OIA USK Conducted the Benchmarking Visit to Develop Future Collaboration With UTM
Office of International Affairs (OIA) of Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK) conducted an international benchmarking visit to Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), on July 29 – 31, 2024.
This initiative aimed to strengthen the university’s internationalization efforts by sharing and adopting best practices and strategies to enhance global engagement and collaboration. The visit served as a platform for leaders and international staff to discuss exploring potential cooperation between both institutions on leveraging the existing international and local students for special programs (students exchange, summer courses, etc.), sharing the university’s best practices for integrating global and local students, and promoting intercultural interaction.
On July 29, the OIA delegation visited the UTM International Office. The USK delegation, led by the Coordinator for Promotion and International Mobility, Izzan Nur Aslam, S.T., M.Eng., was warmly welcomed by the Director of the International Office of UTM, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Ariffin Abu Hassan, and staff.
“Our purpose is to benchmark and learn from UTM, the best practices in building and developing internationalization programs. Since USK now is focusing on achieving the level of World Class University status, this is a great chance for us to visit UTM”, said Izzan Nur Aslam, S.T., M.Eng.
From the UTM side, the director expressed that he was glad to welcome a delegation from Universitas Syiah Kuala, Indonesia, particularly from Aceh, and he hoped that this collaboration would continue and foster more international programs.
The meeting then continued with an introduction about UTM campus, followed by a discussion and Q&A session on best practices and university internationalization programs.
On the next day, OIA visited several UTM work divisions to obtain more information on certain concerns, including the Center for Advancement in Digital and Flexible Learning (CDex), the Student Recruitment and Admission Division (SRAD), and the Center for Community and Industry Network (CCIN). The visit included a brief explanation of the campus, the work division tour and the purposes, and history of UTM’s buildings.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to UTM for the warm welcome, chance, and hospitality, and look forward to the collaboration works that shall be undertaken soon,” concluded Izzan Nur Aslam, S.T., M.Eng.
