Assumption University City Campus Launched.
Speech by President, Dr. Bancha Saenghiran
Your Excellency Prof. Dr.Wissanu Krea-Ngam, Deputy Prime Minister of the Royal Thai Government.
On behalf of Assumption University, I express my grateful thanks to you for giving your precious time to preside over the Opening Ceremony of our City Campus.
Assumption University is a higher education institution administered by the Brothers of St. Gabriel which exists to provide education, knowledge and training to develop human resources of the country. It started modestly in 1972 as an institution called Assumption Business Administration College or ABAC with English as the medium of instruction. The University has grown continuously until it is now recognized as the first International University of Thailand. We currently offer 41 Bachelor, 31 Master and 8 Doctorate Degree Programs with a total enrollment of approximately 20,000 including a component of some 2147 international students from 57 countries of the world. Accordingly we contribute more than 500 million baths annually to the revenues of Thailand and at the same time we save expenditure of several billion baths a year by preventing or restraining students from pursuing education at foreign institutions abroard.
Assumption University is now operating 2 campuses, one each at Hua Mak and Bang Na and performing 4 main missions of the higher education institutions: 1.providing training and instruction, 2.producing research, 3.offering knowledge service to the society and 4.supporting national art and culture.
President Dr. Bancha Saenghiran giving his speech at City Campus in the presence of
Deputy Prime Minister, President Emeritus and other guests.
Deputy Premier H.E. Prof. Dr. Wissanu Krea-Ngam accepting a souvenir from President Dr. Bancha Saenghiran.
In launching this new City Campus at the Emporium Tower, our purpose is to expand knowledge services to society and to enlarge educational opportunities according to the Educational Expansion Policies of Thailand. The City Campus has the following facilities: 50-sear seminar room, 56-seat classroom and_an 18 seal common room with modern teaching materials and equipments.
The first program that the new city campus provides is entitled Vietnam Studies, which is administered by the Institute of Asian and African Studies (IAAS), Assumption University. The objective of the course it to propagate knowledge and education about Vietnam including promotion of its language, traditions, culture, economics and society.
Now it is the auspicious time to invite H.E. the Deputy Prime Minister to preside over the Opening Ceremony of Assumption University City Campus and the Vietnam Studies Centre respectively.
It is with great honour that I preside at the opening of Assumption University City Campus today. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the University for its strong determination to improve the quality of the human resources of the country, which is vital for the increasingly competitive world in this era of globalization.
Life-long learning is the key aspect of education reform with the main purpose of transforming Thai society into a society of intelligent and prosperous citizens. In order to achieve the goal, the collaboration among the education institutions is very essential. Specifically for higher education institutions, the emphasis should not only be on providing education and instruction to young people, but also on adapting themselves to be ‘Knowledge Centers for Open Learning’ which is beneficial to people of all ages. Therefore, higher education institutions must emphasize on the importance of building into continuing education centers, focusing on the training of business people, entrepreneurs, as well as laborers by setting up the mechanisms to explore the needs of all sectors. Overall, higher education institutions must function as the rallying point for pursuit of knowledge that everyone, regardless of gender, age or profession, can seek and search for so that Thai people can live their life most productively.
The establishment of the City Campus in the heart of downtown Bangkok truly reflects the wisdom of the administrators in seeking investment opportunities an the strong determination of the University to improve the quality of the country’s human resources. ‘Vietnam Studies’ at this campus will not only provide entrepreneurs or interested people with ideas and guidelines on investing in or having business with Vietnam but it will also help improve the economy of our country. In this regard I do hope that the University will consistently offer other useful courses so that Thai people will gain the ideas and concepts to operate business with other countries, which will boost the exports and bring in foreign currency for the economic stability of our country.
Prof. Dr. Wissanu Krea-Ngam cuts the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the
A.U. city Campus in the presence of administrators and guests.
Deputy Prime Minister speaking to students attending the Vietnam Studies Program on February 7, 2004.
Now I would like to take this opportunity to inaugurate Assumption University City Campus and to mark the opening of the ‘Vietnam Studies Centre’. May all endeavours of Assumption University City Campus be successful and prosperous and may you achieve the objectives of the Vietnam Studies Centre.
แหล่งที่มา : ABAC TODAY (Vol. 19 No. 1 January-February 2004) หน้า 15-16
