This was an unusual trip for me — not to visit a particular university, but to attend a
three-day summit sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Thailand. In the fall of 2025, after extensive research into international accrediting agencies across the globe, the Ministry selected NECHE to assist as it re-envisions the oversight and accreditation of the higher education enterprise in Thailand. Apparently, NECHE’s approach to quality assurance and self-improvement made us the Ministry’s partner of choice, so off to Bangkok I flew.
What an honor! Sure, it was a loooong trip and an extensive commitment of time, but
the opportunity to have a significant impact on the future of a country’s higher education network was too important for me to pass up. (Opportunities like these are precisely why NECHE has made the strategic decision to dramatically expand its global reach. We are now working with over thirty international schools– an increase of 200% in the
last five years!)
My hosts for the visit were the tireless and dynamic duo of Prof. Dr. Phavanee Narataruksa, Secretary to the Permanent Secretary for Higher Educational Accreditation, and Utumporn Bunchuen, Project Coordinator at the Ministry.
Day One I spent with the Permanent Secretary Prof. Dr. Supachai Pathumnakul and the National Committees on Higher Education Standards, focusing on the current state of higher education in Thailand and its ambitious agenda for improvement. I also spent a good bit of time sharing NECHE’s approach to quality assurance and exploring opportunities for a select number of institutions to begin the process toward U.S. accreditation.
Late in the afternoon, I was treated to a visit to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred temple in Thailand and home to the revered Emerald Buddha statue. I prayed for a good night’s sleep and my petition was answered!
We got an early start on Day Two, with seventeen university presidents and senior officers gathering at the Ministry to learn about the NECHE accreditation process, its value, and the potential of accreditation for Thai universities. At present, there is no university in the country which has U.S. institutional accreditation, although almost a dozen have recently achieved ABET programmatic accreditation for their engineering schools…no small accomplishment! Many presidents in attendance expressed an interest in moving forward on the path to accreditation, and I have a number of meetings scheduled upon my return to the States.
On Day Three, I was privileged to attend the inaugural meeting of all the educational quality assurance agencies in Thailand. It was clear that, as in the United States, there has been a significant evolution of QA in Thailand. For the 1.3+ million Thai students on more than 300 college campuses (the vast majority are public universities), that is a very positive development. I came away impressed by the Ministry’s commitment and progress and very much look forward to our collaboration going forward.
Since NECHE’s origin in 1885 (and for most of our existence), our reach and influence did not extend beyond the six New England States. That is no longer the case, and we continue to expand our reach at a rapid pace. It has been deeply rewarding to witness how
affiliation with NECHE leads to the continuous improvement of the local and global
institutions we serve.
