After Success of IISMA Program at UC Davis, Consulate General in San Francisco Intensifies Education Cooperation with Leading US Universities

Thepresidentpost.id - San Francisco, United States - Recipients of the Indonesian International Student Mobility Award (IISMA) scholarship have completed their one semester study program at the University of California (UC) Davis in California (09/12). Through this scholarship, 25 Indonesian undergraduate students were able to pursue multidisciplinary education at leading universities at the international level.

The Indonesian Consul General in San Francisco, Prasetyo Hadi, extended his gratitude and congratulations to all IISMA participants in 2023 in his speech. "We are proud of the achievements of IISMA participants at UC Davis this year who not only received excellent grades, but were also active in various extracurricular activities, such as cultural activities and other positive activities outside the campus," added Prasetyo.

Prof. Julie Greenwood, Dean of the UC Davis School of Professional and Advanced Education, who was also present expressed the same view that all Indonesian participants are not only intelligent, but also active in class and even outside the campus. "They care about various phenomena outside the classroom, are active in extracurricular activities, and socialize well with local and international students. They also took the initiative to celebrate Indonesian independence commemoration activities around campus. It's incredible," Julie Greenwood said.

Jake Hosier, director of UC Davis' Global Studies Program, was also present at the farewell ceremony. He also congratulated several IISMA participants for winning the "Taste" coffee creation competition category among hundreds of other student participants from various countries in the subject of "The Design of Coffee" – one of UC Davis' flagship courses. UC Davis has patented findings in the field of improving the aroma and taste of coffee so as to provide additional value and better quality for the coffee products produced.

These Indonesian students also supported the representation of Indonesian coffee MSMEs in San Francisco, Beaneka Coffee, at the San Francisco Coffee Festival, November 11-12, 2023, in the midst of Indonesia's participation in the APEC Leaders' Week activities in San Francisco at the same time. Consul General Prasetyo welcomed the enthusiasm and support of the students who won the attention of thousands of visitors at the Indonesian booth serving Indonesian specialty coffee on the occasion. This is a valuable experience for them in efforts to strengthen coffee diplomacy that Indonesia continues to promote.

The IISMA program is the result of strengthening the partnership between the Government of Indonesia and UC Davis. Through this program, Indonesian students can get various knowledge that can be converted according to the curriculum at their home universities in Indonesia. As part of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology's flagship "Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka" program, IISMA opens participation for undergraduate and vocational students to study at various well-known universities abroad including the US. 

Currently, the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco continues to develop various cooperation efforts and collaborative programs in the education sector both through inter-government and inter-university. "The momentum of commemorating 75 years of bilateral relations between Indonesia and the US next year will be marked by various efforts to strengthen cooperation and collaboration, especially to open various tailor made and sandwich programs that not only involve campuses but also the business / industrial world, such as the coffee industry, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels with various educational institutions in the working area of the Indonesian Consulate General in San Francisco," said Prasetyo. Thus, it is expected that in the future the number of Indonesian students in the US will increase and this is important for efforts to strengthen and expand the people-to-people's connection between the two countries.