Swiss German University prepares for the Future
Swiss German University prepares for the Future
No one can live without food. But only a few people are aware of the complexity of the technology of food processing. Take rice, for example. Indonesia, a country where most of the people eat rice, is actually facing a big problem with rice storage which causes a loss of up to one-third of the harvest or about US$2.2 billion a year, says Prof. Dr. Peter Pscheid, Rector of Swiss German University (SGU).
This is among the crucial factors that were taken into consideration before the university's decision to open a course in Food Technology in its campus at the German Center in Bumi Serpong Damai, West Java.
"In this course, the storage of rice and water analysis will be the main research topics," Prof. Dr. Peter Pscheid said, emphasizing that, in the future, water will have the same or even more importance than oil. The Food Technology course will help students to learn the technology and engineering of food processing and food analysis.
Besides Food Technology, there are two other new courses that will be offered by SGU starting this August in its new Life Sciences Faculty. They are Pharmaceutical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering.
"SGU will open a new degree course in Biomedical Engineering in Indonesia," Prof. Dr. Peter Pscheid said. The course in Biomedical Engineering will help students to understand and learn about the complex technology of biological and medical changes and developments. A main area will be Oncology, which deals with cancer. This will be studied in cooperation with the specialized and well known clinic "Kloster Paradiese" in Germany.
Students who take the course in Pharmaceutical Engineering will study the complex technology of investigating, developing and producing drugs.
The government, represented by the KOPERTIS IV, gave a warm welcome to the plan for the opening of the Life Sciences Faculty. It is hoped that the administrative difficulties with the customs service in importing sophisticated equipment will also be overcome in the future.
Apart from the new courses in Life Sciences, SGU currently offers courses in Mechatronics (integration of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Information Technology), Information Technology (Information & Communication Technology, Software Engineering, Multimedia Engineering, Business Computing), Business Administration (Banking, Insurance, Auditing) and Hotel and Tourism Management. All courses are conducted in English.
SGU is a government and privately sponsored university for the ASEAN region and is run by the Swiss German University-Asia Foundation. It was established in 2000 as a joint effort between Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Indonesia.
The Board of Founders is chaired by the German Ambassador to Indonesia. Members of the Board of Governors are distinguished persons such as the CEOs of PT. Siemens Indonesia, PT. Allianz Utama, PT. DaimlerChrysler Indonesia, PT. Nestli Indonesia and representatives of government and industry.
SGU offers courses which combine theoretical and practical training. The programs and degrees are internationally recognized as the students will get a double degree. "You don't have to go abroad in order to get a foreign degree," Prof. Dr. Peter Pscheid said. "We work hard and are on the way to achieving similar standards to universities in Europe," he added.
For the Bachelor's Degree students there are internships in Indonesia in the 3rd semester and abroad (in Europe, e.g. Germany) in the 6th semester. The duration of each internship is 6 months. Recently, for the second time, SGU has sent 58 6th semester students for an internship program in various companies and institutions in Germany for 6 months.
"In Germany, these students also act as ambassadors for Indonesia. They represent Indonesia in a positive way," Prof. Dr. Peter Pscheid said. As for the students, the internship program also helps them to become more independent in a different cultural environment, to build their self confidence and to learn to be more disciplined.
SGU has about 100 lecturers, including part-timers, and about 500 students. It expects to receive 360 new students in the coming academic year. The average number of students in a class is 30 while the ratio between lecturers and students is 1:20.
Students do not just take the normal end of semester examinations. Before they can start writing their final thesis at the end of their studies, they have to pass oral examinations in five key subjects in front of a lecturer and an observer. SGU students indeed have to work hard but their hard work will surely pay off.
Campus German Centre Bumi Serpong Damai - 15321 Island of Java, Indonesia Tel.+62 21 537 6221 Fax.+62 21 537 6201 info@sgu.ac.id www.sgu.ac.id