As it enters its 40th year, Universitas Terbuka (UT) continues to expand its wings internationally in its journey to become a World Class University (WCU). As a pioneer of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in Indonesia, UT has not only become a reference for domestic universities but also in the international arena. One of UT’s strategic steps was to welcome delegates from Taylor’s University Malaysia for a study visit on September 20, 2024. The event, held at the Universitas Terbuka headquarters in Pondok Cabe, Tangerang Selatan, was attended by 12 delegates from Taylor’s University, including Dr. Eugene Pek Chuen Khee, Head of the School of Management and Marketing, along with faculty members and alumni.
Rahmat Budiman, M.Hum., Ph.D., UT’s Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Partnership, and Business, warmly welcomed the Taylor’s University delegation, expressing appreciation for the presence of Taylor’s University leadership and team. In his speech, he outlined UT’s development as a pioneer of ODL in Indonesia, while also explaining UT’s vision of achieving World Class University status. He provided a general overview of UT as an inclusive university that reaches out to people from diverse backgrounds. UT, which is increasingly popular among younger generations, now has more than 660,000 students, predominantly Millennials and Gen Z. UT continues to develop marketing strategies and digitalization to improve access to education, particularly for younger generations. Mr. Rahmat also emphasized the importance of internationalization in education and UT’s plans to open international programs in 2025.
Meanwhile, Dr. Eugene Pek expressed his appreciation for UT’s warm welcome to the Taylor’s University delegation. He conveyed his interest in UT as an innovative and inclusive university and praised UT’s ambition to become a state university with World Class University status. He also expressed interest in collaborating with UT, as both institutions offer open and distance learning. Taylor’s University sees great potential in this collaboration, particularly in faculty and program-level faculty exchanges, student exchanges, and research collaborations that are expected to boost both institutions’ rankings in the QS World University Rankings.
Following discussions on potential collaborations, the event continued with an exchange of souvenirs, a group photo, and a visit to UT’s operational units. This visit from Taylor’s University is expected to be a step towards broader collaboration for the mutual advancement of both universities in efforts to improve the quality and access to high-quality distance higher education.
