UPH Business School visited Bank Indonesia

On March 17^th 2015, UPH Business School had a chance to visit Bank Indonesia (BI) located at Jl. MH Thamrin 2 Jakarta. There were 53 Management major students officially supervised by the Head of the Management Department, UPH Business School, Budi Hartono Kusuma, S.E., M.M., Ak., CA.

The visit was divided into 2 sessions, a presentation of BI in general and a museum tour at Kota Tua, Jakarta. UPH was generously welcomed to BI by the Communication Department, represented by Mirza Afafi, BI Communication Department Manager. The students were presented with two main themes: essential knowledge of BI and information regarding foreign exchange reserves, which was delivered by Tigor Siagian, Assistant Director ? Senior Portfolio Manager of BI.

The students were also invited to learn about the history and tasks of the central bank, the differences between commercial banks and other financial institutions, its position in governmental constitutions, and so on. In addition, the students could develop a better understanding of Indonesian economics in general and its relation with the foreign exchange market. The presentation was delivered interactively, in the form of games through the use of social media. Several students raised questions in the middle of presentation so they could better understand the topics.

Tigor Siagian was delivering topic about Foreign Exchange Reserve

The interaction between UPH BS                    students and speaker

Overall, the students reported that the visitation was truly advantageous for them. Karissa (Management 2013), Head of the event, said that by visiting BI they could understand the practical nature of the lessons they have learned in classes such as finance and economics. Budi Hartono Kusuma, the Head of Management Department UPH Business School also agreed that this event was inseparable from the learning process since the students? knowledge was not solely learned in class.

The BI representatives also fully supported this event as it promotes BI and educates the greater society about what BI does. ?By knowing the BI policies, students hopefully could understand the essence of BI itself, since in the field, there are very few who truly understand what BI actually does. Lots of people fail to distinguish between the tasks of commercial banks and BI. We also have indirect benefit from students who could be the agents of information for BI,? Mirza explained.

Moreover, this event could build more networking opportunities between BI and universities. ?We can observe the best seeds to be recruited to be part of BI so there will be synergy between BI and external stakeholders, in this case, the young generation of this nation,? said Rafael, who had just been recruited to join the BI staff via one of the prestigious employment recruitment tracks, Pendidikan Calon Pegawai Muda (PCPM). He also indicated that the UPH students were quite adept at asking critical questions when compared with other universities or institutions. ?UPH students are one step ahead, way cooler, and already aware of both Indonesian and international economic current issues.?    

BI handed over an appreciation gift to UPH. From left-right:            Tigor Siagian (Senior Portfolio Manager BI) – Budi Hartono Kusuma,(Head of Management Department UPH BS) – Karissa (Head of UPH Company Visit 2015)

The participants were fully satisfied with this event as well as with the new experiences they gained. ?There are several economic terms that I?ve already learned at UPH that were explained in an even clearer way in this session. I have a much better understanding of liquidity, functions of the central bank, and more,? said Bernadine Omar (Management 2014). (el)

BI Museum guided the UPH students

ex-meeting room of BI leaders