The Undergraduate Program in Communication Science and the Master’s Program in Media and Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities/FISHUM, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, strengthened their international academic network through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding/MoU, Memorandum of Agreement/MoA, and Implementation Agreement/IA with a number of academic partners from Asia and Central Asia. The activity was held as part of the MoU Signing & International Community Service forum on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, from 09.00 to 15.30 WIB, at the 5th Floor Hall, AR Fachruddin A Building, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta.
The Undergraduate Program in Communication Science was represented by Dr. Mochamad Mahfud, while the Master’s Program in Media and Communication was represented by Dr. Fatma Dian Pratiwi. Their participation reflected the commitment of FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta to expanding global academic cooperation, strengthening institutional recognition, and enhancing the contribution of higher education’s tridharma at the international level.
The cooperation involved ten international academic partners, namely the Association for Collaboration in Worldwide Academia/ACWA, Asia International University, Buxoro Innovatsion Ta’lim va Tibbiyot Universiteti, Esil University, Kokand State University, Samarkand Branch of Tashkent State University of Economics, “Silk Road” International University, Samarkand International University of Technology, Washington University of Science and Technology/WUST, and Zarmed University Uzbekistan. The forum also brought together several universities from Central Asia, including Tashkent State University, Asia International University, Buxoro Innovatsion Ta’lim va Tibbiyot Universiteti, and Silk Road International University.
The signing of the MoU, MoA, and IA represents a strategic step in building cooperation that is not only administrative but also practical and implementation-oriented. The MoU provides the institutional framework for mutual understanding, the MoA defines the operational scope of cooperation, while the IA serves as an implementation document that enables concrete, measurable, and sustainable academic activities.
This collaboration is directed toward supporting various academic agendas, including educational cooperation, joint research, international community service, lecturer and student mobility, international seminars, joint scientific publications, and institutional capacity building. Through this cooperation, the Undergraduate Program in Communication Science and the Master’s Program in Media and Communication are expected to expand their international academic access and develop a scholarly ecosystem that is responsive to developments in communication, media, and global society.
The International Community Service forum was also a significant part of the agenda. International community service provides opportunities for lecturers and study programs to develop cross-national academic contributions. Therefore, international cooperation should not be understood merely as the expansion of institutional networks, but also as an academic responsibility to generate broader social benefits.
For the study programs, this activity has strategic value in supporting performance indicators and accreditation components, particularly in relation to international cooperation, tridharma outputs, academic recognition, and institutional reputation. In addition to expanding international networks, the forum also opened opportunities for global academic collaboration and provided international community service certificates for participating academics.
Dr. Mochamad Mahfud stated that the participation of the Undergraduate Program in Communication Science in this activity was part of the program’s effort to strengthen its international orientation. He noted that communication science, as a dynamic academic field, needs to be continuously developed through cross-national academic networks in order to respond more comprehensively to social, cultural, technological, and media transformations.
Meanwhile, Dr. Fatma Dian Pratiwi emphasized that the involvement of the Master’s Program in Media and Communication in this international cooperation forum was an important step in strengthening academic and research quality. Cooperation with various international partners is expected to encourage collaborative programs, such as joint research, visiting lecturer programs, international seminars, student mobility, joint publications, and international community service initiatives.
The activity proceeded successfully and generated meaningful benefits for all parties involved. Through the signing of the MoU, MoA, and IA, the Undergraduate Program in Communication Science and the Master’s Program in Media and Communication of FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta reaffirmed their commitment to developing productive, accountable, and quality-oriented academic cooperation.
With the spirit of international collaboration, this cooperation is expected to become a sustainable step in strengthening the contribution of FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta to the development of communication science, media studies, social sciences, and humanities at the global level. May this cooperation bring blessings, safety, smooth implementation, and broad benefits to all institutions involved.