History
The Faculty of Liberal Arts was formerly known as the Institute of Language and Culture, a government unit that was equivalent in terms of status to a faculty. The Institute offered languages, humanities, and social sciences in core courses for all Ubon Ratchathani University students throughout Thailand’s seventh Higher Education Development Plan (1992 – 1996).
It later extended its mission and increased its working capacity to include producing graduates in the Departments of Western Languages and Literature, Eastern Languages and Literature, Humanities, and Social Sciences especially in the needed majors, fostering research projects, providing academic services to local communities, and preserving culture and arts. On December 27, 1999, which was during the eighth Higher Education Development Plan (1997 – 2001), the Institute was elevated to a faculty and renamed the Faculty of Liberal Arts. The faculty welcomed its first undergraduate classes of English and Communication in 1999 and Tourism in 2000.
Vision
A leading faculty of liberal arts for social innovation development in the GMS region.
Mission
The Faculty of Liberal Arts is committed to producing graduates who excel in academic pursuits, uphold high moral standards, and are well-informed about social changes. It strives to create and integrate a body of knowledge about local languages, communities, cultures, and wisdom, which can be utilized for the development of Southern Isan, Thailand, and the Mekong Region.
Location
The Faculty of Liberal Arts is located on the main campus of Ubon Ratchathani University in Ban Sri Kai Sub-district, Warinchamrab District, Ubon Ratchathani. It provides services in two buildings: the LA and the ILC. The LA building, the newer of the two, has four floors. At the entrance of the building is the LA theater, with seating capacity of 400. Located on the first floor are the administrative offices and some of the faculty offices. On the second floor are the Self-Access Learning Center (SAC) and Mekong Sub-region Social Research Center (MSSRC). The third and the fourth floors house classrooms and faculty offices, respectively. The ILC building, formerly the Institute of Language and Culture building, has three floors with classrooms, faculty offices, and media room.
Faculty Flower and Color
The faculty flower is Dokjan, which belongs to the flowering plant family called Papilionoideae or Leguminosae. Its scientific name is Butea monosperma. In Thai, it is commonly known as Thong Kwao. Native to Isan, Dokjan is a symbol of the region. It thrives in a hostile environment and blooms in the dry season. Just like Dokjan, the Faculty of Liberal Art is an organic part of Isan. It strives to produce graduates who have excellent academic performances, high moral and ethical standards, leadership skills, and social awareness. The faculty color is orange, color of Dokjan.