The University of Indonesia (UI) continues to strengthen its commitment to international collaboration through visits to prominent universities in the United States. One of the key visits was to the University of Southern California (USC) on Monday, May 5, 2025. The UI delegation was led by the Rector of UI, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, accompanied by the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering UI, Prof. Dr. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T., M.Sc., along with several other university and faculty leaders.
During the visit, the UI delegation held a series of strategic discussions with leaders from USC and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering to explore potential areas of collaboration. One of the initiatives discussed was iPodia—a global classroom platform that enables students from various countries to participate in cross-campus lectures simultaneously and collaboratively. UI sees great potential in joining iPodia as part of its effort to enhance international learning experiences for its students.
Additional topics discussed included opportunities for guest or visiting lectures, multidisciplinary research collaboration, and developing doctoral (Ph.D.) programs for UI faculty members and graduates at USC. UI also held a dedicated meeting with Prof. Anthony Bailey, the founding Dean of USC Bovard College. Bovard College offers professional online master’s degree programs to help working professionals improve their skills, expand their networks, and accelerate their careers through flexible learning and industry-relevant curricula. Through this exchange, UI gained valuable insights into how to build and sustain high-quality and in-demand online programs.
USC also expressed interest in various technology-based educational initiatives currently being developed at UI and potential collaboration in areas such as sustainability, petroleum engineering, and other fields where Indonesia serves as a living lab for interdisciplinary research.
“Collaboration with USC is part of UI’s internationalization vision to offer more global learning experiences for both students and faculty. We believe this partnership will open up greater opportunities for knowledge exchange and research capacity building,” said Prof. Heri Hermansyah, Rector of UI.
Echoing this sentiment, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering UI, Prof. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, added, “Programs like iPodia enable Engineering UI students to engage not only in interdisciplinary learning, but also in intercultural and international education. This aligns with our direction towards inclusive and globally oriented engineering education.”
The University of Southern California is a renowned private research university in Los Angeles, widely recognized as a global innovation hub. USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate programs across various engineering fields, including computer, electrical, biomedical, and aerospace engineering. The school has made significant contributions to technological advancement, such as developing DNS and the Viterbi algorithm.
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Public Communications Office
Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia
