Universitas Diponegoro bid farewell to 50 (fifty) in-bound students from the Merdeka Student Exchange (PMM – Pertukaran Mahasiswa Merdeka) 3 program, representing 27 (twenty-seven) higher education institutions across Indonesia. The event took place at the Prof. Soedarto, S.H. building, located on the Undip Tembalang campus on Monday (18/12). The in-bound students were bid farewell by Prof. Hanifa Maher Denny, S.KM., MPH., Ph.D., the Director of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Alumni at Undip.

In her address, affectionately referred to as ‘Bunda’ Prof. Hanifa, expressed appreciation and gratitude to the in-bound students who participated in the PMM 3 program for one semester. She urged the students to share their beneficial experiences with their peers. “The PMM program is not only meant to broaden perspectives and learning experiences but also to enhance cultural knowledge and expand friendship networks,” said Prof. Hanifa. “Hence, the PMM students are not just representatives of their respective universities but also cultural ambassadors enriching the nation’s cultural diversity,” she added.

Meanwhile, in his report, Kadung Prayoga, S.P., M.Sc., representing the PMM 3 Undip Team, expressed pride in the in-bound students who successfully completed the PMM 3 program for one semester. “As the PMM motto goes – exchanging temporarily, meaning forever – it is hoped that this program will further strengthen brotherhood to unite and bring meaning and benefits for the nation’s progress,” said Kadung.

The Merdeka Student Exchange program for 2023 (PMM 3) is a student mobility program for one semester aimed at gaining learning experiences in various Indonesian universities while strengthening unity within diversity. PMM 3 consists of six main elements:

1. Exchange of students through inter-island cluster movement
2. Recognition of learning outcomes for up to 20 credits
3. Allowing the exchange of students from State Universities to Private Universities and vice versa
4. Participation of students in their 3rd, 5th, and 7th semesters during the program
5. Exploration of unity in diversity through the Nusantara Module
6. Academic-to-academic and vocational-to-vocational exchange mechanism

The PMM 3 program ran for one semester from August 2023 to December 2023. There were 50 in-bound participants from 27 universities across Indonesia. These in-bound students were distributed among 11 faculties at Undip as follows:

1. Faculty of Law: 4 students
2. Faculty of Economics and Business: 10 students
3. Faculty of Engineering: 2 students
4. Faculty of Medicine: 2 students
5. Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Agriculture: 1 student
6. Faculty of Humanities: 1 student
7. Faculty of Social and Political Sciences: 13 students
8. Faculty of Science and Mathematics: 2 students
9. Faculty of Public Health: 7 students
10. Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences: 6 students
11. Faculty of Psychology: 2 students

The in-bound students returned to their respective universities on December 22, 2023. Meanwhile, there were 14 out-bound students (from Undip) participating in the PMM 3 program, spread across 10 universities in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua. According to the in-bound students’ program schedule, the out-bound students returned to Universitas Diponegoro in December 2023.

The farewell event for the in-bound students concluded with a performance by the in-bound students showcasing dances and a choir that narrated the cultural diversity of the Indonesian nation. (Ut-PR).

Source: undip.ac.id