Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

Infobox_University
name = Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU)
native_name = มหาวิทยาลัยสุโขทัยธรรมาธิราช


motto =
established = 1978
type = Public, open university
president = Professor Dr. Pratya Vesarach
undergrad = 169,798 [http://www.stou.ac.th/Eng/STOU_Annual_Report_2005.pdf]
postgrad = 3,186 [http://www.stou.ac.th/Eng/STOU_Annual_Report_2005.pdf]
city = Nonthaburi
country = Thailand
colours = Green - Gold
affiliations = ASAIHL
website = [http://www.stou.ac.th www.stou.ac.th]

Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University or STOU (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยสุโขทัยธรรมาธิราช) is one of the two open universities in Thailand.

History

The University was officially established by Royal Charter on 5 September 1978, under the name of "Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University". The University has thus designated 5 September of each year as the commemorative date of the University's founding. As the eleventh state university, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University has all the honors and privileges of other universities. It was the first open university in Southeast Asia to use a distance teaching/learning system.

Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University was established as a state university in order to provide the people with increased educational opportunities at university level. It is an open university, which uses a distance teaching system.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX, bestowed the name "Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University" in honor of King Rama VII, one of whose titles before his accession to the throne was "Prince Sukhothai Thammaraja".

Mission

Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, in response to individual and societal needs, holds to the principle of lifelong education and aims to develop the quality of life of people, generally by increasing the level of knowledge of working people and expanding the educational opportunities for secondary-school graduates. This is accomplished by establishing a distance education system which employs correspondence media, radio broadcasts, television, and other methods that enable students to study on their own without having to enter an actual classroom.

Crest

The crest features three arrows placed horizontally beneath a crown framed by the pinnacle of a cone-shaped stupa. The three arrows are taken from the official seal of King Rama VII while the cone-shaped stupa is the symbol of the ancient Kingdom of Sukhothai. His Majesty, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Kine Rama IX, gave permission for this symbol to be used as the University's official crest.

Color

The University colors, green and gold, have the following meaning

Greenrepresents the color for the day, Wednesday, on which His Majesty, King Rama VII, was born

Goldthe symbol of good fortune

Academics

Sukhothai Thammathirat consists of 11 faculties:

* [http://www.stou.ac.th/thai/Schools/Sst/ School of Science and Technology]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Sla/home/ School of Liberal Arts]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Sed/home/ School of Educational Studies]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Sms/home/ School of Management Science]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Slw/home/ School of Law]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Sec/home/ School of Economics]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Shs/home/ School of Health Science]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/She/home/ School of Home Economics]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Sps/home/ School of Political Science]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Sag/home/ School of Agricultural Extension and Cooperatives]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Sca/home/ School of Communication Arts]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Sns/home/ School of Nursing]
*School of Engineering ^{[http://www.stou.ac.th/Schools/Seg/home/ web]}

*Database on distance education research ^{[http://www.stou.ac.th/Thai/Offices/Ord/database/Plan_Eng/index.html web]}

External links

* [http://www.stou.ac.th/ Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University]
* [http://www.stou.ac.th/Eng/AboutSTOU/default.asp About STOU]