Content of the issue: 1. From the Dean‘s Desk 2. Leelawadee Thai Spa

3. Food & Beverage work-shops at Sofitel Bangkok

4. Bangkok, center of the world for IPaD students 6. Meet Khun Arun 6. Associations 6. SRU on the road

7. Research for spa in-dustry

7. Meet the Student

7. Spa Field Trips

8. Yoga Research Project

Scholarship

Applications accepted

now.

For the next Academic

Year, Stenden Rangsit

University continues to

offer scholarships to

outstanding students. More

information will follow

in the next scholarship

newsletter and on

www.stendenrangsit.com.

The purpose of higher education, especially Universities of Applied Science, is to educate the future labour force so that society and industry benefit from our investments. But how do we know that we are preparing our students properly for their future? Are we sure that the industry is provided with well educated employees who are prepared for the job? Are we doing the things that matter? Are we unleashing potential? Do we offer our students sufficient real life practice? Is knowledge transferable to daily life situations or are we educating professors?

These are questions every Dean should ask himself. In my opinion, the one and only answer is to keep in touch with the industry, set up a dialogue and convince the industry that educating future staff is a joint responsibility. We academics cannot do it by ourselves. We really need the help and expertise of the highly skilled professionals working in the industry and, even more importantly, our students need role models with whom they would like to identify themselves in their future career.

I am very proud that our team is able to involve the industry more and more in our programme. Outstanding F&B managers of the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit took care of the wine, beer and spirit classes for our first year students. Instead of offering these classes here on campus, our students went to the Sofitel at Sukhumvit every Tuesday, so that they experienced the whole concept of F&B in a real life setting. Anantara Bangkok Riverside offered our third year students practice. The MICE industry is supporting us with real life projects for our Event Management students. In addition to all this, our International Diplomacy and Protocol Studies students had guest lectures at, for example, the United Nations, European Union and several Embassies. And we are currently working with our Spa & Health Management students on a research project commissioned by and in cooperation with the Thai Spa Association. The outcomes of this research will be presented during the World Spa & Well-being Convention 2013.

At the moment we are working on a new minor, Marketing & Management in Asia, and I do hope that we will find enthusiastic representatives of the industry for this minor as well.Practice is a very important part of our programme. On all Stenden campus sites learning hotels are found, in South Africa and the Netherlands even part of Stenden. In Bangkok, however, we lack this and I do hope that I will find some partners who are willing to invest in the quality of future employees for the industry in general by offering structural practice placements for our first, second and third year students on all kind of levels. Educating the next generation is a shared responsibility and that is how you and we can make a difference.

From the Dean’s DeskHow we make a difference

January - March 2013 1/2013

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One of Stenden Rangsit’s most recent graduates is currently making all faculty members very proud. After Uelun finalized her 4th year internship at the Kempinski Spa Mongolia late last year, she decided to open her very own spa center – the Leelawadee Thai Spa Center. The decision to open a business in her home country is already being rewarded with growing number of clients and plans of expansion. According to Uelun, her time at Stenden Rangsit University was the best preparation to start the own business right away: “Studying at Stenden Rangsit helped me to realize that opening a spa center in my own country is possible. After completing the Spa & Health management minor in my third year, I was confident enough to have gained enough industry insights. I have learnt and gained a lot of knowledge from our university and I have implemented the Thai service mind in our spa

center, which is helping me to attract more customers.”

There are a couple of reasons besides Uelun‘s ambitious management that make

the Leelawadee spa such a success. One of the main factors seems to be

that Uelun understands how to approach her customers and treat each individual guest with special attention. It seems that a keen sense of translating needs of the target market into products and services has helped Uelun to quickly

establish her spa as a player on the local market: “It is known that many office

employees have problems of back aches, headaches and migraines. Due to these

problems, we have responded and opened a Yoga center targeting office workers and a

ballet center for little girls, since many parents are concerned about their children’s exercising routines. Nowadays,

people are more concerned about their health, so health businesses are booming along with the mining industry in Mongolia.”Whatever the future will bring, all staff members at Stenden Rangsit University will eagerly follow the career paths of our alumni and are happy to hear of success stories such as the Leelawadee Thai Spa Center.

Leelawadee Thai SpaStenden graduate opens her own Thai Spa center in Mongolia

Stenden Rangsit University (SRU) received very good educational support from Sofitel Bangkok, Sukhumvit Hotel in providing knowledge about wine, beer and spirits to year 1 students. It is not only knowledge our students gained from the expert instructors, but also the experience of studying in a renowned international chain hotel rather than the usual classroom on campus. The wine workshops were conducted by Mr. Rahman Bousnina, Dining Manager. In this class the students learnt about the basics of wine, wine regions and their characteristics and production methods as well as sweet and fortified wines. Moreover, students were taught the ins and outs of making wine and food combination. They also obtained practical skills such as how to open the bottle and present the wine to the guest. During the workshops students had an opportunity to taste various wines

from old and new world wine countries. Students also learned about beer production and consumption, spirits, liqueurs and cocktails from Mr. Tim Reus, Food and Beverage Coordinator, a dynamic teacher who always made the classroom full of laughter. All workshops ran smoothly because everything had been carefully arranged by Ms. Radklao Charernsuk, Talent & Development Manager. She was with us from beginning to the end of the program. Stenden Rangsit University is appreciative of the kind support and generosity it received from the management at Sofitel Bangkok, Sukhumvit Hotel. The knowledge and experience our students gained from the workshops will be a firm foundation for them to broaden their studies in Hospitality Management.

