Princess of Thailand gets royal NIU welcome
NIU awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree on Wednesday to Her Royal Highness Princess MahaChakriSirindhorn of Thailand, who addressed an audience of about 300 people during the ceremony.
“As I travel to many countries, I think we should share our experiences and learn from one another,” Her Royal Highness said. “I appreciate NIU for rewarding understanding and friendship between cultures.”
Her Royal Highness, who holds a doctorate in educational development and heads the history department of the Royal Thai Army military academy, noted that NIU’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies has contributed to the world’s understanding of the region.
“It is my first visit to NIU,” she said. “In fact, I’ve known of the university for a long time.”
NIU President Dong Baker called Thailand “a great jewel of Southeast Asia.”
“It is fitting that we are being graced with a visit from a princess of Thailand this year, as NIU celebrates the 50thanniversary of our world-renowned Center for Southeast Asian Studies,” Baker said. “For five decades, the center has focused on this region of the globe through academic programs, faculty research and outreach initiatives.
“While oceans and more than 8,500 miles separate DeKalb, Illinois, from the Thai capital of Bangkok, we here at NIU feel a close connection to Thailand and its people,” he added.
Baker cited the “extensive record of accomplishment” of Her Royal Highness. He noted she has worked in heritage protection, development of traditional Thai music and creation of an electronic corpus of the modern Thai language. She also established Chulalongkorn University’s Sirindhorn Thai Language Institute, promoting teaching, learning and assessment of the Thai language.