The College of Local Administration (COLA), Khon Kaen University, led a delegation comprising Master’s degree students, Life-Long learning programme students, faculty members, and staff to participate in the “2025 Annual Conference of the Asian Association for Public Administration (AAPA).”

The conference was held at the School of Management & Policy, Tsinghua University, in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, from 17 to 19 October 2025. Tsinghua University is recognised as China’s top-ranked institution and one of the world’s leading universities.

This participation underscores COLA’s strategic commitment to encouraging faculty members and postgraduate students enhance their skills and potential by presenting research on world-class academic platforms. This initiative is carried out through collaborations with the Asian Association for Public Administration (AAPA) and Tsinghua University, aligning with COLA’s goal of achieving internationalisation and global recognition.

A representative of COLA’s postgraduate students at the conference remarked: “This was the most significant self-challenge I have faced. Attending this conference made me incredibly proud. It opened my mind to new ideas and challenged me to do things I had never done before. The opportunity to exchange findings from our research with the audience was invaluable. Furthermore, listening to the research of our international peers gave me new concepts that I can apply to further improve my own research.”

This international engagement reflects the College’s mission to develop Thai local administrators with global competencies and to open doors for knowledge exchange in public administration with scholars across Asia, driving the vision: “A Leading ASEAN Institution in Public Affairs Dedicated to Creating Value for All.” This effort contributes towards the sustainable development and strengthening of Thai local communities.

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