Twelve PSU delegates, led by PSU President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chusak Limsakul, visited the University of Sharjah (UoS), United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) in the United Arab Emirates, and the Royal Thai Consulate in Dubai from February 18 – 23, 2013. At UoS, our representatives were welcomed by Chancellor Prof. Dr. Samy A. Mahmoud, P. Eng., and his team, at UAEU, they were greeted by Vice Chancellor Prof. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi and his colleagues, and at the Royal Thai Consulate they were received by Mr. Thosaporn Moonlasartsathorn, Consul-General.
The PSU delegates successfully fulfilled their objectives of establishing new collaborations with UAE universities in the areas of humanities and social sciences, halal discipline, Islamic studies, hospitality and tourism, and political sciences. During the trip, the MOU with UoS was signed and the MOU with UAEU was proposed to be signed in the near future. In addition, during the small group discussions, several cooperative activities were identified, such as: in the area of Humanities and Social Sciences, PSU will send 15 students in April for study abroad for one month at UoS, and two of them are funded by the Royal Thai Consulate in Dubai; in the same area one teacher will study for his Ph.D. at UAEU next year; in the field of Halal, the PSU Halal Institute and the UoS College of Health Sciences agreed to sign an MOA; and for Tourism, PSU will send lecturers to be trainers in a seminar for future chefs and kitchen assistants, which will be organized and funded by the Royal Thai Consulate in Dubai next year. Other possible collaborations concern staff and student exchanges, student internships, study abroad programs, joint degrees, joint research, joint conferences, visiting professors, and keynote speakers.
Moreover, our delegates had the chance to visit outstanding facilities at both universities, such as libraries, audiovisual facilities, and laboratories. It is expected that the cooperation with UoS and UAEU will further enhance the educational experience of students and faculty, and contribute to the development of the economy in both countries.
