Hosted by Indonesia’s Ministry of National Education, the delegation of leaders from U.S. higher education institutions will visit Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Bali to explore opportunities for expanding education exchange programs under a planned U.S.-Indonesia bilateral partnership. The delegation will meet with senior officials at the Indonesia Ministry of Education, local universities, the U.S. Embassy, American Indonesian Exchange Foundation (Fulbright Commission), and the EducationUSA Center. In addition to discussions with senior officials and faculty at local universities, the group will meet current students and alumni, and engage in a two-way video conference with Indonesian universities not visited. Dr. Morrison is one of the co-chairs of the delegation, while Dr. Bigalke is a senior advisor.
“We are very pleased to be able to participate in this important mission, which is part of a range of partnership efforts between the U.S. and Indonesia that have blossomed out of Secretary of State Clinton’s visit there earlier this year,” Morrison said. “With our Indonesian counterparts, we’ll be exploring ways to revive what was once a more vigorous educational exchange relationship, with more collaborative research and increased numbers of students studying in each other’s countries.”
Besides the East-West Center, institutions participating in the mission include the United States-Indonesia Society ( www.usindo.org ), the Institute of International Education ( www.iie.org ), and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities ( www.aplu.org ).
Background Indonesia is a young and increasingly vibrant democracy, the world’s fourth most populous nation and the country with the largest number of Muslims, and it has the largest economy in Southeast Asia. Historically, Indonesia has sent a large number of students to study in the United States. In recent years, however, the numbers have declined, and fewer Indonesians attend U.S. colleges and universities today than a decade ago. Far fewer Americans experience study in Indonesia. The future of academic exchange depends heavily on the relationships forged between higher education institutions in Indonesia and the United States.
The East-West Center and Indonesia:
More than 2,640 East-West Center awards have been given to Indonesian scholars, research specialists, students and professionals from Indonesia since the EWC was established in 1960. In the past year, 72 men and women from Indonesia have participated in EWC cooperative programs.
EWC programs involving Indonesia include:
- Asia Pacific Leadership Program
- Graduate Degree Scholarship Programs
- Human-Rights Training Agreement with Supreme Court of Indonesia
- Urban Asia Seminar
- Senior Policy Seminar
- New Generation leadership seminar
- Changing Faces Women’s Leadership Program
- Senior Journalists Seminar, a dialogue, travel and exchange program for journalists from the United States and Asian countries with substantial Muslim populations.
- Partnership for Schools Leading Change, a professional exchange open to administrators and teacher-leaders of Indonesian pesantren boarding schools.
- Travel and Teach Programs for U.S. K-12 educators.
- Asian Studies in Asia initiative
- East-West Center Tsunami Relief Fund
U.S. Higher Education Leaders’ Mission to Indonesia Quick Facts:
Dates: July 26 - 31, 2009
Purpose: To explore opportunities for expanding education programs under the planned U.S.-Indonesia bilateral partnership.
Co-Chairs:
- Dr. Gregory L. Geoffroy, President, Iowa State University;
- Representative of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
- Dr. Allan Goodman, President and CEO of the Institute of International Education
- Ambassador David Merrill, President of the United States-Indonesia Society (USINDO)
- Dr. Charles E. Morrison, President of the East-West Center
Senior Advisors:
- Dr. Irid Agoes, Director of The Indonesian International Education Foundation (IIEF)
- Dr. Terance W. Bigalke, Director of Education at the East-West Center
- Dr. Karl Jackson, Director of Asian Studies and C.V. Starr Distinguished Professor of Southeast Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins-SAIS
- Dr. Alina Romanowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs at the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U. S. Department of State
- Dr. Totok Suprayitno, Education and Cultural Attaché, Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia
Participants:
Cornell University
Dr. Thak Chaloemtiarana, Director of Southeast Asian Program
James E. Haldeman, Senior Associate Director for International Programs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Highline Community College
President Dr. Jack Bermingham
Lehigh University
Dr. Mohamed S. El-Aasser, Vice President for International Affairs
Miami Dade College
Dr. Rolando Montoya, Provost
Michigan State University
Peter Briggs, Director of the Office of International Studies
North Seattle Community College
President Ronald LaFayette
Northern Illinois University
Christopher K. McCord, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
James Collins, Director for the Center of Southeast Asian Studies
Ohio State University
Dr. William Brustein, Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs
Susquehanna University
President Jay Lemons
Texas A&M University
Ambassador Eric Bost, Vice President for Global Initiatives
University at Buffalo (SUNY)
Dr. Stephen Dunnett, Vice Provost of International Education
University of California System
Dr. Steven Beckwith, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies
University of Florida
President Dr. Bernie Machen
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Allen Hicken, Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies
Charles Sullivan, Program Coordinator of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies
University of Southern California
Richard Drobnick, Director of the Center for International Business Research
Delegation Professional Staff:
- Mark Lazar, Vice President of Scholarship Programs & International Operations, Institute Of International Education
- Alysson Oakley, Program Development Manager – Bilateral Partnership, United States-Indonesia Society (USINDO)
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The EAST-WEST CENTER is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. The Center contributes to a peaceful, prosperous and just Asia Pacific community by serving as a vigorous hub for cooperative research, education and dialogue on critical issues of common concern to the Asia Pacific region and the United States. Funding for the Center comes from the U.S. government, with additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and the governments of the region.