His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana graciously presided over the Graduation Ceremony of Sukhothai Thammathriat Open University for the Academic Year 2018-2019 on 4-6 June 2022. The graduates celebrated the joyous occasion at STOU Conference Hall (Aneknitat Building).
Eighteen thousand nine hundred and eleven students graduated in these two academic years, including 17,241 from Bachelor’s Degree level, 1,621 from Master’s Degree level, and 49 from Doctoral Degree level. Among them was Parliament president and former prime minister Chuan Leekpai, who was awarded an honorary doctorate in Communication Arts: Communication Innovation for Political and Local Administration.
“…Creating a happy and stable Thai society is the duty of everyone who is part of the society. Graduates, in particular, must have the awareness towards this duty because they are knowledgeable and skilled to create benefits for the society. If everyone joins hands and cooperates with all parties to earnestly watch over, protect and develop the society, our society and the nation will maintain the safety and security, making it a safe place for everyone to live at peace…”
The Royal Guidance of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua in the graduation ceremony of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University on 4 June 2022
On 30 May 2022 at 8.00 hrs., Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Distinguished Member of the University Council, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), presided over the wreath-laying ceremony at Rajamangalaphisek Education Park to commemorate the passing of His Majesty King Prajadhipok (King Rama VII).
The event featured a memorial reading by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, and the placement of wreaths by representatives from each department.
On 12 May 2022, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) held an event to celebrate the Visakha Bucha Day at the university’s main campus in Nonthaburi.
Prof. Dr. Wichit Srisa-san, Chairman of the University Council, presided over the ceremony, including alms-giving, Buddhist sermon listening and candlelight procession. To mark the auspicious time of the year, STOU members also made a donation for the construction of Ubosot at Wat Ko Kriang in Pathum Thani.
Visakha Bucha Day is considered the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar, commemorating the three major events in the life of Buddha: his birth, his enlightenment, and his death. This year Makha Bucha Day falls on 15 May 2022, and is a national holiday in Thailand. STOU held the event in advance to allow the STOU members to celebrate together.
Congratulations to the Research Center of Communication and Development Knowledge Management (CCDKM), School of Communication Arts, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) for receiving the Community Outreach Award (2021 eLFA Award) from the eLearning Forum Asia (eLFA).
eLFA has been garnering strong support from educational institutions, business partners, eLearning practitioners, ICT experts, faculty and even students from the region and internationally to meet annually and share best practices in teaching and learning among the eLearning communities to further enhance sharing of experiences and all good deeds to all humanities. The eLFA2021 was hosted by Soegijapranata Catholic University (SCU) during 30 November – 1 December 2021 virtually.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Titipat Aimnirun, Dean of School of Communication Arts said: “On behalf of CCDKM, STOU, we would like to thank all teams, partners and especially all the marginalise to make it happens.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamolrat Intatatat, CEO & Founder of CCDKM CCDKM, STOU added “We promise to keep walking in using ICT as a MAGIC TOOL to facilitate all empowerment of humanities for goods.”
Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) celebrates the annual traditional festival of Songkran on 5 April 2022 under the theme of “Joyful water sprinkling, celebrating Songkran the Thai way” at the STOU main campus in Nonthaburi. Prof. Dr. Wichit Srisa-an, Chairman of the University Council presided over the opening ceremony.
The event was held not only to preserve the beautiful arts and culture that have been passed down for a long time, but to also promote the virtues of filial piety, respect for the elderly, and harmony. As part of the COVID-19 preventive measures, the participants gave flower garlands to the seniors instead of the traditional water sprinkling. The seniors who joined the event to receive the garlands and give blessings to the participants included (1) Prof. Dr. Wichit Srisa-an, Chairman of the University Council (2) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, STOU Acting President (3) Assoc. Prof. Napalai Suwannathada, Senior Expert, and (4) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Theppasak Boonyarataphan, Acting Vice-President for Education, Strategy, Planning, and Digital Technology.
Another main activity held was Song Nam Phra, where participants poured traditional perfume, Nam Ob, scented water onto Buddha images and the late King Rama VII image. There were also cultural shows from Phranakhon Rajabhat University and Baan Natyasilp Nont, batik painting activity by Ladda Batik at Koh Kret and a cooking demonstration of Southern Thai dishes. Moreover, many departments prepared various kinds of food and drinks to share with the participants.
The festival of Songkran is celebrated throughout Thailand during 13-15 April every year. The 13th of April is recognized as Maha Songkran, and declared the Day of the Senior. The 14th of April is designated Family Day. Thais have the chance to return to their hometown for family reunion during these extended public holidays.
STOU will continue to celebrate Song Kran to pass down this precious traditional festival of the country.
On 15 February 2022, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University organized alms-giving, Buddhist sermon listening and a candlelight procession to celebrate Makha Bucha Day, at Ho Phra Phut Ming Mongkhon Dhammasathan, STOU main campus in Nonthaburi.
Makha Bucha Day is considered a significant Buddhist occasion in Thailand. Makha Bucha refers to the full moon of the third lunar month. This year Makha Bucha falls on 16 February 2022. It is a public holiday nationwide. So, the university held the special event one day before.
