RI, U.S. universities strengthen ties
RI, U.S. universities strengthen ties
Theresia Sufa, Depok
More than 100 university leaders and professors from 80 higher
education institutions in Indonesia and the United States met to
discuss how they could strengthen ties and continue to build
relations between their respective organizations in a forum that
ended on Friday.
The two-day forum, called "Indonesia-USA Bilateral Forum on
Higher Education Partnerships: Future Directions," was held at
the University of Indonesia's (UI) campus in Depok and hosted by
the Ministry of Education's Directorate General of Higher
Education.
During the forum, participants discussed successful models of
existing Indonesian-international cooperative programs,
opportunities for and constraints to cooperation and ongoing
initiatives such as the Nusantara International Scholarship,
which aims to support 400 Indonesians annually to study for PhDs
in the United States.
UI rector Usman Chatib Warsa, who chaired the forum's
organizing committee, said most of the funding for the
scholarships, estimated at $25 million annually, would not come
from the Indonesian government.
"We all know the government doesn't have enough money for
that," said Usman. "That's why individual partnerships between
universities are essential, especially now that (Indonesian)
universities are independent."
He added that the forum hoped to establish a consortium of
international donors, possibly from Japan, Australia, Europe and
the United States, to finance the project, which aims to increase
the number of top-notch scholars in Indonesia. It is estimated
that out of around 220 million people in Indonesia, currently
less than 7,500 hold PhDs.
The project was first proposed during last year's inaugural
forum, held in Washington DC, by Prof. Karl Jackson of the Johns
Hopkins University's School for Advanced International Studies.
Throughout the forum, discussions between individual
universities also took place on the possibility of implementing
concrete academic cooperation in the near future, possibly by
establishing joint-degree programs, where a student could obtain
U.S. and Indonesian degrees simultaneously.
The forum also sought to establish closer relations between
researchers in Indonesia and the United States as part of efforts
to increase mutual understanding between the two countries.
Specific attention was also given to formulating concrete
assistance for higher education institutions in tsunami-torn
Aceh, which was represented by the University of Syah Kuala.
The forum, which was also sponsored by the United States
Indonesia Society and the Indonesian Embassy in the United
States, was attended by representatives of about 50 universities
from all over Indonesia and 30 from the United States.
U.S. universities participating included, among others, the
University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State
University, the University of Southern California, the University
of Hawaii, the University of Cincinnati and the East-West Center.
Theresia Sufa, Depok
More than 100 university leaders and professors from 80 higher
education institutions in Indonesia and the United States met to
discuss how they could strengthen ties and continue to build
relations between their respective organizations in a forum that
ended on Friday.
The two-day forum, called "Indonesia-USA Bilateral Forum on
Higher Education Partnerships: Future Directions," was held at
the University of Indonesia's (UI) campus in Depok and hosted by
the Ministry of Education's Directorate General of Higher
Education.
During the forum, participants discussed successful models of
existing Indonesian-international cooperative programs,
opportunities for and constraints to cooperation and ongoing
initiatives such as the Nusantara International Scholarship,
which aims to support 400 Indonesians annually to study for PhDs
in the United States.
UI rector Usman Chatib Warsa, who chaired the forum's
organizing committee, said most of the funding for the
scholarships, estimated at $25 million annually, would not come
from the Indonesian government.
"We all know the government doesn't have enough money for
that," said Usman. "That's why individual partnerships between
universities are essential, especially now that (Indonesian)
universities are independent."
He added that the forum hoped to establish a consortium of
international donors, possibly from Japan, Australia, Europe and
the United States, to finance the project, which aims to increase
the number of top-notch scholars in Indonesia. It is estimated
that out of around 220 million people in Indonesia, currently
less than 7,500 hold PhDs.
The project was first proposed during last year's inaugural
forum, held in Washington DC, by Prof. Karl Jackson of the Johns
Hopkins University's School for Advanced International Studies.
Throughout the forum, discussions between individual
universities also took place on the possibility of implementing
concrete academic cooperation in the near future, possibly by
establishing joint-degree programs, where a student could obtain
U.S. and Indonesian degrees simultaneously.
The forum also sought to establish closer relations between
researchers in Indonesia and the United States as part of efforts
to increase mutual understanding between the two countries.
Specific attention was also given to formulating concrete
assistance for higher education institutions in tsunami-torn
Aceh, which was represented by the University of Syah Kuala.
The forum, which was also sponsored by the United States
Indonesia Society and the Indonesian Embassy in the United
States, was attended by representatives of about 50 universities
from all over Indonesia and 30 from the United States.
U.S. universities participating included, among others, the
University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State
University, the University of Southern California, the University
of Hawaii, the University of Cincinnati and the East-West Center.