Assumption University of Thailand (AU) is a Catholic university and the first international university of Thailand. Not only does the University provide international curriculums in various fields, but the University includes faculty from different countries and oversea students, some of whom live at the university campus. The University, too, has set Vision 2000 for the Assumption University Graduates. It, in item 1, envisions its graduates as healthy and open-minded persons, characterized by personal integrity, an independent mind, and creative thinking.

To create clear guidelines and meet results according to the vision, on January 11, 2022, Rev. Bro. Dr. Bancha Saenghiran, President, Assumption University of Thailand, chaired a meeting to establish Health Care Center @AU, at Room D21, De Montfort Hall, Hua Mak Campus. The attendees consisted of A. Sompol Na-songkhla, Vice President for Legal and Privilege Affairs, Dr. Pimsiri Bhusiri, Dean and Dr. Phat Prapawichar, Associate Dean, Bernadette de Lourder School of Nursing Science, Mrs. Benjaporn Anunwanitcha, Director, Central Library, A. Sorana Arunrat, Director, Center for Career Development and Counseling (CCDC), Student Affairs and the nurses from the infirmary room.

Objectives of Establishing Health Care Center @ AU

1. To be a nursing unit providing nursing welfare and special health examinations to the AU community.
2. To be a center that promotes and provides knowledge of physical exercise and health care.
3. To be a place for practices and nursing trainings among faculty and students of Bernadette de Lourder School of Nursing Science.
4. To be an information and health advising center on various circumstances such as healthy food choices, disease prevention, and warnings about diseases, etc.
5. To be a coordinating center among universities, external units, and communities for nursing and health care, such as blood donation, a variety of special project campaigns, and so on.
6. To coordinate both Academic Affairs and Faculty of Nursing in preparing the curriculums and content and information of health and physical exercise for faculty and students for their teaching and learning.

In addition, Assumption University has long recognized and valued the AU community’s health and fitness by carrying out various activities and projects as follows:

1. AU Care by Student Affairs is a project aiming at providing health check-up and arranging new students’ health history to follow up with them. Also, it aims at giving advice to the new students to prepare for a happy life in the University as their second home.
2. Physical fitness projects promote physical exercise through several activities on Suvarnabhumi Campus, for instance, walking, fun runs, and mini marathons. Also, Center for Sports and Physical Fitness provides knowledgeable sports trainers to educate and train students for proper exercise and for competitions.
3. Several sports fields have been constructed on Suvarnabhumi Campus to provide services for AU Community and for competitions. The sports fields include the following:
   
   - Two football fields
   - Two outdoor tennis courts
   - Two basketball courts
   - Two Sepak Takraw courts
   - One indoor tennis courts (with a 500-seat audience stand)
   - John Paul II Sports Center (with a 3,000-seat audience stand)
   - A main court for basketball, volleyball, and futsal
   - One Fitness room
   - A three-table snooker room
   - Two squash rooms
   - Four indoor badminton courts
   - An indoor 25-meter swimming pool
   - An indoor 50-meter swimming pool and a diving pool (with a 2,000-seat audience stand)
   
   
4. Sports competitions are organized internally. The competitions are, for example,
   AU Games for new students, Martin’s Cup Swimming Championships, Taekwondo competitions, futsal games, etc.
5. Office of Human Resources Management has annually provided health benefits for everyone to have good health and to happily work together. The health projects are, for example, Annual Physical Check-up Program, Flu Vaccination,
   COVID - 19 Vaccination, and other urgent health projects.
6. Bernadette de Lourder School of Nursing Science participated in the campaigns providing nursing services or knowledge, such as a campaign on COVID-19 vigilant measure, or the faculty’s and the students’ participation for community services, etc.
7. AU has appointed the Sustainable Environmental Management Committee to put the policy into action, set follow-up measures, and evaluate the performance. Also, the AU Community is encouraged to actively involve all the sectors to which individual units are related, especially in the social aspect with matters of safety and well-beingness that are related to the sustainable development of higher education institutions. The policy must be carried out, especially in terms of healthiness and fitness in line with the vision and mission of the university to provide graduates with academic excellence with physical and mental healthiness ready to serve societies and the nation.
8. AU has announced June 1, 2021, as the start date of Transformation of AU. It has been set as the start for all of the university departments to review and analyze their roles and responsibilities. The review and analysis then are used as plans for the individual departments’ development in various areas such as operation procedures, services, personnel development, and equipment for work and operations, and so on.

In the nursing service sector, too, there must be professional Transformation in various relevant fields of their own work. The nursing sector must be able to provide proactive services and give services that meet the needs of service recipients. Moreover, there must be coordination and integration in working with relevant departments and people in convenient and easily accessible channels. Additionally, there must be various methods for quick and accurate consultation and recommendations on various matters. This sector, also, must have flexibility and problem-solving orientation during a crisis. Finally, the nursing sector must provide services to the community surrounding the University to progress the steps to becoming Smart Office and Smart University in the future.

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