Indonesia
East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has officially launched the East Java Studies Center, an institution established to advance strategic thinking and research through a partnership between Universitas Islam Malang and the East Java Provincial Government, specifically between the university’s Postgraduate Program and the East Java Communication and Information Office (Kominfo) as stakeholder.
The center was inaugurated at the Tholchah Hasan Auditorium on Friday, November 13, 2020. Held inside the Al Asy’ari Round Building, the ceremony drew heads of Regional Government Organizations (OPD) across East Java, alongside the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Malang, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, and the Director of Unisma’s Postgraduate Program.
The Studies Center was conceived by Unisma out of a broader conviction: that East Java needs a stronger foundation of strategic research to reinforce its identity and momentum. The center is designed to serve as both a think tank and a forum where experts and research institutions can pursue strategic inquiry centered specifically on East Java.
“Now that East Java has just marked its 75th anniversary, as we move toward a Golden Indonesia, we need deep research across human resource development, governance, education, management, Islamic law, medicine, technology, and sharia economics even the formulation of strategic policy that future generations and East Java itself will need going forward,” Khofifah said following the launch.
She added that the center should stay closely connected to the East Java Communication and Information Office, the Provincial Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), and the Library and Archives Office, all of which provide digital information services on the province’s development planning and progress.
Read also: Unisma and East Java Provincial Government Unveil Anniversary Collaboration
In his presentation, Unisma Postgraduate Director M. Mas’ud Said noted that great nations have always placed scientific foundations at the center of their progress, which is exactly the challenge the Studies Center is meant to address.
“This center of civilization must be translated by today’s scholars and put into practice by state administrators, community leaders, higher education institutions, and even future generations, in the real world,” he said.
Unisma’s Rector, for his part, emphasized that the university is advancing toward becoming a World Class University and aims to play a meaningful role in the progress of both East Java and Indonesia.
“We are ready to support East Java, and we believe the Governor supports us in return. We see ourselves as part of the movement to revive the glory of Indonesian civilization and this province,” he said.
Khofifah expressed hope that the Studies Center would bring together scientists, scholars, civil servants, and government officials from both Indonesia and abroad, along with East Java born experts scattered across the globe, to exchange in depth, long term strategic insight.
Robust strategic research, she said, would help forge a stronger identity for the province, positioning it as a strategic force not just within Indonesia but on the world stage.
“I know how strong East Java’s intellectual network truly is. Many of them are already successful figures at world class universities and accomplished professionals at major corporations. I hope they’ll find a place here to share their experience and the keys to their success, whether through a formal presentation or simply an academic conversation over coffee. Wherever that exchange happens, they’ll be planting seeds of intellectual growth and meaningful learning,” she said. (*)
