Depok, June 14th 2023. Universitas Indonesia (UI) received a visit from representatives of Ajou University located in Suwon, South Korea, on Tuesday (13/06). His arrival at the University Administration Center Building, UI Depok Campus, was greeted by UI University Secretary, dr. Agustin Kusumayati, M.Sc., Ph.D., along with field leaders related to the potential for cooperation that is being explored.
The cooperative relationship between UI and Ajou University has been established for a long time. It was first formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2017, regarding cooperation in the fields of education and research. This collaboration included Academic and Non-Academic Staff Program, Joint Research Program, Exchange Program, and Student Programs.
“We hope that this collaboration can be expanded not only in the field of education, but also research and innovation that can be developed by academics at the two universities,” said dr. Augustine.
Vice-President for International Affairs Ajou University, Professor Shingoo Kang, appreciated the collaboration that has been established with UI and agreed with Agustin to expand it. He is interested in establishing further partnerships with the Korean Language and Culture Study Program which has been established at UI since 2006. “The existence of the Korean Language and Culture Study Program at UI is not surprising considering that UI is the best university in Indonesia. Ajou University has just celebrated its 50th anniversary, so this is a good opportunity for us to expand our partnership with UI,” said Prof. Shingoo.
In particular, dr. Agustin explained three double degree programs held by UI. First, the Double Degree for Undergraduate Program. In this program, learning is carried out for four years at two universities at the same time with two different degrees. For example, students complete a Bachelor of Arts at UI for two years and the following year complete a Bachelor of Economics at a partner university.
The second program is the Double Degree for Graduate Program. Students can study for two years at two universities at once and get two different degrees. Meanwhile, in the third program, namely the Double Degree Undergraduate-Graduate Program, students can obtain two tiered degrees, for example students taking undergraduate programs at UI and postgraduate programs at partner universities. Regarding this program, Prof. Shingoo said that UI and Ajou University have similarities because Ajou University has a double degree program whose implementation is more or less the same as UI.
Apart from educational programs, the delegation of the two universities also discussed research collaborations that might be developed. The Head of the New Student Admissions Office, Dr. Gunawan, S.T., M.T.; Head of Public Relations Bureau and KIP, Dra. Amelita Lusia, M.Si.; representatives from the Academic and Publication Research Unit, School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG), Dr. Phil in Eng. Irene Sondang Fitrinitia; and representatives from the Research and Cooperation Unit, School of Environmental Sciences (SIL), Yenne Aria Adhi Karai, S.E., M.E. were also present during the discussion. The two delegations discussed plans for cooperation in the transportation sector. This transportation management collaboration is important considering that the two universities are located in urban areas and both are focused on creating a healthy and green campus environment.
