Life Excellence Workshops (W1-6)

The undergraduate students are required to pass the morals and ethics training as being one of the graduation requirements. The students will attend the training and workshop for learning and understanding the five principles of Payap University, including the participation in social service activities with the Religious Affairs Office or with the faculty/college. The training/workshop hours must not be less than 20 hours.

Registration, downloads, and schedules: https://ole.payap.ac.th/

Payap University Principles for Ministry

These five principles are the fundamental faith and philosophical principles that inform and inspire everything that we do at Payap University. They flow out of our Christian foundation and undergird our mission statement and our motto Truth and Service. They include our statement of Desired Graduates (ethical hearts, society’s servants, academic excellence, develop international competence) and our vision of Developing World Citizens.

(For each core principle, I list the principle as approved by the board first, and then add a description and 3 key aspects of each core principle that we use in teaching staff and students.)

1. Transformation Toward Authentic Peace (shalom)

We believe God has created and called Payap University to serve society.
We work for the “kingdom of God,” that is for authentic peace (shalom) for every level: for individuals, faculties/units, for Payap University, for Chiang Mai Province, for communities and societies, for the nation of Thailand, and for the world.
We value sustained growth and development because it is essential for everyone.
In a world that is changing rapidly Payap people pursue true peace—we pursue change that leads toward the best for all members of the human community; this means that we are visionary, proactive, and live in a win-win way.

    • Visionary: Payap people share a vision or common goal of true peace which is peace that is found in joyful relationships and justice; we are people who have formed a habit of beginning with the end in mind—living based on goals formed after reflection.
    • Proactive: Payap people choose love rather than “victimism.” We refuse to view ourselves as victims; we are people who have formed a habit of using our freedom to make creative and constructive choices even in challenging situations.
    • Live win-together: Payap people seek good for everyone through practicing building love bonds (love-based relationships) and reducing fear bonds (fear-based relationships). We approach conflict and potential conflict with hope that there are enough resources for everyone and that resources can be shared and expanded for the good of the whole community. We increase capacity for creative conflict resolution through the habits of prayer/meditation and appreciation.

Payap University does not change just to change. Payap’s primary goal is to increase real peace (shalom) in the world in individuals and in community, where love (according to I Corinthians 13) and justice are the foundation. All decisions are made with the goal to increase real peace. Payap people also consider their own personal goals and pursue real peace in their lives.
Payap people increase peace by responding to all of life’s situations with hope and creativity—returning good for evil, so that we become peacemakers (Matthew 5:34). We practice appreciation and prayer/meditation to increase our capacity to remain creative during conflict.

2. Faithful Stewardship

We believe that God’s will is for us to be responsible to care for the things God has created.
We use and develop all our resources (individual and communal) in ways that are responsible, valuable, productive, and sustainable.
We care for people as whole persons, that is, their bodies, their thinking, their communities, their emotions, and their spirits.
We care for and protect the environment in the best possible ways.
In a world highly impacted by human actions Payap people use and develop all our resources (individual and communal) in ways that are responsible, valuable, productive, and sustainable. We care for people as whole persons, and we care for and protect the environment. This means we focus on being holistic, sustainable, and always developing.

    • Holistic: Payap people care for whole persons and the whole environment by forming the habit of thinking and acting systemically or holistically.
    • Sustainable: Payap people are thrifty & use resources responsibly; we form the habit of “investing” by using resources productively rather than wastefully.
    • Developing: Payap people enjoy life-long growing and learning through forming habits that strengthen spiritual, emotional, social, environmental, and physical health.
3. Service through Vocation

We believe that God has given gifts and called each person and community to a vocation of service to society.
We develop servant leaders who serve the world joyfully and effectively.
We seek our vocations by discovering our identities, developing our talents and our passions to meet the needs we see in our communities on a foundation of righteousness and virtue.
(We find the place where “our great gladness and the world’s great hunger meet.” Frederick Buechner)
In a world full of need, Payap people listen to and learn with our neighbors about their real needs and root causes of problems; and we seek transformation as we work with them joyfully and generously to meet their needs using our gifts (our passions and talents) and discovering and developing everyone’s gifts in the process.

    • Gifts: Payap people discover and develop our passions and talents so that we may serve others joyfully and generously. We serve in partnership and help to discover and develop the talents and passions of those we serve so they are strengthened to meet their own needs.
    • Needs: Payap people listen to our neighbors and learn about our community’s needs. We look for root causes to problems, and we acknowledge our own needs and our own participation in problems.
    • Generous service: Payap people joyfully work with our neighbors to meet real needs with everyone’s passions and talents. We also seek to address root causes of problems, and find creative solutions together, so that we help bring about real transformation in the process.
4. Build Trust through Truth which is the basis for “academic excellence.”

We believe “all truth is God’s truth” and only truth will last.
We practice principle-based ethical leadership that is honest and transparent.
We build trust by seeking truth together with our students through academic excellence and life-experience excellence.
We value academic and research freedom.
Our teaching and research are done in accordance with the highest ethical principles and standards of competence.
In a world where fear can lead to deception of self and others, Payap people confidently seek truth and try to live by truth because we know it will result in freedom and trust. This means we develop integrity, competence, and discipline.

    • Integrity: Payap people practice personal and professional ethics, especially honesty and transparency. We do the right thing even when it is difficult or costly.
    • Competence: Payap people develop knowledge and skills through excellent teaching and research. We develop excellent life-skills through practice and reflection on life-experiences.
    • Discipline: Payap people determine priorities, “put first things first,” and we say what we mean and we do what we say.
5. Delight in Diversity and Global Awareness

We believe God has created each person with value, honor, and dignity.
We value and respect each person as a unique contributor to society.
We implant positive attitudes and develop skills in intercultural and interfaith appreciation and global awareness.
We are creating a unique Payap organizational culture that will be our identity of loving service, humble and delighted to enhance authentic peace within and beyond the university.
In a world filled with diversity (nations, languages, cultures, religions, etc.), Payap people enjoy the opportunities for beauty and wholeness that diversity offers. We increase our global awareness and delight through knowing our identity, exercising empathy, and seeking synergy.

    • Identity: Payap people grow in knowledge of ourselves and the communities from which we come. We are confident telling the stories of our lives and our people.
    • Empathy: Payap people listen well; we seek first to understand others, and then to be understood; we enjoy learning languages, cultures, & religions other than our own.
    • Synergy: Payap people work persistently and hopefully with our differences to create something new together that could not come into being without the diversity of the group.