Cooperation between UMN and Universidade Oriental Timor-Lorosa’e Timor Leste

The visit of Universidade Oriental Timor-Lorosa’e to UMN Campus (Doc. UMN)

Tangerang — The visit of Universidade Oriental Timor-Lorosa’e (UNITAL) to Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN) is a form of inauguration of cooperation between UMN and UNITAL. This discussion also extends to collaborative program ideas such as lecturer exchange, student exchange, joint research, and others. This cooperation is expected so that UNITAL can grow together with UMN.

On Wednesday (17/07), UMN welcomed a guest representative from Universidade Oriental Timor-Lorosa’e (UNITAL). The UNITAL representatives are: Major General Cornelio Ximenes, Chairman of the UNITAL Foundation, Dr. Joaquim de Jesus Vaz, Lic. Med, G B, PG, Ep, MM.; Rector of UNITAL, Dr. Marito Magno, AP. S.Sos., MM.; and Director of Research and National and International Cooperation of UNITAL, Raul Lemos and Krisdayanti. The visit was welcomed by Dr. Ninok Leksono, UMN Rector, as well as other Vice-Rectors. It was also attended by the Deans of each Faculty. 

UNITAL’s visit aims to formalize the collaboration between UMN and UNITAL through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and discuss cooperation for regular foreign student admissions to undergraduate and master’s degrees. In addition, it is hoped that this collaboration can lead to other collaborations, such as joint research, student mobility, and community service.

In his remarks, the Rector of Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, Ninok Leksono, was pleased with UNITAL’s visit. According to Ninok, this collaboration can strengthen the relationship between Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

“I am very happy to welcome the invited guests today. Hopefully, this meeting can lead to good collaborations. We, UMN, do not want to advance technologically alone; we want to share and want other universities to also advance. We are very open if you want to do a comparative study and learn many things from us,” Ninok said.

Ninok also hopes that this visit will expand the network of international students who join UMN International, allowing UMN to expand its target audience abroad. 

In the opening discussion, the head of the UNITAL foundation, Cornelio Ximenes, hoped to pave the way for developing education in Timor-Leste. Cornelio wants to realize UNITAL’s vision and mission through collaboration between UMN and UNITAL.

“We are delighted that UMN is open to working with us. In the future, we will collaborate more and better. We hope that the children of Timor Leste can study at UMN and contribute to Timor Leste later,” Cornelio said.

UNITAL rector Joaquim de Jesus Vaz wants to collaborate with UMN on programs ranging from lecturer to student exchanges. He also hopes that this meeting is not just about signing an MOU on paper but can be implemented by Tri Dharma University.

“UNITAL is very supportive of all future programs. We can send lecturers to teach here and vice versa. Likewise, with students later, we are also focusing on adding publications,” Joaquim said.

In addition to strengthening cooperation between UMN and Timor-Leste, another program related to a collaboration program for the admission of regular international students to Bachelor’s and Master’s programs has been planned.

Prof. Dr. Muliawati G. Siswanto, M.Eng.Sc., the Vice-Rector for Relations and Cooperation, added in the discussion that in the future, programs that can be implemented are not only scholarships but also mobility programs that can be implemented immediately and do not need to be long-term so that students can see how UMN and teaching in UMN work. 

MoU signing by Ninok and Joaquim (Doc. UMN)

“We are also open to lecturers who need a master’s degree. So lecturers in Timor-Leste can upgrade to become Phd holders. I think it is very necessary. So, when lecturers return to Timor-Leste, they can teach better,” Muliawati said.

On the same topic, Dr. Ir. Andrey Andoko, M.Sc., Vice-Rector for Administration and Finance, said that UMN offers several programs that can involve Timor-Leste students and lecturers. With those programs, they can attend lectures and participate in other activities such as UKM, BIPA UMN, or research collaborations.

“We also have another program in the field of Smart Factory or Cloud Factory. It is only one semester, so students who want to exchange either one or two semesters can join this program,” Andrey said.

Raul Lemos also said this collaboration is highly anticipated and highly recommends UNITAL collaborate with UMN. Seeing that UMN’s facilities are complete, he thinks this opportunity should not be wasted. 

“I am very grateful to UMN for providing facilities and scholarships, and I am happy to be able to bridge this collaboration. I hope that Timor-Leste can become Timor-Leste because of the neighboring countries that have supported a lot,” Raul said. 

Krisdayanti, the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, is also happy to be able to accompany UNITAL to collaborate with UMN and hopes that with the scholarship and student exchange between UMN and UNITAL, Timor Leste students can also excel and make their nation proud.

“Yes, I am happy to be able to assist UMN to collaborate with Timor-Leste. Seeing that UMN is very good and its alumni are outstanding, I hope that later Timor-Leste graduates can make their nation proud,” said Krisdayanti.

Krisdayanti also hopes that UMN and Timor-Leste students can continue to be enthusiastic about learning and honing their knowledge continuously, seeing the support and facilities provided by UMN.

By Rachel Tiffany Tanukusuma | UMN News Service

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. www.umn.ac.id