Chulalongkorn University’s Acting President Joins APRU Annual Presidents’ Meeting 2024 at the University of Auckland 

Prof. Dr. Wilert Puriwat, Acting President of Chulalongkorn University, was invited to the APRU Annual Presidents’ Meeting 2024 on June 24-26, 2024, at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The meeting was held under the theme “Oceans – The World’s Challenges Divide Us, the Ocean Currents Connect Us” with the goal of promoting understanding and knowledge exchange regarding climate change that affects the oceans, as well as the communities, population, food and water security, and equal future for all. The meeting also reviewed the roles of APRU and member universities.  

This year’s highly successful APRU Annual Presidents’ Meeting saw high-level executives from various universities exchanging views on mutual challenges and opportunities for collaboration to strengthen the Pacific Rim networks. Next year’s APRU Annual Presidents’ Meeting will be hosted by University of California, San Diego, the USA.  

Established in 1997, the goal of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities or APRU is to promote education and research, leading to applications that advance economic, scientific, and cultural progress in the Pacific Rim region. APRU’s main activities focus on disaster risk reduction, women in leadership, indigenous knowledge, virtual student exchanges, esports, population aging, global health, sustainable cities, artificial intelligence, waste management, and more. Currently, APRU’s members consist of 61 leading universities, with Chulalongkorn University being the only Thai university among them.