Written by David Akbar
On May 16, 2023, Director Zainal Abidin Bagir and Assistant Director Fatimah Husein of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS) met with the three rectors of consortium member universities. The event, held at the rector’s office of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). The event was attended by the rector of UGM, Prof. Dr. Ova Emilia, M.Med.Ed., Sp.OG(K), Ph.D, the rector of Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (UKDW) Dr.-Ing. Wiyatiningsih, S.T., M.T., and the rector of Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga, Prof. Dr. Phil. Al Makin, S.Ag., M.A.[1]
The meeting aimed to introduce and share the development of ICRS to the new rectors. Bagir explained the accomplishments of ICRS including being ranked 47th in the world in the field of Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies according to QS University Rankings.
During the meeting, the rector of UGM said, "The strength of ICRS is that the program is managed by a consortium, not by one particular university. So each university has different strengths that make this consortium stronger, and more comprehensive". Prof. Emilia added that since the memorandum of understanding for the establishment of ICRS was signed in the palace of Yogyakarta, the Sultan expects a real applicable contribution for Yogyakarta. For example, the role that can be taken by ICRS is to restore Yogyakarta as the City of Tolerance, of which the ICRS could be the anchor.
“Related to the next projects, the next research projects can be linked to the issue above. The projects could also be done not only under the consortium, but it could be more specific, for example by involving related study centers in each university. Thus, by involving each related study center among consortium members, it will create a living laboratory which could be long-term,” she added.
In line with what was said by the rector of UGM, the rector of UKDW said, “Apart from being a consortium, the presence of ICRS also adds to the international accreditation of each university, especially in this case UKDW. So, UKDW also benefits from it."
On this occasion, Prof. Al Makin gave a concrete proposal on how lectures and exams managed by ICRS could be held at consortium member locations such as at UIN or at UKDW. "So, this week's lecture is located at UIN, next week's lecture for example at UKDW. Or exams, maybe if some of the promoters are from UIN, it could be done there. So, ICRS will be better known by the academic community."
The meeting also discussed plans for the next few years. For example, the plan to develop existing international cooperation programs. This plan is relevant to the vision of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology on developing international cooperation programs between Indonesian universities and international partners.
[1] Also in attendance were ICRS representatives Prof. Dr. Wening Udasmoro, S.S., M.Hum., DEA , Siti Syamsiyatun, M.A., Ph.D. and Dr. Moch. Nur Ichwan, S.Ag., MA. From UGM, Prof. Ir. Siti Malkhamah, M.Sc., Ph.D., IPU., ASEAN.Eng. and Prof. Dr. Heddy Shri Ahimsa-Putra M.A., M.Phil.. From UKDW Rev. Prof. Robert Setio, Ph.D and Rev. Wahju Satria Wibowo, Ph.D.