Food & Beverage workshop at Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

5 – 27 February 2013

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Bangkok continues to be the diplomatic heart of South East Asia and provides students in Stenden Rangsit’s minor programs with a unique

chance to expose themselves to top policy makers and bilateral and multilateral international organizations, which shape the world we live in. Over the course of just three weeks, students in the International Protocol & Diplomatic Studies (IPaDS) minor program had the opportunity to participate in a number of interesting events and visits.

On 28 March they had the distinct honor to attend the prestigious ASEAN Business Forum 2013 as special guests. They followed a full-

day program at Bangkok’s exclusive Plaza Athenee Hotel, which featured high-profile diplomats, academics and captains of

industry. Keynote speaker was Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, former Secretary General of ASEAN and a former Minister of

Foreign Affairs of Thailand. Other speakers included (chief) executives of companies such as General Motors South East Asia, IBM and Mitsubishi Electric Company. The Forum was established in 2009 to serve as a place for business leaders in the ASEAN region to share and

learn from each other as all ten ASEAN countries are preparing for the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community

(AEC).

For the second year in a row, IPaDS students have also met Thai Prime Minister H.E. Yingluck Shinawatra.

Following her keynote address to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT), of which the students are official members, students had a chance to personally talk to the Prime Minister to introduce themselves and their minor program.

In her speech, Prime Minister Yingluck reflected on the current state of affairs in the kingdom. She

highlighted the impressive economic growth in Q4 of 2012 as a sign of

Thailand’s successful

Bangkok, center of the world for IPaDS students

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rebound from the massive floods the country was confronted with in late 2011. The Prime Minister also shared new policy initiatives for the remainder of her term in office to boost Thailand’s regional competitiveness within ASEAN and the world.

The gala dinner and keynote address capped an intensive and informative day for the IPaDS students. Their itinerary included a visit to the German Embassy in the morning and in the afternoon they were welcomed at the Delegation of the European Union in Bangkok.

At the German Embassy, Mr. Arend Wulff, Political Counsellor, provided a briefing on how German foreign policy is shaped and shared his assessment of current political issues in Thailand. He also explained his work on protocol matters and generously answered all student questions.

Mr. Udomdech Srimaserm, Trade Officer at the EU delegation, gave a talk on EU-Thailand and EU-ASEAN trade relations. He drew a comparison between the EU and ASEAN in terms of how trade policies are made. In addition, he addressed the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community and the opportunities and challenges associated with it coming into being.

These visits and events are invaluable components of the students’ study program and push them to broaden their horizons, explore new interests, and obtain a better perspective on what happens around the world. We are very grateful to all diplomatic missions, which have generously devoted their time to share their knowledge and expertise with our students.

To follow our IPaD students, visit their blog at www.asianowblog.com

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Khun Arun has become an integral part of Stenden Rangsit‘s most popular minor, offered twice a year, and has been involved in the Event Management programme for three semesters now. In his position as General Manager of Royal Paragon Enterprises Co., Ltd., Khun Arun is responsible for

one of the most prestigious event venues in Bangkok and has worked with our students on various events held at his venue. Before his appointment as GM at Royal Paragon Hall, Khun Arun was General Manager at Impact Exhibition Management Co.,Ltd.

in Bangkok as well as the Director of Operations at the Christchurch Convention Center in New Zealand after having studied at the renowned Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland.

While Khun Arun constantly receives very positive feedback from students who have worked with him. His view on the minor may be one explanation for his popularity among the students: ‘I have dealt with several groups of Stenden students and took over the role as an external client in the Event Management programme offered by Stenden Rangsit University. The advantages of the programme are obvious and the close link to reality is what makes Stenden students great sources of inspiration for me as a client. I am constantly impressed by the students‘ work and get a lot of motivation from working with such inspiring youngsters.‘

Meet Khun ArunIn this edition of Meet the Staff we introduce one of our industry experts involved in the Event Managament minor

In recent months, Stenden Rangsit University has further increased its links with the local industry and officially joined the Thai Hotel Association and the Thai Spa Association. Both memberships add enormous value to both our full-time programme and spa minor and underlines Stenden Rangsit‘s strengthened position in the international hospitality network.

In the past few months the SRU Marketing team has been constantly on the move to spread the word of its unique PBL education system in hospitality management. SRU visited many high schools throughout Thailand and even participated in a seminar in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam. Besides that, SRU travelled all the way to the north-east of Thailand to inform interested students about the Hospitality Management program at the Khon-Kaen University Fair. Khon Kaen University is one of Thailand’s top ranking universities.

