Successfully Recruiting Many International Students, the International Cooperation Center of UIN Salatiga Becomes a Speaker at UIN Surakarta
Surakarta (October 21, 2024) – The Head of the International Cooperation Center of LP2M UIN Salatiga, Mrs. Marisa Fran Lina, M.Pd., was a speaker at an International Discussion event titled “Enhancing Economics Global Partnership in Higher Education” at the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI), UIN Raden Mas Said, Surakarta. The event was officially opened by the Dean of FEBI, Prof. Dr. M. Rahmawan Arifin, M.Si.
“UIN Salatiga is truly remarkable. This year, they have successfully recruited international students from over a countries. We need to learn a lot from their international cooperation office. Frankly, the recruitment of international students here has already become the responsibility of each faculty, and FEBI this year has gained 4 international students from the Philippines. Next year, we must aim to have a variety of students from at least 5 different countries,” explained Prof. Arifin.
Mrs. Marisa, on that occasion, shared many insights regarding international cooperation as well as the process of recruiting international students at UIN Salatiga, which took a year to reach its current state. She explained, “In 2023, we were really concerned because we only received 3 international student candidates from India. One candidate disappeared midway, another was rejected by the host (who accepts international students), and we ended up with only one student, who arrived very late, almost at the end of October 2023. At the beginning of 2024, we worked hard on everything, such as improving the admissions website, developing scholarship schemes, and, of course, receiving a lot of support, especially from the leadership. Alhamdulillah, we successfully selected over 142 applicants from various countries, and we enrolled 36 international students from 15 countries in 2024.”
In the discussion, Mafu Ceesay from Gambia, Marianah from Madagascar, two international students from UIN Salatiga, as well as M. Ihsan Al-Fauzi, one of the volunteers from KUI (International Office Voluntary Program/IOsVOLP), also shared their impressions and comments about being part of the campus internationalization. In essence, the two international students expressed great satisfaction with UIN Salatiga, appreciating the services and the city’s serene and cool atmosphere. Meanwhile, Fauzi shared positive impressions about his experience as a volunteer, where he learned a lot about actively using English and becoming a problem solver in managing international students and other international activities. (MFL)
