FIB USU PR - On Thursday, 30 July 2026, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) welcomed a delegation from the Faculty of Languages and Communication (FBK), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Malaysia. The visit featured a Faculty Visit Meeting, the Signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between FIB USU and FBK UPSI, and Discussions on Collaborative Programs, held at the FIB USU Meeting Room.

The meeting was attended by Mhd. Pujiono, S.S., M.Hum., Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, USU, along with Dr. Zulfan, S.S., M.Hum., Vice Dean for Education, Student Affairs, and Alumni; Ely Hayati Nasution, S.S., M.Si., CIT, Vice Dean for Administration, Finance, Human Resources, and Academic Infrastructure; and Andi Pratama Lubis, S.S., M.Hum., Vice Dean for Research, Community Engagement, Cooperation, and Internationalization. The meeting also brought together heads of administrative units and faculty members from FIB USU.

The FBK UPSI delegation was led by Prof. Dr. Abdul Halim Bin Ali, Ph.D., accompanied by Prof. Madya Dr. Norazimah Zakaria.

The meeting aimed to strengthen institutional ties between the two universities through the signing of the MoA, while also exploring opportunities for sustainable academic collaboration. The proposed areas of cooperation include education, research, community engagement, faculty and student mobility, joint scholarly publications, international seminars, and other academic activities.

In his remarks, the Dean of FIB USU emphasized that international collaboration is an important strategy for enhancing the quality of higher education while expanding global academic networks.

“The signing of this MoA marks a strategic step in strengthening international collaboration between FIB USU and FBK UPSI. We hope that this partnership will go beyond the signing of the agreement and be translated into concrete programs that provide meaningful benefits for faculty members, students, and both institutions,” said the Dean of FIB USU.

On the occasion, Prof. Dr. Abdul Halim Bin Ali, Ph.D. presented several potential areas of collaboration between the two universities, including research, scholarly publications, academic mobility, and curriculum development aligned with global needs. The discussion was conducted interactively, involving the leadership and faculty members of FIB USU, and generated a number of ideas for the implementation of joint programs in the future.

The signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) served as a symbol of the two institutions’ commitment to establishing a sustainable academic partnership. The agreement is expected to create broader opportunities for the academic communities of FIB USU and FBK UPSI to collaborate in academic activities, research, and community engagement at the international level.

Through this initiative, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara reaffirmed its commitment to advancing higher education internationalization by strengthening partnerships with overseas higher education institutions. This collaboration is expected to contribute to the enhancement of the Three Pillars of Higher Education (Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi) while strengthening the competitiveness of FIB USU at both regional and global levels.