MSU PRIMARY FAREWELLS YEAR 6 STUDENTS

 On April 4 MSU Demonstration Primary School Director Dr. Maliwan Tunapan welcomed MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito to assist in presenting certificates and diplomas to Year 6 students who have just completed their final year of primary schooling.

Students were presented with leaving certificates, awards and diplomas for outstanding performance.

Many of the students will go on to attend MSU Secondary and then move on to Mahasarakham University.

MSU Primary Demonstration School runs two strands of education. One is where subjects are taught in Thai with optional subjects in English and the other as a complete primary education taught in English.

MSU Primary is considered one of the leading public Primary Schools in the province and students regularly win awards from national competitions. 

MSU WELCOMES CAMBODIAN SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS

On April 2 Cambodian Deputy Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, His Excellency Mr. Chea Eoung was welcomed to MSU by President Dr. Supachai Samappito and took part in a ceremony in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Chakri Sirindhorn, the Royal Patron of Mahasarakham University.

During his heartfelt address H.E. Mr. Eoung expressed the gratitude of the Cambodian people for the educational support provided by HRH Princess Sirindhorn. He noted the Princess has for many years been admired for her many projects in support of education, communities and traditional heritage, not only in Thailand, but all over the world.

Each year the much loved Princess Sirindhorn provides full scholarships for students from Cambodia to come to study at MSU. These scholarships are for the full term of study for a degree.

This year a total of ninety-nine students attended the initial welcoming ceremony held at Mahasarakham University. Of these eighty-eight will stay on to attend a comprehensive fast track course in Thai language and culture. After this fourteen students will remain to start as freshmen commencing next semester at MSU while the rest will attend other universities across Thailand.Upon completion of their degree the students will return to Cambodia to apply the skills they have learned to improve the quality of life of the Cambodian people.

An innovative part of these scholarships is free dental check-ups and dental health care during the orientation process. MSU Gymnasium is transformed into a huge dental clinic and dentists (and students) from Mahidol University come to provide the necessary dental skills. The students receive any necessary dental service so they start their studies healthy and happy. Mahasarakham University would like to send sincere thanks to the many dental students from Princess Sirindhorn Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University who volunteered their time to come to Mahasarakham to provide this valuable service.

   

The graciousness of HRH Princess Sirindhorn is also extended to local communities. Free dental check-ups and dental health care service is also provided to members of local communities, MSU staff and students. It is a valuable service now provided annually and helps many, many local people who otherwise could not afford dental treatments.

While here His Excellency Mr. Eoung and special guests boarded one of the MSU trams and visited the room dedicated to HRH Princess Sirindhorn located in the Princess Sirindhorn International Business School building. He then visited the Natural Medicinal Mushroom Museum before attending a dinner given in his honour. 

ICER CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKER ADDRESSES MSU INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

On March 19 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito welcomed Professor Dr. David M. Fetterman of Stanford University to the MSU Faculty of Education.

Dr. Fetterman is a Professor and Director of the MA Policy Analysis and Evaluation Program in the School of Education at Stanford. He has received the Myrdal Award for Evaluation Practice, the American Evaluation Society’s highest award.

Dr. Fetterman was invited to address a two International Training Workshop held at the MSU Faculty of Education from March 19 - 20.  His address was entitled ‘A Collaborative Approach Toward Evaluating and Transforming Education’.

The International Training Workshop leads up to the Fifth International Conference on Education Reform which will be hosted by MSU Faculty of Education and held in Pattaya from March 22 – 23.

Dr. Fetterman will be the keynote speaker at the conference.

Click here for information on the Fifth International Conference on Education Reform (ICER) -Pattaya Mar 22 -23

MSU WELCOMES KOREAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE PROFESSOR

On March 13 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito welcomed Professor Jaesup Pak, Director of the Center for Korean Language and Culture, Inje University to Mahasarakham University.

Professor Jaesup is here to officiate at the opening of the newly constructed Korean Culture Center (Center Sejong Hakdang) on March 14.

The Sejong Center will include a Korean folk museum and assist in the development of MSU student’s knowledge and understanding of Korean language, art and culture. The MSU Korean Studies Center was originally established as department of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science in cooperation with the government of the Republic of (South) Korea. 

Korean Studies is popular with MSU students keen to learn about Korean language and culture. Every event held at MSU featuring ASEAN countries sees a large turnout of students dressed in traditional Korean costume.

The opening of the new Sejong Center should raise the profile of the Korean Studies courses resulting in an increase in student numbers. It is also a valuable addition to the international look Mahasarakham University is rapidly developing.

