A delegation from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) attended the 3rd Republic of Indonesia Singapore University Network (RI-SING) Meeting on Nov. 12-13, 2024, held at Singapore Management University (SMU).
This event marked the third collaboration between Singaporean universities and Indonesian state universities. UGM’s participation in RI-SING 2024 aims to create a platform for ongoing discussions and connections to improve the quality of national education.
The UGM delegation comprised five members: Professor Suadi, Director of Human Resources, and Professor Puji Astuti, Director of Partnerships and Global Relations. Dr. Trianna Wahyu Utami, Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, and Cooperation at the Faculty of Dentistry, also participated alongside Dr. Anrizandy Narwidina, a lecturer at the Faculty of Dentistry. Dr. Sukirno from the Faculty of Biology completed the delegation.
Their collective expertise represented UGM’s commitment to advancing academic collaboration with universities in Singapore, particularly in research, human capital development, and international partnerships.
RI-SING was initially established by six Singaporean universities and five Indonesian universities: the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
Meanwhile, the members from Indonesia are Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Universitas Indonesia (UI), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), and Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS).
This meeting aimed to foster collaboration in education and research between Indonesian and Singaporean universities.
This year’s agenda focused on academic collaboration in addressing global challenges and preparing the younger generation with professional competencies. SMU President Professor Lily Kong welcomed the RI-SING collaboration to promote educational quality.
“Indonesia, with its dynamic and rapidly growing economy, offers tremendous academic and research collaboration potential. We aim to deepen the exchange of knowledge that benefits both countries,” said Professor Lily Kong in a statement to reporters on Tuesday (Nov. 19).
Professor Puji Astuti, UGM’s Director of Partnerships and Global Relations, shared the same sentiment in her presentation on UGM’s progress in collaborations with Singaporean universities.
She noted that UGM has seen significant growth in at least seven key programs, including student exchanges, research collaborations, community service recognition, and international guest lecturers over the past year.
Data shows that in 2024, most international students from Singapore attending UGM come from Singapore Management University (SMU).
Conversely, the largest number of UGM students in Singapore are at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Additionally, collaborations have been forged through research and grants with faculties such as Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Biology, Economics and Business, and others.
Professor Suadi, who participated in a panel discussion titled “Leadership & Human Capital Development,” noted that Indonesian universities have unique governance systems for lecturers and staff compared to Singaporean universities.
“There are some leadership similarities, but higher education institutions in Indonesia have distinctive structures with academic and non-teaching staff,” he remarked.
Managing university leadership strategies is essential, particularly in balancing research and educational services. Training is needed to build strong teamwork.
This can be achieved by fostering collaboration between non-teaching staff and researchers, allowing both to support educational services while advancing their respective disciplines.
“Lecturers have career pathways from assistant experts to professors, but from a managerial perspective, university leaders are rarely prepared. I think it is important to establish a leadership development program,” concluded Professor Suadi.
Author: Tasya
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya