Dr.-Ing. Wiyatiningsih, S.T., M.T., the Rector of Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (UKDW) Yogyakarta, accompanied by Dr. phil. Lucia Dwi Krisnawati, Head of the Office of Partnerships and Public Relations, recently attended the ACUCA Indonesia General Assembly 2024 at Dhyana Pura University in Bali. The Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia (ACUCA) is a consortium of Christian and Catholic-based universities formed in 1976.
At event, Former ACUCA President, Prof. Dr. (HC) Willi Toisuta, Ph.D., shared his initial thoughts on gathering the Christian and Catholic university community in Asia to develop higher education institutions, thus fostering resource sharing, collaboration, and mutual interests.
“Many universities still focus on being teaching universities, prioritizing the quality of learning. To achieve a similar standard in academic and social life, we must rethink and design programs to enhance competitiveness and explore various opportunities for research funding,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Dr.-Ing. Wiyatiningsih, S.T., M.T., presented UKDW’s activities with ACUCA members such as the Fall Program, Summer Camp, IISMA Socialization, and GlobEEs. “UKDW also contributes to enhancing the capacity of higher education institutions in eastern Indonesia through training programs. We collaborate with Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences Germany Faculty of Business Management and Social Sciences and received a grant from Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) for the Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES) and DIES-Partnerships with Universities in Developing Countries program,” she elaborated.
Additionally, Dr.-Ing. Wiyatiningsih, S.T., M.T., proposed creating a communication platform to share information, potential, and needs among each university. She hopes that concrete steps will be taken as follow-ups after the ACUCA Indonesia General Assembly 2024 meeting at Dhyana Pura University in Bali. [humasukdw/Eng.drr]