From June 29 to July 5, 2005 Chancellor James Moeser led a delegation of University officials on a visit to Singapore and to Bangkok, Thailand, where he visited UNC programs and participated in a historic university presidents’ roundtable. Hosted by the National University of Singapore (NUS), the roundtable brought together presidents in the Association of American Universities and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities to discuss global developments in university research and education.

“Our global partnerships have informed our research on some of the world’s most pressing challenges and have enabled discoveries that would not have been possible otherwise,” Moeser said. “The knowledge our researchers gain and share will improve the lives of people in our state and beyond.”

For the past three years, NUS has hosted Carolina undergraduates as part of the Singapore Summer Immersion Program, a seven-week summer academic program offered through the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. Designed for students at the end of their first year, the program is made possible through a gift by alumnus Alston Gardner, a 1977 UNC history graduate, providing scholarships covering all program costs. Each year, 25 students are chosen; 75 have participated thus far.

UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences is also planning a new joint-degree program between UNC and NUS, possibly to begin in fall 2006.

Carolina also has long had ties with Thailand. The Kenan Institute Asia, or KIAsia, was established in 1996 with an endowment provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Royal Thai Government and the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust. KIAsia is affiliated with the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, based in UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

A key objective in forming KIAsia was to create a private nonprofit foundation that would continue the mutually beneficial relationship between Thailand and the United States on development issues after the end of the bi-lateral USAID program in Thailand.

KIAsia and its partners have launched the “Tsunami Recovery Action Initiative,” focusing on providing development assistance for the hardest-hit communities in southern Thailand.

During his Bangkok visit, the chancellor met with trustees of the institute to review these key activities and to discuss KIAsia-UNC cooperation.