The list of CMC's Appleby Fellows reads like a list of Thailand's most revered business professionals, educators, and government officials. Of the U.S. Department of State's online list of prominent world leaders who studied in America, two of the four Thai officials listed are Appleby Fellows: Panas Simasathien '54, a former Thai minister of finance who currently chairs the board of trustees at Thammasat University, and Surin Pitsuwan '72, a former Thai minister of foreign affairs. Pitsuwan has been a principal member of the country's parliament since 1986 and, for many years, worked as a columnist for Thailand's The Nation and Bangkok Post.

Many fellows achieved prestige in business and education, while some succeeded in multiple fields. Phisit Pakkasem '60 first worked his way to the rank of undersecretary of state, the highest rank given in Thai civil service, before he became a top executive at several prominent corporations.

The late Jerene Appleby Harnish created the Frank Bell Appleby Fellowship in the 1950s, offering a full CMC scholarship and funding for graduate study to one transfer student from Thailand or Turkey. Later, awards were given primarily to Thai candidates. At the time, few Thai students could afford to study abroad, says Simasathien. When he came to CMC in 1952, Simasathien says there were only four other Thai students studying in the Los Angeles area.

"All of the students brought to CMC were as poor as church mice. They went back to Thailand to become leaders of their country," says Alfred Balitzer, assistant professor of government, who has assisted in maintaining CMC's academic and alumni contacts in Asia. "It shows what a small sum of money can do."

In June 2001, as she visited alumni and met with key organizations in several countries throughout Asia, President Pamela Gann was asked by a group of Thai alumni to consider reviving a Thai scholarship. The graduates were aware that for more than two decades, the Appleby fellowship had provided life-changing experiences for Thai students educated at CMC. And now they wanted to know: Would the College make room for another scholarship that married the old with the new?

Gann didn't need to be convinced of the scholarship's importance. She taught American law and international trade in China, helped establish an international summer program between Duke University and the University of Hong Kong, and taught an intensive course on international trade that better prepared Vietnamese government officials for U.S., regional, and World Trade Organization negotiations. She has called for U.S. higher education to take a global leadership role by educating foreign students and forming alliances abroad with institutions of higher education, business, and government.

Gann also recognizes the local impact of American and international students interacting at CMC: "Students benefit from working together and sharing cultural perspectives both inside and outside the classroom," she said. "This interaction is essential to preparing our students for lives of global leadership."

Former U.S. Ambassador to Thailand David Lambertson