In her relentless effort to maintain her leading position as an International University in Thailand and to make herself known internationally, Assumption University has been incessantly placing palpable emphasis on quality teaching, research paper presentation, and embarking on several activities that would fortify her academic reputation.

The following is a report on such endeavors undertaken in academic year 2003 covering 6 major areas, i.e. curriculum development, human resources development, research development, international alliances, major events, and statistical data on graduates of class 31.

1. Curriculum Development
With the mounting competitive environment in the educational industry, a result of rapid changing environmental factors in particular the free trade agreement engendering the entry of a multitude of international universities and English programs, a rapid development in IT technology, and changes in labor market demand, it has become imperative for the university to develop new programs and modify existing ones so as to maintain her leading position as well as sustainable growth in the industry.

In addition to 10 bachelor degree programs with 32 areas of specialization, 1 graduate diploma program, 29 master and 8 doctoral programs being offered at present, in the year 2003, 2 new doctoral degree programs, 3 new undergraduate programs and 1 graduate diploma program are developed and presently in the process of obtaining the University Council’s approval. These curricula are:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership – Faculty of Education
• Doctor of Management in Change Leadership and Management– Graduate School of Business
• Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, major in Public Relations
• Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, major in Performance Communication.
• Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, major in Broadcast and New Media
• Graduate Diploma in English Language Teaching – IELE (Institute for English Language Education)

• Master of Laws Program in Business Law
• Master of Laws Program in Public Law
• Master of Science in Counseling Psychology
• Master of Arts in Tourism Management
• Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing
• Bachelor of Business Administration in General Management
• Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Banking
• Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting
• Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Information system
• Bachelor of Business Administration in Advertising Management
• Bachelor of Business Administration in Hotel Management
• Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business Management
• Bachelor of Business Administration in Property Valuation
• Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, major in Visual Communication Arts

2. Human Resources Development
To ensure the provision of quality teaching to students within the International environment, the proper ratio of local and international faculty members, as well as the ratio of lecturers holding bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees is one of the University’s foremost concerns. At present, more than 800 Thai and 400 hundred foreign faculty members are working in the University’s teaching and researching centers. Of these, 323 are Ph.D. holders, 770 hundred are master degrees holders, while 135 are bachelor degree holders.

As part of her ceaseless effort to ascertain the superiority of her faculty members’ qualifications, the University, in addition to her rigid recruitment policy, also has a strong and continuous commitment to her human resource development programs. More than 150 faculty and staff members are currently involved in such programs to advance their professional qualifications both in the country and abroad.

Of these, 33 faculty members are completing their program’s requirements abroad as university’s scholars; 7 in the master’s, 21 in doctoral degree programs and 5 in joint doctoral degree programs. In Thailand, a total of 81 faculty members, 35 of whom are pursuing their master’s degree, while 20 are in doctoral programs and 23 others including 3 staff members, with an aim of strengthening their teaching pedagogy and performance, are studying a program for Higher Diploma for Education, have been granted scholarships.

Fortification staff’s qualifications so as to improve service quality rendered to students as well as faculty members and thereby strengthening the university’s competitive position has also been the university’s long-term objective, hence the University has offered scholarships to 3 staff members to pursue their master’s degrees in Thailand, and to 1 staff member for her doctorate’s degree in a joint program.

The enduring human resource development programs of the University has begun to produce fruitful results as in the year 2002 - 2003, a total of 22 faculty members, 11 with doctorates and 11 with master’s degrees from the United States and Australia, and 15 others, 5 with doctorates and 10 with master’s from state universities in the country have successfully completed their programs’ requirements and have resumed their university duties to carry on their mission of strengthening their faculties’ quality and reputation.

At the same time, 2 staff members have also obtained their doctorate’s degree while 4 others have received their master’s degrees from state universities in Thailand.

As part of the programs, 264 faculty and 199 staff members (a total of 463) have been sponsored to attend various seminars and training programs to enhance their professional skills and knowledge. Of these a total of 34 faculty and 35 staff members have received training programs abroad.

3. Research Development
With her heightened awareness on the significance of research and article writing in strengthening the faculty members’ qualifications and thereby the university’s reputation, the University has placed a paramount emphasis on research grants to encourage faculty members to undertake researches in their areas of interests and present their papers abroad. This year 4 faculty members have been granted permission to present their papers at international conferences in several countries.

Furthermore, to help junior faculty members have a better understanding about the procedures in writing researches and budget proposals as well as to weather through obstacles in their research activities, the university has been consistently rendering them research assistance in terms of research seminars, and research mentors.

