Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) has been recognized as a leading Christian university in the international community. UPH has partnerships with international universities through the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) program. In this program, UPH is chosen to be the pilot project in Indonesia to carry out the Study Abroad activities – one of the programs of CCCU’s Australian Study Center (ASC). UPH itself is the only Christian university in Indonesia that is a member of CCCU.

UPH facilitated all the study tour activities which took place from February 29 to March 18, 2020. The program was attended by 8 students and one supervisor, Dr. Donald DeGraff, Faculty Advisor of the CCCU program, USA. These students came from 6 different universities, namely Azusa Pacific University, Whitworth University, Northwestern College, Wheaton College, Messiah College, and Biola University. Previously they had also visited Australia for two months.

CCCU itself is a higher education association consisting of more than 180 Christian institutions throughout the world. Institutions incorporated in CCCU are accredited institutions, colleges, and universities with a comprehensive education that is Christ-centered, rooted in the Christian Faith. CCCU aims to support the advancement of Christian education to transform lives through scholarship programs and ministries based on Biblical truth.

UPH enthusiastically welcomed this program by preparing a wide range of programs to introduce Indonesia and its culture to the participants. According to Shirley Novita Yauwhan, Manager of UPH Global Partnerships, the study tour program conducted by CCCU is certainly not only beneficial for the international students but also for all students of UPH, both in terms of global exposure and network expansion.

Shirley added that while in Indonesia, UPH facilitated them with several topics, including Social Entrepreneur & Social Enterprises, Supply Chain Management, and Indonesian culture in general. This material was given by UPH both through learning in classrooms and visitations to several places and occasions, such as attending Indonesian Language courses for Foreign Speakers (BIPA), and the introductions about Indonesian History and Indonesian Political Structure. From the industrial side, UPH also invited them to visit several Lippo Group companies including Berita Satu Media Holdings, Siloam International Hospitals, both in Karawaci as well as in Jakarta, PT Bank Nobu, and PT Matahari Putra Prima.

This program received high enthusiasm from its participants, as stated by Christopher Jelken from Northwestern College. “It is truly a valuable and interesting experience to come to Indonesia, as well as gain experience at UPH, and to see the way Lippo Group impacts the community in various aspects,” he said

In terms of cultural exposure, UPH has prepared a visit to some historical places around Jakarta. Among them are the Textile Museum, Bank Indonesia Museum, Indonesian History Museum, Puppet Museum, Immanuel Church, Jakarta Cathedral Church, and the Istiqlal Mosque.

“Having the opportunity to visit these places is so thought-provoking, seeing the harmony of religious life in Indonesia. We can see that from the Istiqlal Mosque being close to the Cathedral Church,” said Dr. DeGraff who was so enthusiastic about these cultural activities.

Bali became their last destination in Indonesia before heading back to the United States on March 18, 2020. With all the activities, they shared that they had a thorough experience and have gotten useful insights. They were also very grateful for experiencing the riches of Indonesia’s cultural heritage.

This joint activity of CCCU proves that UPH is an international university that constantly seeks broad relations with a variety of international university partners. This kind of experience does not only expand students’ insights with the presence of students from partnering universities but also enriches students’ global insights and expands their network through connections and interactions with the international students who participated in this program.