Tangerang Selatan, 9 January 2026 — Universitas Terbuka (UT) strengthened its internationalization agenda by signing a virtual Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Central Mindanao University (CMU), Philippines. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to expanding access to quality higher education beyond national borders and marks a new chapter in ASEAN academic collaboration.

Director of UT’s Postgraduate School, Prof. Dr. Maman Rumanta, M.Si., emphasized that the MoU is more than a formal agreement, serving as a gateway to concrete collaboration in joint research, academic forums, and knowledge exchange between Indonesia and the Philippines.

CMU welcomed UT as a strategic partner. CMU’s Director of International Relations, Dr. Raquelyn J. Dadang, noted that the collaboration aligns with CMU’s vision to strengthen its role in ASEAN, particularly by learning from UT’s expertise in open and distance learning.

The partnership covers scientific information exchange, faculty mobility, student internships, international seminars, and collaborative research with a focus on sustainability—supporting SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). CMU’s Dean of the Faculty of Education, Dr. Julie Ann A. Orobia, highlighted shared values in sustainability and community engagement.

Closing the meeting, CMU Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Jose S. Valmorida and UT Vice Rector Adrian Sutawijaya, S.E., M.Si., expressed optimism that the collaboration will deliver meaningful outcomes for the ASEAN region, reinforcing UT’s role as a global leader in inclusive, open higher education.