Organized by the Department of Anthropology, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia on Monday, July 8, 2024 at Soegondo Building room 709, Faculty of Humanities, Gadjah Mada University, this one-day workshop was conceived to stimulate dialogue between different geographical, political, and economic views on migration in the Global South, while exploring opportunities to enhance scholarly exchange among participants. The event was able to provide a platform to discuss diverse approaches to migration, including knowledge creation, dynamics, methods, ethics, and case studies from different regions in the Global South. The aim of the Workshop was also to provide participants with the necessary skills to disseminate their ideas more widely and engage in contemporary debates on migration in the South.

Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Kamran Asdar Ali as Former President of AAS and Mimi Savitri, M.A., Ph.D. as Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation and Alumni of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Then the participants and mentors introduced themselves one by one before presenting the work of their respective groups. The next agenda was Rethinking Interconnectivity which was guided by Dr. Realisa D. Massardi/Dr. Furrukh Khan/Dr: Jerónimo Delgado-Caicedo. This was followed by breakaway sessions discussing interconnectivity in the global south and how the concept relates to their research. Participants then presented again, this time on their findings. At the end of the program, there was a discussion to answer any unanswered questions.

On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, the auditorium of Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM witnessed an enthusiastic 9:30-11:00 event. The event began by watching an introductory video about Universitas Gadjah Mada and the Faculty of Humanities, followed by an interactive quiz about the video content. Students and teachers enthusiastically participated in this quiz, with the winners getting souvenirs as awards.

This was followed by a presentation by the Public Relations & Cooperation Unit using a PowerPoint presentation that explained in depth about the campus and faculty. A question and answer session was then held, where students asked various questions related to the excellent programs offered, the possibility of admission through organizational achievement pathways, requirements for automatic admission for high schools with parallel number one rankings, plans for new study programs, and the possibility of UKT increases.

The event was also colored by the handover of souvenirs from each school to FIB UGM as an expression of gratitude and support. The excitement of the event reached its peak with a group photo session as a closing that captured precious moments for all participants. This event is not only a forum for information and interaction, but also strengthens the relationship between FIB UGM with the education community and society at large.

The Merdeka Student Exchange Program is an initiative that allows university students to study at universities in Indonesia for one semester. It aims to enhance their learning experience and strengthen unity in diversity. PMM targets to involve 204 recipient universities and accept 15,505 students as participants of this program. One of the universities that received the program is of course Gadjah Mada University. There are many students who have exchanged to this campus and not a few who managed to qualify to study at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. The students came from various universities from all over Indonesia, and some even came from abroad, namely 2 students from Hankuk University, South Korea.

After almost 6 months of PMM students studying, they will finally be released to return to their respective universities after completing the Final Semester Examination. Therefore, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences took the initiative to organize a farewell event for them. The event was held at Teras Langit Turi on Thursday, June 13, 2024 and was attended by 24 students and a number of lecturers representing each study program. They gathered at 4pm at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences and departed together using the bus that had been prepared for them. After traveling for about half an hour, they arrived at the venue. There they were served various drinks, food, snacks, and heavy meals. While eating the dishes, they were invited to share their respective experiences during college. They captured the moment together before going home.

On Tuesday, June 4, 2024 yesterday, a National Seminar was held with the theme “Arabic Language Development in Various Media” as a tribute to Dr. Masrukhi. M.Hum before entering his retirement. The seminar was attended by his fellow lecturers and even attended by several officials such as the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Prof. Dr. Setiadi, M.Si., Head of the Department of Language and Literature, Dr. Sudibyo, M.Hum., and Head of the Arabic Literature Study Program, Dr. Zulfa Purnamawati, S.S., M.Hum. Apart from lecturers, students who had been taught by him also attended the seminar. 

After the event was opened, Eka Setiawan and Pandhita Hapsari as the host handed over their duties to Dr. Arief Ma’nawi, S.S., M.Hum. as moderator to guide the seminar. The core event was the National Seminar with speakers including Prof. Dr. Syamsul Hadi, S.U., M.A., Prof. Dr. H Tulus Musthofa, Lc., M.A. and Dr. Moh. Masrukhi, M.Hum. himself. The presentation of mementos was handed over by Dr. Mahmudah, S.S., M.Hum. as a representative of Middle Eastern Cultural Studies and Dra. Uswatun Hasanah, M.A. as a representative of Arabic Literature study program lecturers. The event was closed with a tumpeng cutting procession by the honorable Dr. Mohammad Masrukhi M.Hum.

The Information and Documentation Management Officer (PPID) of Universitas Gadjah Mada regularly updates public information as a form of commitment to the implementation of information disclosure at UGM. In connection with this, PPID invited representatives of each faculty at Universitas Gadjah Mada, especially the Public Relations (Humas) section, to attend the 2024 Public Information Update Coordination Meeting which was held online on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 9 until 11 am.

Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu, S.H., LL.M. as the Main Information and Documentation Management Officer expressed his gratitude for the attention and good cooperation. It is hoped that after this meeting, there will be concrete steps to improve transparency and accessibility of information within the university. Hopefully, the meeting results in a more proactive policy in providing relevant and up-to-date information to all stakeholders, be it students, staff, or the general public. Thus, Universitas Gadjah Mada can be increasingly recognized as an institution that is transparent, accountable, and responsive to the information needs of the community.