Surakarta, 16 December 2025 — Direktorat Reputasi, Kemitraan, dan Urusan Internasional (DRKUI) Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) held an Internationalization Program Coordination Meeting at the 7th Floor Seminar Room, Siti Walidah Main Building, UMS, on Tuesday (16/12). The activity formed part of UMS’s strategic efforts to strengthen internationalization, enhance global reputation, and improve competitiveness in international university rankings.
The coordination meeting was officially opened by the Vice Rector V for Research, Innovation, Reputation, Impact, Partnerships, and International Affairs, Prof. Supriyono, S.T., M.T., Ph.D. In his opening remarks, he emphasized that internationalization has become a key strategic agenda of the university as outlined in UMS’s Strategic Plan (Renstra).
“In the university’s strategic plan, internationalization is closely linked to global rankings, particularly the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. This includes inbound and outbound mobility programs as well as increasing the number of international students,” he stated.
Prof. Supriyono further underlined that strengthening internationalization—especially in relation to student and faculty mobility—requires active support from study programs. While DRKUI facilitates and designs strategic frameworks, effective implementation depends on close collaboration across academic units.
He also highlighted institutional visibility as a crucial indicator in QS World University Rankings. According to him, lecturers with strong global academic networks play a strategic role in enhancing UMS’s international reputation.
“When the university’s reputation improves, God willing, UMS’s QS ranking will also rise. Therefore, it is important for us to optimize networking so that UMS gains greater recognition among global scholars,” he said. He added that DRKUI will conduct roadshows to all faculties to encourage the optimization of internationalization programs.
The next address was delivered by the Rector of UMS, Prof. Dr. Harun Joko Prayitno, M.Hum., who encouraged UMS lecturers to pursue further studies abroad and actively build international research collaborations.
“We need to prospect international students to study at UMS while strengthening international research networks. Lecturers must be bold in collaborating with overseas colleagues to increase Scopus-indexed publications,” he remarked. He stressed that internationalization requires synergy across units to ensure sustainable achievement of institutional targets.
The coordination meeting featured two speakers from DRKUI. The Head of the Sub-Directorate for Academic Partnership Development and Mobility, Hepy Adityarini, S.Pd., M.A., Ph.D., presented the Student Transfer and Exchange Program (STEP) 2026 as a strategic scheme to promote inbound mobility of international students to UMS.
“STEP serves as an entry point for internationalization at the study program level. Through this program, departments are encouraged to prepare English-taught courses and academic systems that are ready to host international students,” Hepy explained.
She added that STEP not only promotes inbound and outbound mobility but also opens opportunities for further collaboration with overseas partners. “Our target is not merely student exchange, but the establishment of sustainable inter-university collaborations,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Deputy for Global Reputation Development at DRKUI, Dr. Agus Ulinuha, M.T., emphasized the importance of academic community involvement in strengthening UMS’s global reputation as part of preparations for the QS World University Rankings.
“University reputation cannot be built instantly. Contributions from lecturers through academic networks, publications, and engagement in global scholarly communities are key determining factors,” Ulin explained. According to him, strengthening global reputation must become a collective effort across all academic units.
The activity concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session involving representatives from faculties and study programs. The discussion served as an initial coordination platform to align strategies and consolidate steps toward strengthening UMS’s internationalization in a structured and sustainable manner.
