In November 2010, at the inaugural WACE Executive Board meeting in New York, an innovative idea to expand WACE’s operation to a vaster reach was proposed for consideration. That is the possibility of establishing International Satellite Offices (ISO) to represent WACE in different regions around the world. Seizing this opportunity to increase Thailand’s visibility in the global Cooperative Education development, Professor Wichit Srisa-an, President of Thai Association for Cooperative Education (TACE) and President of Suranaree University of Technology (SUT) Council, serving as one of the 14 Executive Board members, volunteered to lend the service of SUT to act as an ISO. Strategically located as a gateway to South East Asia and

beyond, SUT is equipped with excellent physical facilities and offers efficient operational staff, which can function to achieve WACE missions in Asia and the Pacific region. In February the following year, WACE

CEO, Dr Paul Stonely, was invited to visit the planned sites of the ISO both at SUT Bangkok Office and the main campus in Nakhon Ratchasima. The potential assessment results were reported to the subsequent Executive Board meeting for consideration. Prior to the new year of 2012 came the announcement of an ISO endorsement to be established at SUT, one of the first two WACE ISO venues in the world. Then, the MOU between WACE and SUT for the ISO establishment was drafted and later approved by WACE. Witnessed by more than 40 honourary guests, the MOU was signed by WACE CEO, Professor Wichit Srisa-an, Professor Prasart Suebka, SUT Rector, and Dr Boonchai Wichitsathian, SUT Centre for Cooperative Education and Career

Development Director at the February 2012 International Colloquium for WACE Global Partners at Nyenrode Business Universiteit in the Netherlands, making the WACE ISO@SUT officially effective

on February 12th, 2012. Necessary to guide and support the operation of the ISO, the 10-member Regional Advisory Board was appointed in May 2012, comprising 7 distinguished local members and one each from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, and the inaugural Board meeting was convened on June, 5th 2012. The first concrete and impactful activity of WACE ISO@SUT was the Advisory Forum on June, 7th where 40 participants from all concerned parties take part in vigorous discussion pinpointing the development of international cooperative education as the flagship agenda.