Alumni

The Thai Pavilion and Gardens at Olbrich Botanical Gardens

The beautiful open-air pavilion (photo, above), built in 2001, is a gift to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the Thai Government and the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association. It is one of four located outside of Thailand and the only one of these surrounded by a garden. The Pavilion is designed to extend educational, cultural and business partnerships and provide a resource for students studying Asian culture and other disciplines.

The Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association is one of the most engaged and involved of any alumni group. Many distinguished Thai citizens in science, technology, education, commerce, and journalism are alumni of UW-Madison.

First Thai Student at UW-Madison

Phra Chuang Kasetsinlapakan, was born on July 20, 1899. He was the first Thai student to introduce Thailand to the UW-Madison. He was the Royal Scholar of the Ministry of Public Instruction and Religion and was granted a scholarship to study for a bachelor's and master's degree at UW-Madison (MS, 1924). He was an important force in the struggle to preserve and improve Thai agricultural education, and served the country as Minister of Agriculture from 1948 to 1951. He initiated many valuable projects regarding agricultural development.