IMPLEMENTATION AND CHALLENGES OF ACADEMIC SUPPORT STAFF DEVELOPMENT AT SUAN SUNANDHA RAJABHAT UNIVERSITY, UDON THANI EDUCATION CENTER

Abstract

The development of competencies among academic support personnel is a crucial factor that influences the quality of operations and the efficiency of administrative management within higher education institutions. This is particularly significant for regional units such as the Udonthani Education Center of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, which plays an essential role in driving the university’s missions in alignment with its strategic goals—namely academic affairs, academic services, research, and local development. Enhancing the quality of personnel is therefore vital to ensuring that the Center’s operations achieve their intended outcomes (Office of the Higher Education Commission, 2021). However, observations and practical evidence indicate that the process of developing academic support personnel continues to face multiple challenges. These include complex and diverse routine workloads, insufficient staffing relative to the assigned responsibilities, and limited opportunities for personnel to participate in development activities. Moreover, certain training programs do not correspond to actual job requirements and lack alignment with competency needs for specific positions. Budget constraints, the absence of mentoring systems, and the lack of continuous development mechanisms—such as the Individual Development Plan (IDP)—further impede the effectiveness of personnel development (Suchart, 2022). These issues ultimately contribute to competency gaps that may adversely affect the quality of services provided by the Education Center in the long term. This study aims to examine the implementation and challenges of academic support staff development at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Udon Thani Education Center. The research employed a descriptive approach, utilizing questionnaires and in-depth interviews to collect data from academic support staff and administrative personnel. The findings revealed that current staff development focuses on enhancing work competency, improving information technology skills, and fostering work ethics, which contribute to better work performance. However, major challenges were identified, including budget limitations, the lack of a continuous long-term development plan, and limited participation among some staff members. The study suggests that strategic planning for systematic staff development, promotion of lifelong learning, and creation of motivation programs should be implemented to strengthen the quality and efficiency of academic support personnel in alignment with the university’s mission. The findings align with those of Ruengkhajhon (2025), who identified three key approaches to competency development in higher education institutions: (a) establishing collaborative networks for personnel development, (b) enhancing staff competencies to meet emerging changes and drive the university’s strategic missions, and (c) continuously improving and updating institutional operational plans. Furthermore, academic support staff at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University expressed a need to improve their work processes to enhance speed, quality, and efficiency. Such improvements would enable them to develop specialized expertise and strengthen overall work performance. The staff also reported a desire to adopt modern technologies to increase operational effectiveness and to pursue professional development opportunities that support advancement to higher-level positions (Isariyanan, 2021). According to Aumnak (2025), competency development initiatives should include establishing clear goals, promoting training and further education, enhancing service and problem-analysis skills, supporting lifelong learning, and cultivating an organizational culture that encourages creativity and openness to innovation. Similarly, Taweekul (2025) emphasized that personnel development should incorporate activities that strengthen internal relationships within the organization. Regular opportunities for staff to interact and engage in constructive activities can foster positive understanding at the faculty level and ensure alignment with the university’s broader policies. However, the implementation of personnel development for academic support staff at smaller organizational units, such as the Udonthani Education Center, continues to face several constraints. These include the demanding and diverse nature of routine work, which leaves personnel with limited time to participate in development activities; restricted budget allocations; development opportunities that do not comprehensively cover all required competencies; and insufficient continuity in the organization’s internal support systems. Such challenges may lead to competency gaps, preventing personnel from fully developing their capabilities and potentially affecting the quality of services provided to both internal and external stakeholders of the university. The Routine to Research (R2R) process serves as a crucial approach that enables organizations to systematically improve routine work by transforming practical problems into research-based inquiries. Through this approach, issues encountered in daily operations are examined and analyzed in order to develop practical, evidence-based solutions. Therefore, studying the topic of “Implementation and Challenges in Developing Academic Support Personnel” is essential for understanding the actual operational context, the existing development activities, and the obstacles encountered throughout the development process. The findings can then be used to refine and enhance development strategies to ensure greater efficiency and suitability within the specific context of the Education Center. This R2R initiative aims to generate empirical evidence regarding the current development approaches and their associated problems, as well as to propose recommendations for improving the personnel development system in the long term. Such improvements would support higher service quality, internal administrative efficiency, and enhanced staff competency, enabling personnel to fulfill the missions of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University in a sustainable manner. Moreover, the outcomes of this research may serve as a model for routine work improvement in other units across the university, reflecting the core principle of R2R: “improving routine work through research,” leading ultimately to the enhancement of overall organizational performance.