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The Four Decades of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University, was established on July 18, 1978, as announced in the Royal Gazette, Volume 25, Part 72, pages 433-437. Over the past four decades, the Faculty has undergone significant development, which can be categorized into the following phases:

1. The Era of Establishment (1978-1988)

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences was the 7th faculty established at Khon Kaen University. Its primary objective was to consolidate humanities and social sciences personnel who were scattered across various faculties into a single unit, thus reducing redundancy in teaching humanities and social sciences courses. Initially, there were only four departments:

Department of Foreign Languages
Department of Library Science (originally under the Faculty of Science and Arts)
Department of Social Sciences
Department of Humanities (which brought together personnel teaching basic humanities and social sciences courses from the Faculty of Education and economics courses from the Faculty of Agriculture).

The Faculty offered four undergraduate programs:

Bachelor of Arts in Library Science (1975)
Bachelor of Arts in English (1980)
Bachelor of Arts in Community Development (1984)
Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance (1984)


2. The Era of Expansion (1989-1998)

Khon Kaen University expanded its scope to produce more graduates in humanities and social sciences to meet the growing demand in Northeastern Thailand. In 1989, the Faculty restructured its administration by dividing it into the Dean's Office and increasing the number of departments to eight:

Department of Foreign Languages
Department of Library and Information Science
Department of Social Sciences
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Department of Social Development
Department of Thai Language
Department of Philosophy and Religion
Department of History and Archaeology

Some disciplines separated to form new faculties:
Arts and Music formed the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts
Business Administration and Economics formed the Faculty of Management Science

During this period, the Faculty launched new undergraduate programs:
Bachelor of Arts in French (1988)
Bachelor of Arts in Thai (1989)

And five master's degree programs:
Master of Arts in Development Sociology (1988)
Master of Arts in Library and Information Science (1994)
Master of Arts in Development Administration (1995)
Master of Arts in Social Development (1995)
Master of Arts in English (1997)


3. The Era of Transformation (1999-2008)

The third decade saw significant changes in line with the university's strategic plan to become a research university and a leading university in ASEAN. The Faculty introduced three doctoral programs to strengthen research:

Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies (1998)
Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies (2003)
Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (2007)

New undergraduate language programs were also added:

German
Japanese
Spanish
Chinese

In 2006, the Faculty restructured its administration again, shifting from a department-based system to a subject-group system with four groups:

Languages
Humanities
Social Sciences
Information and Communication


4. The Era of the Research University (2009-2018)

In its fourth decade, the Faculty focused on becoming a research university with international recognition, aligning with Khon Kaen University's vision. This led to the launch of:
A double-degree program in Business Chinese (2008) in collaboration with Southwest University, China

And new graduate programs to enhance research capacity:
Master's programs in Mekong Studies (2010), Public Administration (2015), and Chinese Language and Culture (2016)
Doctoral programs in Public Administration (2012), Eastern Philosophy and Religion (2013), and Applied Linguistics (2014).
To address the needs of the ASEAN Community, the Faculty established the ASEAN Language Center (2013) to oversee the teaching and academic services in all ASEAN languages. It also launched a Bachelor's program in Southeast Asian Studies (2016).

In 2017, the Faculty underwent another restructuring, organizing itself as follows:

Faculty Administration Division:
Administration Office
Strategic Planning Office
Academic Affairs Office

Academic Administration:
Western Languages
Eastern Languages
Thai Language
English Language
Humanities
Social Sciences
Information Science

Research Centers and Groups:
Mekong River Basin Multidisciplinary Research Center
Civil Society and Governance Center
ASEAN Language Center
Isan Community Studies Center
Well-being Research Group
Digital Humanities Research Group
English Language Expertise Center
International Labor and Migration Service Center
Public Policy Research Group


Deans of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University

10 October 1978 - 31 March 1979:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Theod Charoenwattana
 (Acting Dean)

1 April 1979 - 7 July 1979:
Asst. Prof. Charin Pao-rohit (Acting Dean)

8 July 1979 - 31 March 1983:
Assoc. Prof. Chinda Pho-mueang

1 April 1983 - 2 October 1986:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yupin Techamanee

2 October 1986 - 29 October 1986:
Asst. Prof. Charin Pao-rohit (Acting Dean)

16 November 1986 - 15 November 1990:
Asst. Prof. Charin Pao-rohit

16 November 1990 - 30 November 1994:
Asst. Prof. Charin Pao-rohit

1 October 1994 - 30 September 1998:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yupin Techamanee

1 October 1998 - 30 September 2001:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yupin Techamanee

1 October 2001 - 30 September 2004:
Asst. Prof. Dr. Sipanya Jaiyai

1 October 2004 - 30 September 2006:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Peerasit Khamnuansilapa

1 October 2006 - 30 September 2010:
Asst. Prof. Dr. Yaowaluk Apichatvollop

1 October 2010 - 30 September 2012:
Asst. Prof. Dr. Yaowaluk Apichatvollop

1 October 2012 - 30 September 2020:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kultida Tuamsuk

1 October 2020 - Present:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orathai Piayura

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Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University
123 Mitraparp Road Khon Kaen 40002 THAILAND
email: husokku.info@gmail.com Tel. (+66)43 202 861, (+66)43 009 700 Ext. 44888 Fax. (+66)43 202 318
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