinner. (Which brings me to an interlude:
Father wrote last night about the King, and how loved he is. I am surprised and refreshed to see such uniform care about a leader, especially in that it is borne from knowledge about and wonder at the quality of this king's decisions. E.g., in a later meeting today, Dr. Vindhai, a Thai, indicated that the king had "saved our country several times." Now, because the king was born on Monday (day of birth carries meaning in Thai culture), because the color associated with Monday is yellow (each day has a designated color (e.g., Tuesday's is pink)), and because the king is so revered, one sees the color yellow all over the place---especially on "king shirts" that so many Thais routinely wear. On Mondays, virtually everybody is wearing a king shirt---beautiful, pleasing yellow polos with kingly motifs (e.g., a sewed-in image of the royal palace). I now confess to all: I seek to obtain a king shirt of my own, and I would honored to receive it as a gift from our Thai colleagues. (We'll see what happens!) : )
Brother Bancha affirmed our discussions about the importance of Asia by producing a graphic displaying the numbers of people in each of Asia, Europe, and the U.S. The differences are dramatic. Father and I decided to take a picture of it. He is likely to post it here if its detail can be discerned. We also discussed the success of our program and potential ideas for its future, but we also spent a lot of time on larger topics that helped orient us to the institution: e.g., dynamics associated with its opening of a second campus, which we are to visit tomorrow; the affect of floods or flood threats to the city and the institution; the role of the government in support of Assumption and private and public institutions, in general; the emphases of faculty life at Assumption (largely teaching); and so on.
Father Nash gave us a tour of the campus, including its teaching facilities and library, plus a few special offices and locations frequented by our students. After this, we had lunch. Just prior to lunch, my sugar dropped like a bomb, largely because I ran an hour this morning, and that was a bit embarrassing, but I got through it. Father Linnane was helpful, finding me after I disappeared next door to the restaurant to get a fast sugar fix (I have Type I diabetes).
We followed lunch by touring a couple other locations, then met with my counterpart, Dr. Sompit, who is Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Vindhai, who is Deputy Vice President. This was an important meeting in which we discussed several issue of concern, including what might be a best structure for future program leadership; how we might handle orientation to Thai culture and language (right now we have no formal "immersion" class; perhaps we might look toward one that could also satisy Loyola's international diversity requirement); potential expanded service learning opportunities for our students here; potential faculty exchanges; and more. (And, yes, we discussed the king!)
Our next meeting was with Dr. Kitti, Dean of the Graduate School, and Mr. Glenn, Director of the Office of International Affairs. Much of this meeting dealt with potential new possibilities related to graduate education, especially in business. Assumption has several partnerships and programs with American and other international institutions, which Dr. Kitti described. We spoke about various possibilities in general terms, with me noting that any actualization might be delayed until Loyola hires a next dean. (Once one knows that a decanal transition is about to happen, planning for new programs is probably best placed on pause.) We also spoke of possible graduate student exchanges and, again, faculty exchanges. Dr. Kitti explained opportunites for internships here, should graduate students come over; this might solve in part a challenge many recent Loyola graduates have in seeking to go immediately to graduate business school, but not having much business experience. Mr. Glenn shared with us a list of all students who have come here---391, in total!---along with some newly released graduate brochures and catalogs. Each asked us to keep our eyes out for graduates who might wish to come over and teach English for a year or two, which is apparently a continuing need.
Normally, on visits like these, one attends an actual class to garner a sense of what learning here might be like. This did not happen on this visit, for the only time Father Linnane and I were free to come over coincided with final exams. (I always wonder, anyway, about the value of the classroom experience: typically one might attend just one or two classes, and one doubts that a given institution has decided to front their reputation with anything but their finest instructor(s).)
We are now back at the hotel freshening up. We have a formal dinner at 7 p.m. (8 a.m., Baltimore time!) across the river at the Shangri La Hotel's Thai restaurant, during which we can continue our conversations.
Decisions are never made at the kinds of meetings we had today. The main gig is to get to know the institution's leaders, face to face, discuss their vision, and ping and pong a sequence of large ideas and potentials---a combination of relationship-building and initial exploration of feasibilities. After these kinds of meetings, we know whether we wish to strengthen our activities or diminish or cancel them. (We are at "strengthen," here.) We can determine whom we will want to speak with at our home institutions, passing broad-stroke conversations and possibilities to them with the understanding that their expertise will help define appropriate progress from that point forward.
The challenge for us is to understand situation and possibility in a brief visit. This is done by juxtaposing what we learn from our students, Assumption's administrators and faculty, and, of course, Father Nash. Administrative experience here is key. We are learning a lot in rapid time.
I close by thanking the students who guided us through the market yesterday, as Father Linnane so nicely described. The market was vast, some five football fields in size, and the students watched over us with great (and even subtle!) care. Getting lost in there would have been a "no brainer" : ), but the students assured that that would not happen. They are awesomely thoughtful! And, when I waxed and spieled in the van about how, if one study's abroad, one should take a bold step---as have these students, in immersing into a broadly different culture---we heard a Millennial chorus: "Exactly!" : )
Tim
gold is real, and one of the pictures displays some fabulous porcelain. Enjoy! 
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