MSU STUDENT WINS STRUCTURAL STEEL ARCHITECTURE STUDENT OF THE YEAR

On March 9 MSU Faculty of Architecture Student Thanarad Karnpool was awarded first prize of a sixty thousand baht scholarship in the Structural Steel Architecture Student of the Year competition 2012.

The competition is organised by the Siam Yamato Company and the Siam Cement Group.

The competition was to encourage architectural students to create a modern structure incorporating hot rolled structural steel. 

The design needed to be modern, unique, show innovation and have the capability to be used for an actual construction.

Mr. Karnpool was presented with his award and the ฿60,000 scholarship at a ceremony held at the headquarters of the Siam Cement Group in Bangkok.

MOU SIGNED WITH GSCM MONTPELLIER BUSINESS SCHOOL

Between February 15 and 23 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito led a delegation of MSU Directors, Vice Presidents and Deans to Montpellier in France to sign an MOU with Le Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) Business School.

GSCM Montpellier is allied with University Montpellier. GSCM Montpellier has international recognition of academic excellence from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Less than five percent of business schools world wide achieve this recognition. Eighty four percent of their graduates are hired before they graduate. The business school welcomes on the average two hundred and fifty international students from over one hundred and thirty universities.

The MOU will facilitate the development of joint undergraduate programs, joint research and projects. Students may achieve a Bachelor of Science Degree in International Business (BScIBA) as well as accounting and commerce degrees.

LAND ON MSU OLD CAMPUS DEVELOPED FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

On March 3 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito inspected a new area on the old MSU camps which has been developed as a research unit for sufficiency in the sustainable development of vegetables.

Although the area may look like simply a large vegetable patch it will be used for practical research and development for MSU student studies of sustainable and continuously productive vegetable crop development.

Vegetables grown include papaya, sweet corn, sunflowers, rice, marsh peas and lemons.

The area is not only for student’s education. New research, agricultural integrated farming processes and local knowledge will be shared with the general community around the province.

The area is also designed as recreation and rest area.

MSU FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AND ANIMAL SCIENCE PROACTIVE IN THE FIELD

MSU Faculty of Veterinarian Medicine and Animal Science students have been providing free consultations and vaccinations for the pets of residents of the Sri Khan and Kantarawichai districts.

Veterinary medicine students have travelled to villages in the animal ambulance to provide free medical examinations, treatments and vaccinations to the local pet and livestock population.

The field trips promote community awareness of the animal ambulance service, animal health care, the need for protection against animal diseases and to provide information on how people can access health care for their livestock and pets.

The proactive program provides clinical practise for current students as well as promoting the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science to possible new student recruits.

The animal ambulance will be in operation travelling to local communities throughout 2012 treating animals providing free vaccinations against rabies, Lacan’s disease and parasitic and allergic skin diseases. 

MSU HOSTS 2012 ORACLE THINKQUEST INSTRUCTOR TRAINING ACADEMY

On February 24 and 25 MSU Faculty of Informatics hosted a two day Oracle Academy Instructor Training workshop and seminar for representatives of over twenty Thai educational institutions involved in the 2012 Oracle ThinkQuest Competition.

The ThinkQuest competition is a world wide digital media competition in which students can compete in cyberspace with students from around the world. Three categories of events are held, website development, online journalism (photography, animation, video etc.) or interactive game development.

The ThinkQuest competition aids students in digital technology development which can be integrated into classroom curricula and results entered in the competition with assistance from the Oracle ThinkQuest Education Foundation and Oracle Corporation (Thailand).

The workshop and seminar was organised to provide information on using Oracle Database systems, courses using Oracle as a guide, how to set up Oracle (digital) Classrooms and how to integrate these elements into normal educational courses. The seminar was addressed by trained Oracle Academy Instructors.

MSU FACULTY OF PHARMACY STUDENTS WIN NATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH AWARDS

On February 19 students from MSU Faculty of Pharmacy students were presented with two national Pharmaceutical Research Awards for outstanding community research.

The awards were presented at the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Community Pharmacy (Thailand) on behalf of the Foundation for Community Pharmacy and the Pharmaceutical Forum (Thailand) and the Federation of Thai Pharmaceutical Students. The awards ceremony was held at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition and Conference Centre.

MSU Faculty of Pharmacy was the second faculty in Thailand to offer the PharmD degree curriculum which delivers a high quality scientific and technical education in Pharmacy. 

Besides offering under and post graduate courses in Pharmacy, the faculty also offers Masters level courses in Medicinal Plants and natural products.

