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St Theresa goes internationalnow embraces a truly international tertiary programme
Most foreign university students who visit Thailand come to taste the culture and indulge in any number of exotic experiences the Land of Smiles has to offer. Few come here to study. But that could change as St Theresa Inti College in Bangkok expands its international degree programme to attract students from abroad as well as more homegrown talent. The college began life almost 20 years ago as a secretarial school where the curriculum was delivered exclusively in English. The school soon established a solid reputation and grew to accommodate nearly 2000 students. Such was their success that the college’s founder and president, Dr Theresa Virachanee Phromsuntorn, ambitiously decided to offer international qualifications as well. Today, students at the college can study for an increasing number of Bachelors degrees awarded by either Troy State University (TSU) in Alabama, USA or the University of Coventry in the UK. The focus is on providing a real international environment and an education that is as close to studying at a top western university as possible. College administrators are also excited about their new MBA (Masters in Business Administration) programme which began at the end of March. The MBA is already attracting much interest, particularly from mature students with a business background who want to further their business skills. Seminars are scheduled conveniently outside working hours and, like the Bachelors courses, the MBA is a ‘dual’ degree awarded by Troy State and St Theresa combined. The transition from secretarial school to college, however, was far from easy. Dr Theresa struggled for years with government bureaucracy to establish the international college as it now stands. Setting up any academic institution is a complex business but this was complicated even more when special dispensation was required to deliver a foreign degree on Thai soil. “The Ministry of Education is very strict about quality but that is a good point,” she says. “Troy State University was the same, so when they came to do the quality assurance, we already had everything they were looking for. We were prepared.” Joint venture For the past few years, St Theresa College has been working in collaboration with Inti College in Malaysia. Inti already had experience in offering dual degrees and was instrumental in helping St Theresa to facilitate the link with Troy State University. The two colleges now share resources, staff and occasionally students who may opt to do different parts of their degree at both institutions as well as other colleges within the Inti network dotted throughout the Asian region.
Students also have the opportunity to study for a portion of their degree at Troy State and, because of further links with that university, at over 40 other colleges and universities across the USA. The American University Programme (AUP), as it is known, fits comfortably with one of the main principles of modern education – diversity. Furthermore, a similar agreement with Coventry University, part of the British University Programme (BUP), enables students to study in the UK and plans are afoot to establish links with more colleges across the globe, including those in Australia and New Zealand. “Because we have this joint venture with all those universities, we are able to provide an education of an equal standard to that in the UK or US,” says college Rector Dr Piyada Pattanakanjit who oversees academic matters. “Students can do a degree in Thailand from a US university without having to leave the country, so they can save a lot of money because it will be less expensive than studying abroad. They also have a choice. If they want to study part of their degree in the US or UK, they can do.” Broad range Here at home, Bachelor degree courses are delivered at a purpose-built campus in Rangsit that includes well-equipped classrooms, computer labs, sports facilities and a student residence block. The MBA programme is delivered in a new resource centre on Silom Road and the college has acquired plenty of land for further building as the community grows. The students themselves come from a range of backgrounds. Currently, most of the intake is Thai but more and more students are coming in from other countries, particularly within Asia. Cambodian student Rithy Lay is in his third year of studying for a BA in Business Computing. “The instruction is in English which is good because I want to work in global affairs,” he says. “The teachers are very friendly. You can communicate easily with them and they always take the time to discuss any problems.” Hatim Abdalla, originally from the Sudan, has been educated all over the world, most recently in Germany. “I read about the university and I was quite interested in studying in this part of the world,” he says. “So I thought, yeah, why not give it a try? I’ve been here about a month and a half now and it’s going well. This is a great country with nice people and an interesting culture, better than any other country in the region. Normally I live in big cities but, here, you don’t see a lot of people. The location is quite isolated. That’s good for studying!” he quips. Despite a drive towards internationalism, St Theresa College is not forgetting an important community – the Thai people. A number of Thai students have been awarded both full and partial tuition scholarships, enabling them to get the type of education they would otherwise have been unable to afford. One of those recipients, Chaninwan Cantarasiri from Chonburi, says that she feels very lucky to be here. “My first impressions of St Theresa’s are good,” she