Russian and Indonesian campuses restore student exchange cooperation

Jakarta, VIVA – Krisnadvipaana University (Unkris), a university of international standard (world university), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ural State Pedagogical University (USPU) in the field of Tri Dharma of higher education.

The signing of the MoU between the two universities took place in the hall of the Uncris campus in Jativaringin and was attended by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Indonesia Sergey Gennadyevich Tolchenov, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Uncris Foundation Prof. Gaius Lumbuun, Chancellor of Uncris Ismail Razak, President of the Uncris Foundation Amir Karyatin and the management of Uncris on Friday, 20 September 2024.

In addition, the Rector of the CIS Institute (Russia), the Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Public Relations of the Ministry of Education (Russia), the Director of Relations of the Foundation “My History” of the Ministry of Education (Russia) took part in this event.

This collaboration is expected to help strengthen the relationship between campuses and between countries, whose theme is “Bridging Continents Through Language and Education: A Joint Initiative.”

As a continuation of the MoU, the Faculty of Administrative Sciences (FIA) of Uncris established the Indonesia-Russia Cooperation Center. The Ural State Pedagogical University (USPU) calls it the Center for Open Education of the Republic of Indonesia.

The institution has launched the 2024 language training and cultural exchange program, which will take place for two months from September 23 to November 23, 2024, with a target of 300 participants, free of charge for the public, students and academics.

Two teachers were brought directly from the Ural State Pedagogical University (DPU) in Russia.

Gaius Lumbuun, chairman of the UNCRIS Fund representatives, said he was proud of the cooperation and the programme.

“As an Advisory Board, our role is to guide and support the strategic direction of Krisnadvipaana University. We are very proud of such initiatives. Through this program, our students will not only acquire a new language, but will also gain access to Russia’s rich cultural heritage and a broader perspective of the world,” Gaius said in a statement.

According to him, this initiative is also an important stage for the beginning of cooperation in the field of education between UNCRIS and USPU. “Today, UNCRIS is taking another step towards a world-class university through cooperation with foreign universities, one of which is USPU in Russia,” said Professor Gaius.

Gaius also explained that cooperation in the field of education between Indonesia and Russia has been established for a long time, more precisely since the period of the Ancien Ordeal. At the same time, Indonesian policy offers ample space for re-engagement with Russia.

“We will start this student-to-student cooperation. Student exchange where we accept students from Russia to study at Uncris. And vice versa, USPU will also invite our students to study there,” Gaius continued.

UNCRIS believes that cooperation with universities in the United States (US) or Western European countries is common. However, cooperation with Eastern European countries such as Russia can be a bit more specific.

Gaius hopes that cooperation between the two universities will lead not only to the exchange of knowledge, but also to mutual learning about the cultures of the two countries.

FIA Uncris Dean Ade Reza Hariyadi said this collaboration was undertaken to enhance the reputation of Uncris, especially FIA, in order to achieve the vision of a great campus.

“This programme is also a manifestation of our service to society to realise the Tri Dharma of higher education,” he said.

For information, cooperation with the Russian campus was initiated by FIA Dean Ade Reza Hariyadi and Head of Indonesian Youth OKI (Indonesian Youth Islamic Cooperation Organization) Tantan Taufik.

Meanwhile, the correspondence has been entrusted to Vice Dean I for Academic Affairs and International Cooperation Saefudin Zuhri. The implementation of the training programme is being carried out by Head of Quality Assurance of FIA Unkris Kiki Setyovati.

The 2024 language and cultural exchange program is open to the public with a target of 300 participants. After that, they will receive a free two-month lesson in the Russian language and culture.