Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) has once again successfully organized the International Summer Course 2025, a three-day program held from Wednesday to Friday, May 7–9, 2025. This year’s course carried the theme “Living the Local Way: Nature, Art, and Culture,” reflecting UNNES’s ongoing commitment to becoming a globally reputable university and a pioneer of excellence in conservation-minded education.
The event was officially opened by the Vice-Rector for Partnership, Business, and International Affairs, Prof. Dr. Nur Qudus, MT., IPM, and was attended by deans and vice deans for cooperation from all UNNES faculties, inter-faculty cooperation teams, as well as faculty members and course instructors.
In his opening remarks, Alfath Yuniarto, Head of the SDG Center and Office of International Affairs at UNNES, emphasized that the program not only aims to showcase the natural and cultural richness of Central Java but also contributes directly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 4 (Quality Education), Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), Goal 13 (Climate Action), and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
This year, the Summer Course was attended by 60 participants from 32 countries, including 37 students from UNNES’s global partner institutions and 23 international students currently studying at UNNES under the KNB, Darmasiswa, and regular international scholarship schemes. Participants represented a diverse range of countries such as Pakistan, Tanzania, Egypt, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Yemen, India, Bangladesh, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Algeria, the Philippines, Madagascar, Kazakhstan, Japan, South Korea, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, among others.
Throughout the three-day program, participants engaged in a series of immersive cultural activities, including a singing and gamelan workshop at the Cultural Village, a batik workshop facilitated by the Faculty of Engineering, and a live-in experience in Kandri Tourism Village, where they practiced rice planting, created pandan leaf soap, explored the Kreo Cave, and participated in a heritage tour of Semarang’s Old Town.
On the final day, participants participated in experiential learning activities at various UNNES faculties, providing them firsthand academic experiences and opportunities to interact with local students and lecturers.
In his address, Prof. Dr. Nur Qudus, MT., IPM, expressed his hope that participants would fully engage in all program activities and that the initiative would serve as a bridge for cultural diplomacy and the strengthening of international academic networks.
“May our time together at UNNES serve as a reflection of future global unity,” said Prof. Nur Qudus.
The program was a collaborative effort between the Office of International Affairs and all faculties at UNNES, with strong support from local students who served as cultural companions and internationalization ambassadors from their respective faculties.
Through this initiative, UNNES reaffirms its strategic role in promoting cultural diplomacy, strengthening global networks, and positioning itself as a distinguished, sustainable, and internationally reputable institution of higher education.