says. “It’s a nice environment, very peaceful. There are not many students, so we can get to know each other very well.” Non-native English speakers have the opportunity to take intensive English courses, averaging two months duration, in preparation for their degree study. Nareewan Phosuwan, from Samut Prakan province, won a scholarship after proving to be the one of the most promising students in her school. Although she has only been at St Theresa one month, she is gaining a lot from the experience. “I think the important reason I’m here is because I can study in English. English is very important now,” she says, adding that she would like to pursue the option of studying in America if possible. Jerry Spiegel, a lecturer from California who specialises in English tuition as well as teaching components in Sociology, believes that the intensive English learning programme is important if students are to immerse themselves in study on an international scale. “I’m trying to teach students to be fluent in colloquial conversation,” he explains. “If the instruction is in English, it doesn’t matter how smart you are, you need to be able to understand it. I think these kids at the end of eight weeks are going to be pretty good.” Another scholarship student, Wanwisa Apiphunsakorn, also from Samut Prakan, says that she is looking forward to completing her intensive English course so that she will be able to embark on a degree in International Business. For Wanwisa, this is a special opportunity. “I wanted to study abroad but it was too expensive,” she notes. Passing on the knowledge The lecturers at St Theresa College are of a high quality and bring with them a wealth of experience in both education and industry. All faculty involved in the AUP, for example, are approved by Troy State University and, occasionally, specialist lecturers are flown in from TSU to deliver certain modules.
Matthew Feinberg, an American, who teaches English and Psychology, sees an exciting future ahead. “The biggest strength of St Theresa is the potential,” he notes. “We have lecturers from all over the world and 12 countries are represented. If we can get more international students, it will be an advantage.” Business and English teacher, Ewelina Szkutnik from Poland, believes that the college has a very personable atmosphere. “At the moment, this is a very small school,” she says. “We really have time to help the students. Because of this, they really get much more attention and personal advice.” She also cites the drive towards internationalism as having a positive effect on students. “The majority of us have worked for western companies. We know how active you have to be in order to be successful in western companies so we can pass that knowledge onto our students.” St Theresa College is keen on recruiting academic staff who have a proven track record along with an understanding of the outside world. Low Kong Meng, from Malaysia, has spent 13 years teaching and also has a varied experience in industry. “They have a very good infrastructure here,” he observes. “We have helped graduates to get jobs because we do a lot of project work with IT companies and some of them offer our students employment.” Further expansion At the moment, there are around 150 full-time students enrolled on degree courses throughout St Theresa College and that figure looks set to double very soon. Current plans are to run courses in Hotel management and Dr Theresa would like to start up a media course to train future journalists. This is her dream, she says, because she believes that too many journalists today have difficulty getting at the truth. Food for thought here at Learning Post! In order to create more of an international atmosphere, college administrators are keen to appeal to more overseas students. “If they believe that the programme we bring is good, that the university is reputable, that the professors are of a high standard, I’m sure within three years they will all come,” suggests Dr Theresa. “But they need time to see our quality.” The location of the Rangsit campus may not initially sound attractive to prospective students. After all, it is miles from the bustling centre of the capital and situated in a peaceful rural area. However, it won’t be such a remote place for much longer. The Thaksin government recently announced plans for developing the area as a ‘satellite’ capital. Eventually, this will boost the attractiveness of the location, producing a thriving business community and buzzing nightlife. It will also promote the market value of the land which made the announcement a welcome one to Dr Theresa and her clan who had bought the land before an announcement was made! Perhaps it was divine providence. After all, the name of the college is symbolic. Dr Theresa, a practicing Catholic, drew inspiration from the two St Theresas within Catholic theology who are both important symbols of religious compassion. Administrators at St Theresa Inti College are keen to develop at the right pace, establishing a reputation for quality first and then building on it. “Now we are trying to expand but at the same time, we are still concerned about the academic quality. We do not want to grow too quickly,” says college Rector Pattanakanjit. Prudence helped to make the secretarial school an enormous success and everyone at the college hopes that they can follow suit. It will take time, patience and some imagination on the part of the whole community, but the future of St Theresa College looks set to be a very dynamic one indeed.
|© The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2004 | Last modified: April 5, 2004 |
Dr Theresa Virachanee Phromsuntorn
Dr Piyada Pattanakanjit
Matthew Feinberg, Ewelina Szkutnik, Low Kong Meng