Collaboration has become an increasingly important strategy for improving the quality of higher education. Reflecting this commitment, the Faculty of Social Sciences and Political Science (FISIP) of Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) welcomed a delegation from the Faculty of Social, Law, and Political Sciences of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) for a benchmarking visit on Friday (June 26, 2026). The meeting, held at the FISIP UNNES Hall on the Sekaran Campus in Gunungpati, Semarang, focused on strengthening institutional cooperation and sharing best practices in academic governance.
A total of 24 delegates from UNY participated in the visit, which served as a platform for discussing strategies to enhance academic quality while exploring opportunities for collaboration in research, community engagement, scholarly publishing, and faculty management.
Representing the Dean of FISIP UNNES, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Fadly Husain warmly welcomed the delegation and highlighted the long-standing relationship between the two institutions.
“Whenever we meet colleagues from UNY, it feels like meeting an older sibling. Our institutions share a historical connection that has fostered a close and enduring relationship,” he said.
Fadly also conveyed the Dean’s apologies for being unable to attend the event, explaining that the Dean was in Jakarta attending an official meeting with members of the Red and White Cabinet.
Representing UNY, Prof. Aman, Vice Dean for Planning, Finance, General Affairs, and Human Resources, explained that the benchmarking visit was part of the faculty’s continuous efforts to improve academic quality and institutional performance.
According to him, UNY aims to move beyond knowledge sharing by establishing concrete collaborations with FISIP UNNES. The proposed partnership includes joint research projects, community service programs, and collaborative academic journal publications. The delegation also expressed interest in fostering cooperation between the Faculty Senate of UNY and its counterpart at FISIP UNNES to exchange experiences on faculty governance, institutional participation, and the roles and responsibilities of faculty senates.
During the discussion, Puji Lestari, Vice Dean for Student Affairs, Alumni, and Partnerships of FISIP UNNES, introduced the faculty’s achievements in academic publishing. She noted that FISIP UNNES currently manages 18 scholarly journals, including Paramita, an international journal indexed by Scopus that focuses on history and history education. In addition, the faculty publishes Komunitas, an Indonesian journal accredited at SINTA 1, the country’s highest national accreditation level.
Puji encouraged both institutions to strengthen cooperation through joint publications and research collaborations that could contribute to the advancement of scholarly communication. She expressed hope that the benchmarking visit would lead to a formal partnership between the two faculties.
The meeting also addressed current challenges in academic human resource management, particularly the implementation of new regulations governing academic promotion for lecturers. Participants exchanged experiences on adapting to increasingly comprehensive promotion requirements and discussed strategies for supporting faculty members in achieving higher academic ranks.
Research funding emerged as another important topic of discussion. Both institutions acknowledged that securing international research grants remains a significant challenge for Indonesian universities. Participants agreed that collaborative research initiatives could improve competitiveness in obtaining funding from international agencies and external partners.
Concluding the meeting, Fadly Husain proposed expanding cooperation through international student mobility programs. He suggested that international students visiting either UNNES or UNY could participate in academic activities at both universities, creating broader learning experiences while supporting each institution’s internationalization goals and improving global university performance indicators.
The benchmarking visit demonstrated that collaboration between universities extends beyond the exchange of best practices. By focusing on research, community engagement, academic publishing, faculty governance, and internationalization, both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to building a stronger academic partnership that contributes to the continuous improvement of higher education in Indonesia.
