Dr. Jonathan Adams, professor in the College of Communication and Information, has been selected to participate in the Fulbright Scholar program.
Being selected for the Fulbright Program is a prestigious honor. The program was created by Senator J. William Fulbright and signed off in 1946 by President Harry Truman. Aiming to increase global understanding in relation to global issues (such as public health, environmental issues, and education), participants in the Fulbright program have gone on to become Nobel Peace Prize winners, Heads of State, ambassadors and top educators.
Dr. Adams will be in Thailand for the next semester with four main goals:
- Provide underserved populations with online educational resources
- Tailor an ICT curriculum to meet local / regional needs
- Create distributed learning resource centers supported by a Learning Management System\
- To provide seminars for faculty and students.
While in Thailand, he will be working in the Mukdahan branch of Ubon Ratchathani University (URU), which offers programs in information and communications technology (ICT) and international business. He has visited the Mukdahan campus three times in the past four years, where he offered seminars and participated in curriculum planning. When the School of Communication established a cooperative agreement with University in 2011, Adams lead the agreement negotiations.
“It is an honor to be selected to participate in the Fulbright Scholar program during such an exciting time for Northeastern Thailand and Western Laos,” said Adams.
The Mukdahan province is in northeastern Thailand. It has been a traditionally agronomics based economy, but Adams says the shift to 21st century high-tech manufacturing, transportation and trade is on the horizon:
“With the introduction of ASEAN trade zone, 2015 promises to bring new economic growth to a rural agricultural region and along with that, a strong demand for information technology expertise.”
The ASEAN trade zone will take effect in January 2015, allowing for the creation of an economic free zone that will join local resources. The implications of the economic shift are huge: Multinational companies have invested in high-tech industrial parks in Laos. New infrastructure will connect Mukdahan and Savannakhet with the deep-water port in Myanmar. The booming industry and new connections are conducive to trade, an essential piece of a growing economy.
“I am proud to have the opportunity to work with Ubon Ratchathani University to develop resources that will make a positive difference for the people who live in the region.”
Read more about Adam’s work at URU here.