Between 10 and 15 October 2023, senior representatives of Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Engineering, consisting of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suchart Luengprasert. Vice Dean for Management; Asst. Prof. Dr. Patamaporn Sripadungtham, Vice Dean for International Affairs; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Weerachai Chaiworapuek, Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department , traveled to France in order to introduce the Faculty of Engineering’s curriculum as well as to provide information on student exchange programs at both undergraduate and graduate degree levels at Kasetsart University to students of ECAM-Lasalle University.
In addition, the senior representatives met with Mr. Didier Desplanche, Rector and General Director of ECAM-Lasalle University, for a meeting to discuss avenues of academic and research collaboration, building on activities that have already been carried out. They discussed ways to expand cooperation, namely:
- ECAM-Lasalle will send exchange students to the Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University.
- ECAM-Lasalle will send French, Cambodian and Filipino students to participate in workshop activities in February 2024.
- Jointly establish a double degree program between Kasetsart University and ECAM-Lasalle, which will allow students from the French Republic to study in Thailand for a period of 1 to 1.5 years.
With regard to the teachers, ECAM-Lasalle will support the budget for professors from the Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University, to become exchange lecturers at ECAM-Lasalle, as well as conduct research for a period of four months. Meanwhile, since October 2023 the Faculty of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering has assigned Prof. Dr. Sorawit Limthongkul as its first exchange lecturer at ECAM-Lasalle, where he has taught students in accordance with the aforementioned partnership.
In terms of further activities, both the Faculty of Engineering and ECAM-Lasalle have jointly laid out guidelines for organizing activities that will occur during the year 2024, comprising:
- ECAM-Lasalle will host academic activities and workshops for graduate students from the Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University.
- The Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University and ECAM-Lasalle will jointly apply for funding from the European Union’s Erasmus+ project for the exchange of lecturers, support staff and students to the French Republic.
- The Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University and ECAM-Lasalle will jointly establish the Climate Change Center in Thailand to gather knowledge on environmental protection and the mitigation of climate change risk as well as a learning resource for students and industry in the ASEAN region.
In this regard, Mr. Didier Desplanche met with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ladawan Puangchit, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, to present the guidelines for such cooperation, on October 26, 2023 at Kasetsart University’s Bang Khen campus. They also discussed future academic and research collaboration.
In addition to consultations with administrators of ECAM-Lasalle University, the Faculty of Engineering delegation traveled to Marseille to discuss cooperation with representatives from Ecole Centrale Méditerranée (ECM) and senior management of the IRPHE-CNRS research center in Marseille. Upon the conclusion of these discussions, specific guidelines and methods of academic cooperation will be established, including the recruitment of students to perform research.