Cooperating with universities in domestic and overseas begins to be promoted by Magister Program of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. It is with a consideration of the roles of university to succeed ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in the end of 2015. Thus, Magister Program of UMY cooperates with Khon Koen University in research collaboration.
Director of Magister Program of UMY, Dr. Achmad Nurmandi, M.Sc., stated that the research collaboration would be started in 2016. The research would focus on four main aspects. “They are law, government dealing with conflict management, education, and health,” he uttered during a discussion among lecturers of UMY and Khon Kaen University on Wednesday (25/2).
Nurmadi conveyed that this concept of Khon Kaen University was adequately different. A visit of this university had aimed at discussing academic issues and programs of both universities. However, in this visit Khon Kaen University mentioned to collaborate with Magister Program of UMY. “They are also from magister program. Therefore, the cooperation would engage lecturers and students of magister program,” he told.
The collaboration, according to Nurmandi, is essential for both universities to creating better academic atmosphere. The research collaboration is expected to be continued to joint publication so that the researches of Khon Kaen University and UMY could be published on journals. “We hope that there would be joint publication. Hence, the research could be published on not only each university journal but also both university journals. For instance, lecturers and students of magister program of UMY conduct a research and it is published on the journal of Khon Kaen University, or vice versa that the research of magister program of Khon Kaen University would be published on the journal of magister program of UMY,” he explained.
Nurmandi expected that the cooperation between magister program of UMY and Khon Kaen University could broaden as carrying out student exchange or staff exchange. It aims at enhancing mobility between lecturers and students of both universities. “Moreover, by ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), students should recognize not only their home country but also other countries, particularly ASEAN countries. “They could share knowledge of each county. For example, if a Thai student studies Indonesian in Indonesia, there should be an Indonesian student studying Thai in Thailand,” he said.
As Nurmandi, Head of Magister Program of Khon Kaen University Prof. Surasakdi Wongratanacheewin, Ph.D. wished that the cooperation of Khon Kaen University and UMY would go well. “Besides undertaking research collaboration, it would be provided scholarship information for students of magister program here. I hope this cooperation would run well to encourage academic atmosphere of university,” he expressed.
