Volume 19 Number 3 (September - December 2012) - Mahidol ...

Mahidol University Strengthens its Ties with
Kathmandu University, Nepal
From 7 th to 10 th November,
Prof. Rajata Rajatanavin,
President, and a team of Mahidol
University executives visited Kathmandu
University, Dhulikhel, Nepal. The
four-day trip incorporated a wide-range
of activities, including the signing of
an extension to a memorandum of
understanding, tours of the university
(including Dhulikhel Hospital), and
discussions with Prof. Dr. Suresh Raj
Sharma, Vice Chancellor of Kathmandu
University; H.E. Mrs. Kanthong Unakul,
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary, Royal Thai Embassy,
Nepal, and Mahidol University Alumni.
A highlight of their busy itinerary was the
delegation’s attendance at Kathmandu
University’s 18 th Convocation Ceremony,
also attended by the Prime Minister of
Nepal and Chancellor of Kathmandu
The Institute on Disability and Public Policy
Celebrates its First Convocation Ceremony
The world’s first virtual graduate
institute focused on the complex
intersection of disability and public
policy - the Institute on Disability and
Public Policy (IDPP) for the ASEAN
region - held its inaugural convocation
ceremony for graduating students in the
Master’s of Comparative and International
Disability Policy (CIDP) (degree offered
by American University’s School of
International Service (SIS)) at the MU
Learning Centre, Mahidol University. The
ceremony, held on 14 th August 2012,
was attended by H.E. Dr. Surin Pitsuwan,
Secretary General, ASEAN; H.E. Ambassador
Luis Gallegos, Permanent Representative
of Ecuador to the UN; Mr. Shuichi Ohno,
Executive Director, The Nippon Foundation;
Ms. Violeta Ettle, Vice Provost, American
University and Dr. Derrick L. Cogburn,
Executive Director, IDPP and Associate
Professor, SIS, amongst many others.
University, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Baburam
Bhattarai, for which Prof. Rajatanavin
was given the honor of delivering the
convocation address. In his speech
the President urged the assembled
graduates to make the most of any
opportunities they received during
their careers. He also reminded them
of how fortunate they were, and not
to lose sight of those less fortunate,
but rather to focus their careers on
improving people’s livelihoods and access
to healthcare and education. He closed
The institute, which was first envisioned
by the Nippon Foundation and formally
established at a ceremony at Mahidol
University in April 2011, is an international
network of universities and outreach
partners focused on the ASEAN region
and based at American University in
Washington, DC. Utilizing e-learning and
cyber-infrastructure technologies, IDPP
helps to enable ASEAN students who are
blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard
of hearing, or mobility impaired become
disability policy leaders. During a press
conference preceding the ceremony, Dr.
Cogburn explained the institute’s focus
on “Universal Design for Learning” – the
principle that students should be able
to receive information and knowledge
in multiple ways, in this case utilizing
accessible information and communication
technologies. Mr. Ohno added that the
CIDP program is now not only open
his address by informing the audience
that whatever their career paths, they
would receive a greater sense of pride
and achievement by using their skills and
knowledge for the benefit of others.
Mahidol University would like to
extend its sincere gratitude and appreciation
to Prof. Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma and his
colleagues at Kathmandu University for
their kindness and hospitality, and looks
forward to welcoming them to Thailand
in the near future.
to those with disabilities, but also to
those who are interested in the issues
surrounding disability and public policy.
Mr. Jimmy Trianto Utomo, an incoming
CIDP student from Indonesia, summarized
the ambitious aims of the institute and
its students, stating “I want to contribute
to change”.
For more information on this innovative
and unique collaboration, please visit
http://aseanidpp.org
4 • September - December 2012, Vol. 19, No. 3