On Thursday, May 22, 2025, Associate Professor Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., President of Khon Kaen University, along with senior executives, participated in the TQA Winner Conference and International Quality Innovation Award Ceremony 2024 under the theme “Lessons from National Quality Award-winning Organizations”. The event, held at Amari Watergate Hotel, Bangkok, aimed to present and exchange best practices in organizational management. KKU took part as the first higher education institution in Thailand to receive the Thailand Quality Class Plus award for Societal Contribution.
The conference gathered award-winning organizations from diverse sectors including manufacturing, education, finance, and services to share knowledge and strategies for excellence in areas such as innovation, strategy execution, customer focus, human capital development, value creation, and data-driven decision making. The event also featured the Quality Innovation Award Ceremony, spotlighting inspiring contributions from awardees across Asia and Europe. Over 250 executives and personnel from national and international institutions attended the conference.
From 10:30 to 12:00 in the morning, President Charnchai joined a panel discussion titled “Best Practices and Experiences in Achieving the Thailand Quality Award”, alongside leaders from other TQA-winning institutions such as the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, and the Social Security Office. The session was moderated by Associate Professor Jirat Sriratanaban, M.D., Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Chuenchok Sonkhwan, both official TQA assessors.
In the afternoon session (14:10–14:30), the KKU team presented a session titled “Devotion to Society: Khon Kaen University’s Sustainable Community Development Model, Social Responsibility, Environmental Sustainability, and Societal Contribution Excellence”. Speakers included:
- Assistant Professor Tara Thumrongroj, M.D., Vice President for Administration
- Professor Thidarat Boonmars, Ph.D., Vice President for Enterprise and Social Engagement
- Associate Professor Chupong Thongkamsamut, Ph.D., Vice President for Physical and Environmental Management
At 15:10–15:30, Professor Thidarat Boonmars presented on the topic “Knowledge Management for Community Development: Khon Kaen University’s Model and Strategic Use of Data for Social Policy Formulation.” The event concluded with a panel discussion from 15:30 to 16:30, where President Charnchai rejoined speakers from various organizations for a collaborative dialogue under the Societal Contribution Theme.
This participation reflects KKU’s continued momentum following its prestigious Thailand Quality Class Plus: Societal Contribution Award 2024, presented on February 13, 2025. Khon Kaen University stands as the first and only Thai higher education institution to receive this honor, recognizing its exemplary efforts in contributing to social development and national progress. The award underscores the university’s commitment to international standards in organizational management and its guiding philosophy of being “A University for Social Innovation and Development.” With more than 60 years of consistent dedication to this mission, KKU now serves as a role model for other organizations aspiring toward excellence on the global stage.