UNS — Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta is exploring further partnership opportunities with Kansas State University, United States. Both parties are currently discussing possible partnership options through a focus group discussion on Wednesday (10/8/2022) at Taiwan Corner, UPT UNS Library.
Cary Chappell, an instructor and Curriculum Chair at Kansas State University, United States, attended the discussion in person. Chappell’s presence was welcomed by the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) of International Partnership and Services (UNS International Office/IO) staff. The UNS International Office was represented by the Coordinator of the Americas and Oceania Region, Feri Setyowibowo; the Coordinator of the Asia and Middle East Region, Dr. Anif Jamaluddin; and European and African Region Coordinator, Dimas Rahadian, Ph.D., during the meeting. The discussion was also attended by representatives of the English Literature Study Programs’ lecturers in UNS, including the Diploma in English Literature Study Program represented by Nur Saptaningsih, M.Hum.; the Undergraduate in English Literature Study Program is represented by Dr. Fitria Akhmerti Pramasista, S.S., M.A.; and the Master in English Literature Study Program is represented by Dr. Nur Arifah Drajati, M.Pd.
The Coordinator of the Americas and Oceania Region, Setyowibowo Ferry, welcomed Kansas State University’s call for establishing a partnership with UNS. The initiative will be followed by a further discussion on the available partnership possibility between the two parties. “It’s a great partnership opportunity. We will discuss further what type of partnership activities are available to further develop and improve each university’s quality,” said Feri.
Meanwhile, Cary Chappell is also enthusiastic about this partnership, stating that UNS and Kansas State University have conducted an indirect partnership since 2018. While in 2019, students from the Faculty of Agriculture UNS were enrolled for a research internship at Kansas State University. However, the planned partnership development between UNS and Kansas State University was hampered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The pandemic has undermined the relationship that had previously been established. For this reason, we are trying to improve the relationship by exploring a future partnership to recover international student interest,” he explained.
During the discussion, Cary mentioned several partnership schemes available, such as short courses, online courses with credit score recognition, online courses without credit score recognition, conversational classes with native speakers, and scholarships for international students. Cary also does not limit the possibility of other partnership schemes. Humas UNS
Reporter: Ida Fitriyah
Editor: Dwi Hastuti