Research fields also include Thai herbal medicinal and natural products as well as the innovation and development of practical health care programs and policies aimed towards the creation of healthy communities.

MSU HOSTS UNIVERSITY OF TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA (UTM) VISIT FOR URBAN DESIGN WORKSHOP

On February 17 MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Sujin Butdiswain and Associate Dean of Faculty of Architecture, Urban Planning and Creative Arts Dr. Tarawat Boonlua held a reception welcoming executives and undergraduate year three and four students from the Faculty of Built Environment, University of Teknologi, Malaysia (UTM).

The visit is part of continuing exchanges between the two faculties through the Urban Design and Conservation Research Units of the respective universities.

Before the reception architecture students from MSU and UTM met to exchange ideas and knowledge on community conservation projects to be outsourced and/or implemented in both Malaysia and Thailand.

The ongoing program provides opportunities for the students to design and create projects or programs which are put into actual practice.

At the reception held at the MSU Historical Village the guests from UTM were entertained with traditional cultural dance and provided with a historical perspective on the original traditional Isan houses which are situated around the central reception area.

FEBRUARY EDITION OF QS NEWS2WOWU – MSU GAINING INTERNATIONAL MOMENTUM

The latest edition of QS News2WOWU quarterly newsletter has just been published with Mahasarakham University once again prominent. 

The latest edition of QS News2WOWU quarterly newsletter has just been published with Mahasarakham University once again prominent. The front and second page article notes Sungkyungkwan University (SKKU) in South Korea and Mahasarakham University being the first universities in their respective countries, or in the case of MSU, kingdom, to be rated under the QS Stars system for excellence in higher education. Page two of QS News2WOWU provides an informative overall picture of Mahasarakham University and mentions some of its achievements and plans for the future.

The internationalisation process of Mahasarakham University is indeed gaining momentum. MSU International Relations Office staff have noticed a marked increase in emails received regarding international students, academics and institutions wanting to either study, work at or liaise with MSU. At the same time many faculties are busy with the process of preparing undergraduate courses in English for the future. Post graduate courses for international students are already available for most MSU faculties.

From its humble beginnings in the heart of the northeast of Thailand as a College of Education in 1968 with the mandate of extending higher education to the nation’s rural northeastern region, Mahasarakham University has now set its sights on becoming a world class university, its mandate extended to include students of all nationalities.

MSU DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS TRAINS VOLUNTEER STUDENTS IN RADIO

On February 15 twenty MSU students met before commencing a training program in radio techniques. MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Sujin Butdiswan (pictured bottom left) presided over the meeting.

The program has been developed by the MSU Division of Student Affairs and will train students in radio techniques for the purpose of informing and promoting the work and activities of the Department of Student Affairs from Mahasarakham University’s radio station, Thai Fm 93.75.

The students will be professionally trained in all aspects of radio production including news gathering, news reading, live and recorded interviewing techniques and creative broadcasting.

They will also be trained in behind the scenes production of radio shows. MSU has its own radio station as well as its own television station. Both transmit to audiences not only Maha Sarakham Province but also have feeds picked up and retransmitted in other Isan provinces.

The training will see MSU students kept up to date on news and events happening both on and off campus by fellow students enabling a more successful communication connection through engagement with their peers.

MSU CONTINUES IMPROVEMENT IN LATEST WEBOMETRICS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS

Mahasarakham University continues to improve in the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities with the latest half yearly rankings released in January.

Webometric rankings are designed as an indicator of the quantity and quality of electronic publications of the institution. They are published twice yearly and rank over twenty thousand higher education institutions worldwide.

 MSU broke the thousand barrier in world rankings jumping over three hundred and seventy places between July 2011 and January 2012.

Table of Webometric World University Rankings  Mahasarakham University 2009 - 2012
Month/Year	World Ranking	South East Asia	Thailand
January 2009	1393	31	18
July 2009	1443	35	20
January 2010	1470	38	20
July 2010	1618	43	18
January 2011	1254	44	17
July 2011	1101	26	13
January 2012	727	21	10

MSU continues to improve in all areas, currently rated by Webometrics as twenty-first in South East Asia and tenth in Thailand.

As MSU continues towards its goal of becoming an internationally recognised world class tertiary institution it can be expected these numbers will continue to improve.

Click here for Webometrics World University Rankings (South East Asia)

MSU PRIMARY HOLDS TWO DAY ART CAMP

On February 4 MSU Primary Demonstration School held a two day Art Camp. Both Primary and Secondary Schools in Thailand hold events such as these which are not to be confused with the western idea of camping i.e. going into the wilderness and living in tents for a few days.

