Wuxi, China—UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta continues to expand its network and strengthen international cooperation in the development of higher education. On September 14, 2026, UIN Sunan Kalijaga's leadership accepted an invitation from Wuxi University of Technology (WXUT), China, to hold a meeting, exchange experiences, and continue developing cooperation between the two universities, particularly around a double-degree program and educational innovation.

The UIN Sunan Kalijaga delegation was led by Rector Prof. Dr. Noorhaidi Hasan, accompanied by Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Cooperation Prof. Dr. Abdur Rozaki, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business Prof. Dr. Misnen Ardiansyah, and Head of the International Office Dr. Witriani.

The meeting, held in a warm and productive atmosphere, provided a space for the leadership of both universities to share experiences on institutional development, learning models, human resource development, and various opportunities for cooperation that could be developed going forward.

In his presentation, WXUT's leader, Zhao Guijin, accompanied by Vice President Xi Maolong, Deputy Dean of the School of Finance Gao Fanxiu, Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering Wang Jun, and Zhang Xiaoming from the international cooperation division, described WXUT's transformation journey spanning more than six decades.

Rooted strongly in the field of equipment manufacturing, WXUT has developed a model of higher education oriented toward “leading with technology and keeping pace with the industry.” This principle places technological advancement and industry needs at the center of curriculum development, the learning process, and the strengthening of student competencies.

WXUT currently has more than 16,000 full-time students, 3,000 international students, 47 study programs, and more than 1,100 faculty members. The university also continues to strengthen its academic identity in intelligent manufacturing while expanding its network and international educational collaborations.

Bringing Together Technology and Scholarly Integration

For UIN Sunan Kalijaga's leadership, WXUT's experience offered an interesting perspective on how a university builds strong connections between education, technological development, innovation, and the needs of industry. The learning process there does not stop at mastering theory, but is developed through learning by doing, problem-solving, mastery of practical skills, and students' ability to adapt to increasingly rapid technological transformation.

This experience is highly relevant to UIN Sunan Kalijaga's own educational transformation agenda through the integration-interconnection scholarly paradigm. UIN Sunan Kalijaga's strengths in Islamic studies, social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, and community empowerment hold great potential to be brought together with WXUT's strengths in applied technology, intelligent manufacturing, and industry-connected education.

“We would like to express our gratitude for the warm welcome and appreciation shown by Wuxi University of Technology. This meeting not only strengthens institutional ties, but also serves as a space for mutual learning. We see many opportunities to bring together WXUT's technological strengths with UIN Sunan Kalijaga's approach to scholarly integration, humanitarian values, and community empowerment,” said UIN Sunan Kalijaga Rector Noorhaidi Hasan during the meeting.

Seeing WXUT's Learning Ecosystem Firsthand

Following the discussion and exchange of ideas, the UIN Sunan Kalijaga delegation continued their visit by touring a number of WXUT's learning facilities. This visit gave the delegation the opportunity to see firsthand how the orientation of "leading with technology and keeping pace with the industry" is translated into the learning environment and practice.

The UIN Sunan Kalijaga delegation observed various facilities supporting the development of student competencies, particularly in applied technology and intelligent manufacturing. These facilities reflected a strong orientation toward practice-based learning. Students there gain knowledge not only within the classroom, but also through experimentation, simulation, hands-on practice, and solving problems tied to real industry needs.

One notable feature of WXUT's educational ecosystem is the connection between classrooms, laboratories, technology, and industry. Learning infrastructure there is not treated merely as supporting facilities, but as an integral part of the process of building student competencies.

Through this approach, students are encouraged not only to master technical skills, but also to develop creativity, teamwork ability, problem-solving skills, and the capacity to continually adapt to technological developments and changes in the world of work.

For UIN Sunan Kalijaga, seeing WXUT's facilities and learning ecosystem firsthand provided inspiration for developing experiential learning-based higher education. Strengthening learning infrastructure and facilities needs to go hand in hand with curriculum innovation, the development of student talent and competencies, and the expansion of partnerships with industry and the community.

Opening the Door to Broader Collaboration

This discussion and exchange of ideas opened opportunities for both universities to develop more concrete forms of cooperation. Among the potential areas for development are student and faculty exchange, joint academic programs, collaborative research, the development of student talent and competencies, and technology-based innovation that benefits society.

Cooperation could also be directed toward developing cross-disciplinary learning that brings together technology with social, humanitarian, and Islamic perspectives. Through this approach, students would be prepared not only as graduates with the competencies needed to face a changing world of work, but also with sensitivity to the various social, ethical, and humanitarian consequences of technological development.

The meeting between the leadership of UIN Sunan Kalijaga and WXUT also affirmed that the internationalization of higher education cannot be understood merely as expanding global networks. Internationalization needs to become a space for the exchange of knowledge, experience, and best practices, while also opening opportunities for joint innovation to address the challenges of an increasingly fast-changing world. The student exchange program, which has been running for the past three years, will continue to be strengthened. According to Prof. Dr. Abdur Rozaki, UIN Sunan Kalijaga students have been sent to study at WXUT under the student exchange program for the past three years. This cooperation is even being elevated toward a double-degree program and the establishment of Mandarin language classes at UIN Sunan Kalijaga. WXUT's leadership has also previously visited UIN Sunan Kalijaga, meeting with the leadership of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI) to discuss curriculum integration.

This meeting further strengthens the collaborative context between the two universities, whose respective strengths complement one another. WXUT holds strength in applied technology, intelligent manufacturing, and industry-linked learning, while UIN Sunan Kalijaga holds strength in Islamic integration, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, and community engagement.

The meeting between the two universities also opens further space for building a collaborative paradigm of “technology meets humanity”, a partnership that brings together technological advancement with humanitarian values, Islamic principles, social sciences and humanities, and community empowerment.

With this, the cooperation between UIN Sunan Kalijaga and Wuxi University of Technology is expected to produce not only education and innovation that is increasingly advanced technologically, but also humane, inclusive, adaptive, and of real benefit to society.