Dongmyeong University 'Doing Injae' Exported to Southeast Asia... Campus Established at Indonesia UMS, Joint Degree Program Operated

Starting September next year, up to 500 people annually, local memorandum of understanding signed on the 24th

President Jeon Ho-hwan of Dongmyung University (right) and the President of Muhammadiyah University Surakarta, Indonesia, are signing an MOA.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Dongmyung University is establishing a local campus at a university in Indonesia and operating a joint bachelor's degree program. This marks the first overseas export of the university's practical education system for nurturing 'Do-ing' talents.

Dongmyung University and UMS (Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta) announced on the 24th that they will implement a 2+2 linked education joint bachelor's degree program starting September 2023.

The program will accommodate up to 500 students annually. The presidents of both universities signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) locally at UMS on the 24th.

UMS is a major university under the Muhammadiyah Foundation, established on September 18, 1958, currently with 24,000 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students. The foundation is the second largest in Indonesia, owning 92 university hospitals and 220 universities.

On the same day, Jeon Ho-hwan, president of Dongmyung University, delivered a 30-minute special lecture titled "Future Cooperation between UMS and Dongmyung University" at the main event of the 64th anniversary ceremony of UMS, held in Solo, a densely populated area in Central Java, Indonesia, attended by over 10,000 stakeholders. UMS’s president is Sofyan Anif.

They also held a signing ceremony for the MOA to implement the 2+2 linked education joint degree, unveiled the Dongmyung University UMS campus plaque, proposed the construction of a dedicated dormitory for the Muhammadiyah Foundation within the Dongmyung University campus, and held a press conference with over 30 media outlets including Indonesia's state broadcaster TVRI at the UMS president’s office.

Under this 2+2 agreement, students will study the first two years at the Indonesian campus focusing on basic liberal arts and foundational major courses, then complete the latter two years at Dongmyung University campus focusing on advanced major courses, internships, and field training, ultimately receiving dual degrees jointly awarded by both universities.

This corresponds to the 'twinning' type among the three types of 'Standards for Foreign Universities Operating Domestic University Curriculums' by the Ministry of Education (twinning, franchise, alliance/network).

The four-year curriculum will be based on Dongmyung University's curriculum and adjusted to meet graduation credit requirements of both countries. The program will primarily be conducted in English, with Korean language courses available concurrently for those proficient in Korean. Dedicated departments will be established in both countries. In the first year, about 100 to 150 Indonesian students are expected to participate, with plans to expand to up to 500 students annually across 220 universities under the Muhammadiyah Foundation.

Dongmyung University signed an MOA with UMS on July 7, 2021, renewed it on August 30, 2022, and with this latest agreement to implement the 2+2 program, it has achieved three goals: exporting the Do-ing talent nurturing education system internationally, continuously and stably attracting foreign students, and facilitating their employment in Korean companies within Indonesia.

In his special lecture, President Jeon explained the Do-ing education, which emphasizes challenge, experience, and practice, as "learning by doing rather than teaching," pursuing Do-ing talents who practice challenge, passion, communication, empathy, respect, and consideration under the three No principles (No-Boundary, No-Grade, No-Teaching).

He also presented Dongmyung University's master plan including ▲Culture Village ▲Animal Park ▲Movie Studio ▲Movie Venture ▲Movie & Game College ▲Data Center.

He drew significant attention by mentioning the connection with Dongmyung Lumber (Chairman Kang Seok-jin, founder of the Dongmyung Cultural Foundation), the world's largest plywood factory rooted in Busan, which imported Indonesian timber ahead of others in 1959 and led Korea's industrialization and modernization by being the top exporter for seven years in the 1970s, as well as the commonalities between the Saemaul Undong movement and the Gotong Royong spirit.

Since last year, after the agreement with Dongmyung University, President Jeon has visited Indonesian Islamic University (UII), Indonesian Computer University (UNIKOM), and Indonesian Education University (UPI), which are implementing the 2+2 linked programs (English track, Korean track), to further strengthen cooperation and encourage participating students.

Following policy support discussions for the Dongmyung University-Indonesia program, he plans to meet with the Minister of Social Affairs (Tri Rismaharini) and Deputy Minister of Trade (Dr. Jerry Sambuaga) before returning on the 29th.

In June, President Jeon awarded an honorary doctorate in Business Administration to Jerry Sambuaga, Indonesian Deputy Minister (Chairman of the Indonesian Bowling Association and Central Leadership Committee member of Golkar Party), and discussed the overseas expansion of the Do-ing education emphasizing challenge, experience, and practice.

President Jeon stated, "Dongmyung University will provide pre-education for Indonesian students' employment opportunities in Korea," previewing this MOA.

Emphasizing Do-ing, which means "executing and realizing everything," since his inauguration, President Jeon stressed, "In the unpredictable future brought by the 4th Industrial Revolution, Do-ing talents will be more recognized than youth who only study at desks."

In May 2021, Dongmyung University signed agreements including 2+2 degrees with UPI, a university specializing in educational technology, and UNPAK, a private university specializing in business administration and accounting. In September 2019, it awarded an honorary doctorate in architecture to Tri Rismaharini, mayor of Surabaya.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.