Synchronizing Global Academic Agendas: A Strategic Coordination Chart of International Program Initiatives International Office UIN SSC
Cirebon, July 1, 2025 — The International Office and Partnership of UIN Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon (UINSSC) continues to reinforce its institutional commitment to global engagement through its weekly internal meetings. The meeting was chaired by Lala Bumela Sudimantara, Ph.D. Director of the International Office, and attended by the university’s internal task force known as the Global Engagement Team (GET). The session opened with a comprehensive briefing from Lala Bumela Sudimantara, Ph.D. who emphasized the strategic consolidation of key international projects currently underway. These included preparations for the upcoming CILEM, the development of the Ausbildung Germany program, internship pathways to Japan, virtual student exchanges, a curriculum innovation partnership with Mindanao State University, and academic publication efforts in collaboration with MGMP English teachers of Cirebon for the AsiaCALL event. Institutional cooperation with Badan Bahasa, focusing on BIPA and UKBI, was also discussed, along with updates on Lala Bumela Sudimantara’s forthcoming book, Multisensory CALL for Under-Resourced Universities and Schools in Indonesia, which will be launched during AsiaCALL. The Virtual Charles Darwin Symposium and AsiaCALL Pre-Conference Seminar were also on the agenda. Each of these initiatives was accompanied by the direct assignment of responsibility to members of GET, as coordinated by Lala Bumela Sudimantara, Ph.D. himself. In addition to structural plotting, Lala Bumela Sudimantara, Ph.D. also emphasized the importance of preparing staff with the right competencies and mindset to actively contribute in international academic events.
Rather than functioning as isolated programs, these international projects represent a synchronized ecosystem of activities designed to position UINSSC as an agile and visionary institution within global higher education. The International Office, through GET, is structuring each initiative as part of an integrated platform for academic diplomacy, student empowerment, and transnational collaboration. What emerges is not a collection of scattered engagements, but a cohesive institutional blueprint for long-term academic globalization. With mobility, language, research, and digital participation woven into one strategy, the university is fostering global literacy not just in its curriculum but across every layer of organizational conduct.
The emphasis placed in this meeting extended beyond logistics or deadlines. It was a strategic reaffirmation that UINSSC views global participation as a core component of its institutional identity. By empowering internal staff through role delegation, the university ensures that every initiative is not only implemented but also internally owned. Lala Bumela Sudimantara, Ph.D. underscored this when he stated, “We are building international credibility by building internal capacity. Our greatest asset in the global space is the competence and clarity of our own people.” In this sense, internationalization at UIN SSC is less about external networking and more about internal transformation, turning faculty, students, and administrators into globally aware agents of change.
These strategic meetings also demonstrate a shift in paradigm: from program-based thinking to ecosystem thinking. Each international effort is now expected to generate ripple effects, culturally, academically, and structurally. Whether through virtual collaborations, outbound mobility, or language training, every component is designed to contribute to the university’s collective impact. Metrics of success are now drawn not only from participation counts but from knowledge production, intercultural interaction, and institutional learning. The coordination serves as both roadmap and reflection tool, helping the institution track what it delivers, whom it engages, and what it represents on the international stage.
In this alignment, the role of the Global Engagement Team is not simply administrative but visionary. Acting as both strategists and executors, GET members are positioned as the nerve center of international program delivery. The meeting reemphasized the importance of agility, adaptability, and academic diplomacy. As GET members are entrusted with high-stakes roles, from symposium coordination to academic publication curation, the expectation is not only to meet global standards but to innovate within them. The International Office views this as a model for scalable, decentralized internationalization where each internal actor holds agency and accountability.
In conclusion, Lala Bumela Sudimantara, Ph.D., closed the session with a reminder of the university’s larger purpose in international collaboration: “Our participation in global academic spaces is not about being seen, it is about being significant. We must bring our values, insights, and local knowledge to every table we sit at.” This weekly synchronization meeting reinforces UINSSC’s commitment to intelligent coordination, ethical leadership, and sustainable global presence. With clearly designated roles, harmonized strategies, and a shared spirit of purpose, the International Office, through GET, is building not only pathways to global engagement but also the institutional culture to sustain it.
Author: Muhammad Azkiya Bahtsulkhoir