On 14 February 2022, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University donated old desk calendars to the Foundation for the Blind in Thailand.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Gan Chanyawudhiwan, Acting Vice-President for Academic Services, Cultural Preservation, and International Affairs, together with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supawadee Theerathammakorn, Acting Director of International Affairs, led the team to make a donation of over 2,500 old desk calendars to the Educational Technology for the Blind Center, Foundation for the Blind in Thailand under the Royal Patronage of H.M. the Queen, which will be used to produce Braille-printed instructional materials for the blind. The donation was accepted by Ms. Chanidapa Petchrak, the Director of Educational Technology for the Blind Center, on behalf of the Center.
Under the advice of the Steering Committee for Green University Development of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, a campaign for old desk calendars donation was carried out in January 2022. The STOU administrators, faculty, staff and students from both main and regional campuses have collected the old calendars for donation instead of throwing them away. The activity was aimed to raise awareness regarding the needs of the virtually impaired and the blind, as well as sustainability and green university development among the university’s employees and students countrywide.
Congratulations to Associate Professor Dr. Namthip Wiphawin, a lecturer from the School of Liberal Arts, for receiving the 2021 PULINET Award as a contributor to the Librarian and Information Science (LIS) academics and profession. The Award was presented at the 12th PULINET National Academic Conference (PULINET 2022) during 5-7 January 2022.
The PULINET 2022 was held online by Maejo University under the theme “New Generation Libraries: Toward House of Access,” where Dr. Namthip gave her special speech on the same title.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Namtip Wipawin is currently the Chair of the Ph.D. Program in Information Science at the STOU School of Liberal Arts. See her Full Profile here.
On 13 January 2022, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manit Jumpa, Acting President of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University joined a virtual MOU signing ceremony to launch the cross-registration program with other 24 partner universities across the country in the meeting of the Council of the Graduate Studies Administrators of Public and Autonomous Universities (CGAU). Prof. Sirirurg Songsivilai, M.D., Ph.D., Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) presided over the virtual ceremony, while Prof. Patcharee Lertrit, M.D., Ph.D., Chairperson of the CGAU and Dean of Faculty of Graduate Studies, Mahidol University, joined as a witness and co-signed the MOU.
Prof. Sirirurg Songsivilai, M.D., Ph.D. Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI)
Prof. Dr. Sirirurg stated: “MHESI has 3 main missions: to build people, to create a body of knowledge, and to achieve innovation. Within two years after the establishment of MHESI, we have developed new mechanisms that help to solve as many problems as possible for universities, such as grouping universities for the excellence of each, unlocking the maximum period of study to promote lifelong learning, and developing the teacher’s career path by adding five channels for achieving academic positions, etc.
Prof. Dr. Sirirurg added: “The MOU signing today marked an important step in the Thai higher education system. With approval from 25 institutions, we have accomplished one difficult task. This is considered as a concrete implementation of the TRF’s policy on the credit bank system and the sharing of resources. This will be of great benefit to students who deserve the best, offering them the opportunity to explore subjects of their interest and gain a wide range of experiences from universities with different merits and excellence. The university also benefits from integrating information and knowledge links between universities. It is a synergistic force for efficient use of resources together and contributes to the country’s development.”
Prof. Patcharee said: “The MOU signing between the 25 institutions is intended to enhance educational collaboration on a graduate level, allowing students to cross-register in graduate programs offered by the partner universities. The acquired credits will be recognized at the student’s home university and can be collected in the credit bank system under the rules and regulations of each university. This is believed to take the academic and social experience of the students to a new level.”
The 25 partner universities include Kasetsart University, Khon Kaen University, Chulalongkorn University, Chiang Mai University, Thaksin University, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Thammasat University, Naresuan University, Burapha University, The University of Phayao, Mahidol University, Mahasarakham University, Maejo University, Mae Fah Luang University, Ramkhamhaeng University, Silpakorn University, Srinakharinwirot University, Prince of Songkla University, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Suranaree University of Technology, National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Ubon Ratchathani University and Walailak University.
Students and those interested can visit CGAU Website for more information.
Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) has been ranked 638th in the world on a sustainable universities list.
Started in 2021, the UI GreenMetric is an initiative of Universitas Indonesia that ranks universities throughout the world based on their commitment and actions towards sustainability.
In 2021, UI GreenMetric themed “Universities, UI GreenMetric and SDGs in the Time of Pandemic,” focusing on universities’ efforts to continue their sustainability programs and policies based on UI GreenMetric and SDGs while coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, 956 universities from 80 countries participated in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings. Participants completed an online questionnaire with six categories: setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transportation and education. With a total of 4,800 out of 10,000 points, STOU has been ranked 638th in the world, and 32nd in Thailand.
STOU has put sustainability in among one of the five missions in the STOU Plan for Excellence.
The Top 10 Universities in 2021 UI Green Metric World University Rankings 1 Wageningen University and Research, Netherland 2 University of Nottingham, UK 3 University of Groningen, Netherland 4 Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom 5 University of California, Davis, USA 6 Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld (Trier University of Applied Sciences), Germany 7 Leiden University, Netherlands 8 University College Cork, Ireland 9 University of Connecticut, USA 10 Universidade de Sao Paulo USP, Brazil
The Top 10 Thai Universities in 2021 UI Green Metric World University Rankings 1 Kasetsart University (World rank 45) 2 Mahidol University (World rank 59) 3 Suranaree University of Technology (World rank 75) 4 King Mongkut ‘s University of Technology Thonburi (World rank 83) 5 Dhurakij Pundit University (World rank 101) 6 Siam University (World rank 103) 7 Mae Fah Luang University (World rank 103) 8 Walailak University (World rank 116) 9 Maejo University (World rank 121) 10 Mahasarakham University (World rank 145)