To provide arenas for the faculty members to disseminate their expertise and demonstrate their competency in their fields of specification to the public, the University has been publishing numerous journals in different fields. Presenting in chronological order, these journals are:

• ABAC Journal
• IJCEM (International Journal of Computer and Engineering Management)
• Prajna Vihara: The Journal of Philosophy and Religion
• The Journal of Risk Management and Insurance
• Au Journal of Technology
• Au Tech Note
• The English Teacher
• Galaxy – The English Department Journal
• The Journal of Management

4. International alliances development
In order to be a truly international university, the University has also been very active in her recruitment of international students from various countries. The University, at present, has 2,100 international students from about 57 countries, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mynmar, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan, UK, and USA, to name but a few. With her active on-going recruitment activities, the University is expecting to see an increase in foreign students admission in the future.

To strengthen her competitiveness while simultaneously providing her students valuable opportunities to acquire academic knowledge as well as cultural experiences, the University has also developed alliances with universities in different countries such as USA, Canada, UK, Scotland, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong, China, Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Furthermore, it is also a member of several international associations, namely:

• Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia (ACUCA)
• The International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU)
• The Association of Southeast Asia Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL)
• European Culinary & Hotel Institute (RABELAIS)
• United Nations, High Commissioner for Refugees
• The Chartered Insurance Institute
• The Founding Member of the Internet Society
• International Association of University Presidents (IAUP)

• 11th ASEACCU Conference 2003 under the theme “Peace and Utility: The Commitment and Responsibility of Catholic Colleges and Universities”, organized by Office of Academic Affairs
• “Education and Development in Asian Countries”, organized by Faculty of Education
• “The Educational Tradition for the Teaching Profession”, organized by Faculty of Education
• 25th Congress of PAPE “The Total Development of the Human Person”, organized by Office of Academic Affairs
• “International Workshop on Counseling Psychology”, organized by Faculty of Counseling and Psychology
• “Model of Teaching in Secondary and Tertiary Level”, organized by Faculty of Education

6. Statistical data on graduates of classes 31
At the beginning of academic year 2003, the University had a total of 19,362 students. Of these, 17,324 are taking bachelor degree programs, 1,999 are taking master degree programs, and 39 are taking the doctoral degree program.

Currently, the University has conferred degrees to 31 classes with a total of approximately 44,016 graduates. In academic year 2003, another 3,585 graduates will receive their degrees. These graduates are categorized according to their degrees and areas of specialization as follows:

• 2 Doctoral degree in Computer and Engineering Management
• 1 Doctoral degree in Philosophy

• 986 Master Degrees, of which are:
• 438 in Business Administration
• 19 in Organization Management
• 142 in Computer Information Systems
• 89 in Computer and Engineering Management
• 7 in Counseling and Psychology
• 5 in Computer Science
• 28 in Information Technology
• 12 in Telecommunication Science
• 36 in Technology Management
• 122 in Internet and E-Commerce Technology
• 7 in Broadband Telecommunications
• 13 in Telecommunication Management
• 6 in Philosophy and Religious Studies
• 34 in Tourism Management
• 13 in English Language Teaching
• 6 in Curriculum and Instruction
• 9 in Educational Administration

• 17 Graduate Diplomas in Teacher Education, and

• 2,579 Bachelor Degrees from various disciplines, namely:
• 1,369 from 9 majors in the ABAC School of Management
• 89 from 7 majors in the Faculty of Risk Management and Industrial Service
• 718 from 4 majors in the Faculty of Arts
• 14 from the Faculty of Nursing Science
• 83 from 4 majors in the Faculty of Science and Technology
• 87 from 4 majors in the Faculty of Engineering
• 71 from 2 majors in the Faculty of Communication Arts
• 97 from the Faculty of Law
• 21 from 2 majors in the Faculty of Biotechnology
• 30 from 2 majors in the Faculty of Architecture

Having attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 and above, 19 graduates will be awarded the honour Summa Cum Laude - Gold Medals.

With the attainment of a cumulative grade point average of between 3.5 and 3.79, 55 graduates will receive the honour Magna Cum Laude - Silver Medals.

60 graduates, with a grade point average of between 3.25 and 3.49 will be awarded the honour Cum Laude - Bronze Medals.

The University has always been committed to her mission of providing international quality education and has rapidly progressed in several aspects as presented in the various activities mentioned in this report. This, clearly, can be attributed to the perseverance, devotion, and commitment of administrators, faculty members, and staff to their roles and duties, and more importantly the trust of students, parents, and the industry on the quality education the University has been rendering.