The Power of Policy: Integrating Sustainability into Thammasat’s Core Mission
Assistant Professor Chol Bunnag, Assistant to the Rector for Quality Development and Sustainability, offers a compelling perspective on the institution’s evolving role as a leader in sustainable development within Thailand. In this insightful interview, Assistant Professor Chol unpacks Thammasat’s deep-rooted connection to national SDG initiatives through its stewardship of SDG Move, highlighting the university’s inherent influence and academic prowess in shaping policy. He reflects on past administrative limitations while underscoring the current rector’s pivotal shift towards integrating SDGs into the university’s core mission, signaling a transformative era for Thammasat’s impact on both its community and broader society.
SDSN Thailand: How do you envision Thammasat University’s role as a leader in sustainable development within Thailand?
Assistant Professor Chol: I believe Thammasat University plays a leading role in sustainable development due to its involvement with SDG Move. This is significant because SDG Move has been driving national-level SDG initiatives since its inception, initially under the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) before relocating to the Faculty of Economics in 2019. While its operational structure shifted, its core mission remained unchanged. As a result, Thammasat is perceived as a de facto leader in SDG implementation, particularly as stakeholders recognize its institutional affiliation.
Beyond SDG Move, Thammasat’s academic expertise is undeniable. Many faculty members serve as advisors to government agencies, crafting critical policy proposals. For example, climate change experts from the Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT) hold national committee roles, while legal scholars contribute to governance frameworks. These contributions underscore Thammasat’s leadership in specialized domains.
However, as a member of the Thammasat community, I must acknowledge that past administrations showed limited interest in SDGs. Those actively engaged in national SDG forums often felt overlooked until the university’s Impact Rankings improved around 4–5 years ago, driven by data reporting. The current rector has since recognized Thammasat’s latent potential, integrating SDGs into institutional policy to position the university as a national sustainability leader. This shift will not only elevate the university’s reputation but also create tangible impacts for both the Thammasat community and broader society.
SDSN Thailand: What strategies do you believe are essential for integrating sustainability into the university’s core mission and operations?
Assistant Professor Chol: Most importantly, central policies matter. From learning from other universities in our network, Thammasat’s current university council policies—particularly the rector’s initiatives—have enabled SDG integration. Subsequent efforts focus on aligning existing policies with SDG goals. For example, we use Impact Rankings metrics to identify gaps: which indicators we’ve addressed, their progress, and areas needing improvement. These findings inform proposals for all stakeholders to jointly advance. This process feeds into Thammasat’s SDG Steering Committee, a top-down governance body chaired by the rector and supported by vice-rectors.
Secondly, we set commitments between faculties and the university—another top-down approach—to ensure every faculty integrates SDG-related work. While we don’t mandate specific plans, we suggest six project types:
- Capacity-building for state agencies (national/local policymakers).
- Cross-sector dialogues on sustainability (e.g., conferences, online forums).
- Collaboration with civil society organizations.
- Empowering women.
- Supporting marginalized groups.
- Knowledge dissemination to non-state actors (e.g., community education outreach).
These projects help align faculty efforts with societal impact and improve our Impact Rankings. We also have a sustainability quality development unit that views its role as systemic support rather than standalone initiatives. Key strategies include: Policy frameworks and mechanisms for SDG implementation, Funding: Thammasat’s Sustainability Fund supplements budgets for SDG projects, Expert mobilization: Leveraging Thammasat’s specialists to drive initiatives, Data and metrics: Tracking progress and capacity-building for stakeholders, Alumni engagement. These six pillars aim to support all units in their SDG work, fostering a top-up approach to institutional sustainability.
SDSN Thailand: What are some of the most impactful research projects or tools developed at Thammasat University that promote sustainability?
Assistant Professor Chol: Thammasat University’s commitment to sustainable development has entered a transformative phase, marked by strategic leadership and institutional alignment. While the university’s SDG initiatives are still building momentum, recent efforts reveal a deliberate shift toward embedding sustainability into its core operations and national policy frameworks. Under the rector’s renewed focus, Thammasat has prioritized sustainability practices in university operations. A notable example is the integration of eco-friendly guidelines into major events, such as the Chulalongkorn-Thammasat Football Tradition, where waste management and carbon footprint tracking were piloted. These efforts aim to expand to other events, starting with the Office of the Rector and gradually scaling to faculties and student clubs. Beyond events, the university’s support services have become a backbone for SDG implementation. Teams provide capacity-building workshops and technical assistance to units like the Pattaya Campus, which sought expertise to assess carbon credits for its forests. Such collaborations highlight Thammasat’s role as a facilitator, empowering departments to adopt sustainable practices without rigid mandates. Thammasat’s Centre for SDG Research and Support (SDG Move) has emerged as a linchpin in its sustainability strategy. This year, SDG Move is pioneering a historic collaboration with Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to draft the country’s UN SDG report—a first for the university. While still in its infancy, this partnership underscores Thammasat’s growing influence in shaping national SDG narratives. The university’s active engagement with SDG Move reflects its institutional commitment. Unlike past administrations, the current leadership formally recognizes SDG Move’s value in elevating sustainability work, fostering a culture where academic expertise directly informs policy. Thammasat’s Faculty of Economics exemplifies this alignment through its Research Cluster, which allocates approximately 1 million THB annually to fund SDG Move’s operations. This financial backing ensures the center can sustain its research, outreach, and policy advisory roles, reinforcing its position as a hub for SDG innovation. The university’s top-down governance structure—led by the rector and supported by vice-rectors—further solidifies its SDG vision. By aligning faculty commitments with Impact Rankings metrics, Thammasat incentivizes departments to integrate sustainability into their work, whether through cross-sector dialogues, civil society partnerships, or community education. Thammasat’s SDG journey is not without challenges. While foundational work is underway, high-profile projects remain scarce. However, the university’s strategic focus on policy influence and operational sustainability signals a long-term vision. The partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for instance, positions Thammasat as a critical player in Thailand’s SDG reporting—a role that could inspire other universities to follow suit. Similarly, its support for campus-wide sustainability practices, from waste reduction to carbon tracking, sets a precedent for institutional accountability. Thammasat University’s SDG efforts are a testament to the power of institutional commitment. By embedding sustainability into operations, leveraging SDG Move’s policy expertise, and securing faculty support, the university is not just meeting global benchmarks but redefining its role as a national leader. As it continues to bridge academia and governance, Thammasat’s journey offers a blueprint for universities worldwide: sustainability is not a peripheral goal but a core pillar of institutional excellence.
Final Thought: The true measure of Thammasat’s success lies not in grand gestures but in its ability to turn incremental progress into lasting impact. By aligning leadership, funding, and grassroots action, the university is proving that sustainability thrives when institutions walk the talk.
In your opinion, how effectively is Thammasat University aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Can you provide examples of specific initiatives or projects at the university that directly contribute to achieving these goals?
SDSN Thailand: How does Thammasat University engage with surrounding communities to promote sustainable practices and what are some of the successful cases?
Assistant Professor Chol: Credit must be given to Thammasat University administrators for their expertise in Universal Design architecture, which has enabled the university, especially the Rangsit campus, to play a crucial role in assisting Khlong Luang Municipality and Pathum Thani Province with urban planning and implementing Universal Design facilities for elderly and disabled centers throughout the area. Although this work wasn’t initially done under the SDG Move banner, it significantly addresses SDG goals in inclusive development. Similarly, Thammasat’s Lampang campus focuses on poverty alleviation, community economics, and local product promotion, while at the Pattaya campus, engineering students volunteer to conduct health checks in surrounding communities and connect this data with the local health promotion center. Beyond university-wide initiatives, individual faculties like Nursing and Medicine engage in outreach medical work in Khlong Luang communities and along various canals, and the Faculty of Public Health runs rural development projects near Rangsit. When asked whether the university has established formal mechanisms for local engagement, there isn’t yet an official department systematically dedicated to community participation, which is something they aspire to develop.
SDSN Thailand: What are the biggest challenges facing Thammasat University in its pursuit of sustainability and what are the opportunities?
Assistant Professor Chol: The main challenges currently involve resources and administrators’ understanding. While today’s university executives show great interest in SDGs—which is beneficial for people working in this field like us—their enthusiasm sometimes comes with misconceptions. For instance, they might not fully understand what implementing an SDG dimension entails, such as education for sustainable development. The academic department wants curricula linked to SDGs, but this connection isn’t merely matching them superficially—it requires integrating SDG concepts into the educational system itself, which requires ongoing clarification. Similarly, when the President proposed transforming the Puey Centennial Hall at Thammasat Rangsit into an SDG learning center with rotating exhibitions or a museum, we discovered through discussions with museum experts that creating effective educational exhibitions is far more complex and process-heavy than initially anticipated. This lack of detailed understanding creates difficulties for those implementing the work. Despite these challenges, we’ve received positive feedback from faculty collaboration. Additional obstacles include budget constraints and staffing issues—we struggled with SDG implementation at Thammasat for some time because I worked with the Quality Development Division, which lacked SDG expertise, though we managed to handle impact ranking together while recruiting specialized SDG staff. A significant problem lies with the university’s human resources department, which mistakenly believes that since the Quality Development Division oversees sustainability, other departments need not address it—contrary to the reality that sustainability specialists are needed across all Thammasat campuses (Lampang, Rangsit, Pattaya, and Tha Prachan). Another challenge involves resistance to behavioral changes toward more sustainable practices, as people remain in their comfortable equilibrium with existing practices. When a previous administrator banned single-use plastics, it worked temporarily but reverted after their term ended due to negative reception from those who felt the change was too abrupt without accommodating established habits—prompting the current President to seek more gradual approaches that leave no one behind and minimize administrative backlash. To address these issues, we’re organizing activities that build participation and awareness, collaborating with the corporate communications department, and conducting sustainability literacy assessments to inform future strategic planning for sustainability education at the university, with the survey currently in progress and the communications department prepared to amplify understanding. The third major challenge concerns fragmented data—obtaining electricity consumption figures for each building is extremely difficult, as is determining how many people use electricity in each building to calculate energy usage patterns. Similarly, while we know how much scholarship funding we provide, we don’t know if it’s sufficient because we lack data on the number of underprivileged students from bottom 40% families. Finally, Thammasat faces the challenge of relatively few research publications, which affects its competitiveness in impact rankings compared to Chulalongkorn and Mahidol universities, which publish more extensively and consequently score higher.
SDSN Thailand: What motivates your personal commitment to sustainable development, and how does this influence your leadership style?
Assistant Professor Chol: My goals include both short and long-term objectives. Ten years ago, during the military government when freedom of expression was severely limited, it was challenging to voice concerns or suggest solutions to the government. This led me to consider which topics might gain their attention, and sustainable development goals (SDGs) proved effective since Prime Minister General Prayut had personally signed commitments related to them and was genuinely receptive to discussions on this subject. Additionally, I recognized the benefits of promoting SDGs at a time when few people were working on them. A decade later, this foresight has proven accurate, as sustainability expertise has become a strategic component of my career. However, my greatest inspiration comes from having children—I don’t want them growing up in a deteriorating country with unbreathable air, where outdoor activities are unsafe or impossible. I constantly believe we can do better, which deeply motivates my work. When people suggest to me that climate change might be a natural phenomenon, I recommend numerous research studies because I firmly believe these environmental problems are human-caused.