There have been several enjoyable visits to high schools in Bangkok and the surrounding area. SRU was invited to present future career options after graduating with a Double Bachelor degree (BBA and BA) from Stenden Rangsit University. These were all highly interactive and pleasant presentations with

a lot of curious students in attendance. All of them were eager to learn about our unique Problem Based Learning system.

SRU was also a highly recognized Hospitality program at the big TIEE Education Fair, which took place at end of February. TIEE is one of the largest education fairs organized in Thailand with universities from all over the world. This year the fair took place at one of Bangkok’s top venues ‘Siam-Paragon Convention Centre’.

Last but certainly not least, SRU showed its hospitality credentials during the Rangsit University Open House. Interested students were treated to Ajarn Nat’s homemade luxury, high-quality and delicious snacks and drinks while being informed about the SRU program.

SRU on the road

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My name is Hansol Jang also known as Kyle. I was born in Seoul, Korea. I am 23 years old. After the second year of high school I transferred to an International School in Beijing, China. At this school I studied English, Chinese, Korean, biology, history and mathematics. After my graduation from International high school in Beijing I enrolled at the University of International Business and Economics. After one year of study I had to pause the study because I had to do my military service in Korea. In Korea all men are obliged to do 21 months of military service. This was a long and hard time for me but also gave me the opportunity to carefully think through what I want to do with my future and what industry I could see myself having a solid career.

I thought about how I like travelling and that I

travelled to many countries and how I would like a career that would also make this possible. Furthermore I have always had a big interest in the hotel business. Travelling to Thailand made me discover the beautiful beaches and thriving hospitality industry. My dream is someday running my own hotel business and I realized that an owner of a Hotel should know everything there is to know about running a Hotel successfully. Hence I quit the course of International Business and Economics at the University in Beijing and enrolled at Stenden Rangsit University to get a solid base and a new start to achieve my real dream!! Starting my own hotel.

Once again students experienced the Real World Learning concept when visiting various spa organizations in Bangkok. Branded as the ‘big field trip day‘, students were split up into three groups and travelled through Bangkok to visit Health Land, the Anantara Spa and the Peninsula Spa. With entirely different design concepts, services and pricing, the three spas were ideal to compare with each other and students were able to experience the wide range of different players on the market. From inexpensive day spas serving a mass market such as Health Land up to 5-star luxury hotel spas such as the prestigious Peninsula, the field trip day offered all different experiences for students to be used as research for their module assignment.

Spa field trips

Meet the StudentThis month in our ‚Meet the Student‘ section: Hansol, first year student from Korea.

Stenden Rangsit University and the Thai Spa Association collaborate to deliver a research paper on the Thai Spa industry with the aim to be presented at the World Spa & Well-being Convention (WSWC2013) to be held at IMPACT Exhibition Centre, Bangkok in September 2013. The event is the organized by the Thai Spa Association. Stenden Rangsit University will execute the research and be responsible to collect data and translate findings into a report. The overall objectives of the research are to respond to the lack of quality research that currently exists in the spa industry and deliver research results and specific industry recommendations. While involving some students as research assistants, the project underlines Stenden Rangsit’s ambitions to deliver quality academic research and establish the university as a centre of academic excellence.

Research project for spa industry

Stenden University prides itself with immersing students into the real world by learning through direct experience and self exploration. In module 3 of the 2012-2013 academic year, the Spa and Health Grand Tour students were able to participate in a ground-breaking research project from the Faculty of Oriental Medicine at Rangsit University. Dr. Ratanaporn (Suree) Supalaknaree, senior lecturer of Oriental Medicine, is exploring the connection between Eastern and Western Medicine to determine the accuracy and validity of medical diagnosis of bioenergy.

From an Eastern Medicine viewpoint, bioenergy is understood as a natural aura (or chakras) which emanates from your body from specific energy points and is directly linked to health. A more well-balanced aura through the five elements of water, earth, wood, fire and metal means a healthy body. From a Western Medicine viewpoint, bioenergy (not to be confused with a similar term for a sustainable energy source) is electro-magnetic energy which emanate from your body due to the electrical impulses between nerve cells in all living organisms. Using western technology to detect

these electro-magnetic impulses, Dr. Ratanaporn is researching the benefits of relaxation techniques in Yoga and their effect on a body’s overall aura.

Having a lot of data from Thai participants already, she was excited to see if there

was a correlation of similar results with foreign participants. This

is where Stenden students were asked to participate in her research.

Her research project was simple. In each session, approximately 15 Stenden students had their aura scanned before

participating in a one hour yoga workshop designed to

alleviate stress. Afterwards, a second aura scan would

be conducted to determine the effect of Yoga exercises on the body’s

aura. A total of four Yoga sessions were necessary to accumulate enough raw data for the research project.

“Almost all students showed better bioenergy flow in the body especially their visceral organs after yoga,” Dr. Ratanaporn said after compiling her data, “Please advise them to continue yoga as this oriental exercise can really enhance bioenergy flow

Yoga Research ProjectStenden students were part of a ground-breaking research project to explore the influence of Yoga on a person‘s bioenergy

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