UMY Rector Represent Indonesia at the Asia Pacific University Symposium in Taiwan
November 22 2017 , By : Yordan Gunawan
In the Asia-Pacific college symposium event held by Asia University, Taiwan, 3 rectors from Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), Universitas Diponegoro , and Universitas Airlangga were present as key speakers in the event. This event is an annual event that has been going on for the last 4 years. The occasion, which is fully supported by the Taiwan Ministry of Education, has become one of the important forums to promote education in Taiwan in particular, as well as Asia in general.
As the theme of Higher Education and Industry 4.0, this event is a target for educational stakeholders to update the latest developments on how to position universities in industry 4.0. In his presentation, Gunawan Budiyanto as a Rector of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta told how UMY experiences in facing disaster in Indonesia trying to use information technology approach.The location of Indonesia which is at the meeting of tectonic plates, and surrounded by the line of active volcanoes, makes disaster a part of the life of Indonesian society.
Along with advances in technology, Gunawan explained that UMY as one of the leading campuses in Indonesia tries to integrate information technology as a form of awareness and early warning of disaster in Indonesia.”An example is about disaster mapping in Yogyakarta using information technology as a tool. Even in UMY itself disaster became a special study with the establishment of Disaster Study Center UMY. In addition, with high commitment, UMY also initiated so many academics involved in disaster study from various perspective of science, “said Gunawan
The forum initiated by Asia University, Taiwan was officially opened by The Founder of Asia University, Chang-Hai Tsai. In his speech, he explained that this forum is purposely held annually to bridge colleges in Taiwan as well as in Asia Pacific to meet face to face and share information on renewable themes. The event held on 20 to 21 November 2017 was attended by no less than 200 participants.
Through various moderator-guided sessions, many university leaders from various campuses in Asia Pacific provide examples of how to apply information technology to be an integral part of academic development in college. In addition, this symposium also reinforces the belief that higher education in the future should take more role in preparing its excellent human resources to enter an era that makes technology as the main developing factor.