Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Universitas Teuku Umar (UTU) and the Aceh Institute of Arts and Culture. The signing occurred on Friday, Jul. 12, 2024, at UGM’s Central Office.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Arie Sujito, UGM’s Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni; Professor Ishak, the Rector of Universitas Teuku Umar; and Dr. Ratri Candrasari, the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs of the Aceh Institute of Arts and Culture.
Dr. Rustamaji, UGM’s Director of Community Service, and Professor Puji Astusti, UGM’s Director of Partnerships and Global Relations, were also in attendance. The scope of this collaboration includes agreements to cooperate in education, research, and community service.
Professor Ishak, Rector of Universitas Teuku Umar, expressed his hope that this collaboration will benefit both institutions, particularly in developing human resources in Indonesia, especially in the country’s westernmost region.
“UTU, as a state university, is only ten years old, but we are committed to producing competent and globally competitive graduates, particularly in our core educational sectors of agriculture and marine studies,” Professor Ishak stated.
He added that with six faculties, 23 undergraduate programs, four master’s programs, and nearly ten thousand students, UTU hopes to be nurtured by UGM through student and faculty exchange programs, collaborative research, scientific publications, and joint Community Service Programs (KKN).
“Frankly, we were moved when UGM placed KKN students in Aceh. Hopefully, after this, UGM and UTU can synergize to create a joint KKN program,” he concluded.
Dr. Ratri Candrasari, the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs at the Aceh Institute of Arts and Culture (ISBI), agreed with the Rector of UTU’s comments regarding collaborative KKN programs.
“ISBI was inspired by UGM’s KKN activities, particularly a unit in Pulo Aceh, Aceh Besar, which is close to our location. As an initial step, we will proceed with a more detailed Collaboration Agreement that will govern this joint KKN,” Dr. Candrasari said.
Furthermore, Dr. Candrasari expressed her wish that the collaborative KKN programs between ISBI Aceh and UGM could be aligned with themes relevant to ISBI, namely arts, culture, and tourism.
“We hope that UGM’s KKN can be placed in three locations related to these three themes. Given that our KKN duration is shorter than UGM’s, we could later continue the programs initiated by UGM students,” she explained.
She hopes this collaboration will not be limited to just the joint KKN but could extend to all activities related to the tri-dharma of higher education, such as cooperation with the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, which shares educational roots with ISBI Aceh.
Dr. Arie Sujito, UGM’s Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni, explained that the collaborative KKN program began in 2022. It works continuously with other universities throughout Indonesia, as well as with local governments and private partners.
“The massive initiative for collaborative KKN locations outside Java Island is due to UGM’s limited reach, necessitating support from local universities,” Dr. Sujito explained.
This year, UGM’s KKN-PPM placed students in the province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam in three locations: Pulo Aceh, Aceh Besar Regency, Pulau Banyak Barat, Aceh Singkil Regency, and Pulo Aceh, Aceh Besar Regency.
Dr. Sujito believes the upcoming collaborative KKN with UTU and ISBI Aceh will enrich students’ experiences. KKN provides an opportunity to apply their campus knowledge, making it a special portfolio since not all students can participate in such programs.
“With collaboration, we accelerate our efforts, meaning we can achieve much more together than we could alone, especially when it comes to national strategic agendas that require quick responses,” he concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Photographer: Donnie
Post-editor: Lintang