The ‘camps’ whether they are art camps, English camps or other specialty camps give students an opportunity to completely immerse themselves in a particular subject matter for a few days providing knowledge and experience in a large group atmosphere. Many people not necessarily involved with the school come along and donate their time and energy to assist, whether it be a weekday or on a weekend. The camps are a good example of community sharing and involvement, typical of Isan society. No notes are sent home, word is spread through the Isan grapevine, a particularly efficient method of communication.

The Art camp held at MSU Primary provides opportunities for children to develop their artistic abilities in a fun and friendly group atmosphere, to allow children to express themselves through art and to appreciate the social values and importance of art in Isan society.

MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito took time out from his busy schedule to address the children on the social benefits of creative artwork and stayed on to offer encouragement and inspect the children’s works in progress. MSU Primary School Director Dr. Maliwan Tunapan (pictured left) takes a keen interest in her students and was also available to speak with students throughout the camp.

Over one hundred and seventy students, teachers, parents and specialised art ‘trainers’ took part in the two days of fun and creative activities. 

Click here for more pictures

MSU CREATIVE MEDIA STUDENTS SHORT FILM AND ANIMATION COMPETITION

Each year Creative Media students of MSU Faculty of Informatics take part in the Esan (Isan) Short Film and Animation Contest. Teams of students from within the faculty this year produced short films, documentaries or animations based on the theme “Home’.

MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito attended the ceremony to present awards and cash prizes to the winners.

Mahasarakham University is committed to the preservation of local culture and traditions and the creative media student’s works are an example of taking the knowledge they have gained out of the classroom and applying it in the real world.

The creation of these works instils a sense of pride in the students, promotes awareness of their local culture for others and creates historical records for future generations. It is also designed to showcase students talents providing a valuable example of their work for future employment prospects.

This is the seventh year of the E-san Short Film and Animation contest, emanating from an arts program taken as part of the Creative Media course at the Faculty of Informatics. The program includes seminars and training by special guests on making films, documentaries, cartoons and animations.

WORLD WETLANDS DAY AT MSU

On February 2 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito presided over the ceremony marking World Wetlands Day.

February 2 is the day the Ramsar Convention (on Wetlands of International Importance) treaty was signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. World Wetlands Day (WWD) was first celebrated in 1997 with just under two thousand Ramsar (wetland) sites of importance currently listed. Contracting parties from over one hundred and sixty countries, including Thailand, are signatories to the Ramsar Treaty.

The slogan for WWW in 2012 is Wetland Tourism: A Great Experience.

MSU Office of Academic Services, Division of Building, Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Veterinary Science and Medicine, Medical School, Centre for Book Research and the Department of Fisheries and others collaborated with fifteen neighbourhood schools and thirteen local villages in holding events raising awareness on World Wetlands Day.

Events held included fishing, rice planting , painting and dancing competitions as well as many other community activities. The focus was on raising awareness among young people of preserving wetlands (and forests) along the rivers of northeast Thailand and the important role they play in the ecological balance of nature.

Click here for more pictures

MSU PUBLIC RELATIONS STUDENTS RAISE ENERGY AWARENESS

On February 1 MSU School of Journalism Students majoring in Public Relations partook in a one day publicity campaign project named Energy: Power House.

Held outside and around the grounds of the Faculty of Informatics the campaign targeted students and in turn their families in raising awareness and creating a positive attitude to energy saving.

The campaign included raising awareness through music, comedy and a game/quiz show. Students also took to the MSU trams to promote their campaign show using loudspeakers and banners especially created for the campaign.

The campaign seemed to be successful as a large crowd of students and faculty members were drawn to hear, see and receive the Energy: Power House message broadcast by the School of Journalism students.

CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE AT MSU CELEBRATES CHINESE NEW YEAR (OF THE DRAGON)

On January 21 MSU President Dr. Supachai Samappito attended Chinese New Year festivities at the invitation of MSU Confucius Institute Director Mr. Lin Haoye.

Chinese New Year is traditionally the most important holiday in China and marks the start of the fifteen day Spring Festival. As the Chinese calendar is lunar based, the day upon which New Year falls varies from year to year. 

This year Chinese New Year falls on January 23 and in 2013 will fall on February 10. Thai and Chinese students alike joined in the New Year celebrations for the Year of the Dragon held at the Confucius Institute Cultural Center located on the old campus in downtown Mahasarakham.

The popular Confucius Institute has now been in operation at MSU for five years, having celebrated this milestone in December.