Victoria's e-government expertise sparks new partnership
Victoria will benefit from stronger links with Indonesia's top-ranked university now that it has partnered with Universitas Indonesia on a new, co-delivered, double Master degree programme.
The degree programme will offer Master's degrees in e-Government and Public Administration, and will primarily be taken up by Indonesian civil servants.
Delegates from both universities have signed the memorandum of Agreement outlining the terms that will see about 20 students from Indonesia each year, study for two trimesters at Victoria.
Universitas Indonesia's Professor Dr Eko Prasojo, who was formerly the country's Vice Minister of Administrative Reform, was part of the four-person delegation to visit Victoria.
"Our government has made information technology a priority as it is changing the interaction with citizens and within government itself. It's an important area and this agreement is part of that reform."
He says Victoria was chosen because "it is one of the top universities in the field of electronic government".
Under the agreement, the first of the Indonesian students will begin their studies at the Universitas Indonesia in 2018. They will arrive at Victoria in 2019 for one year of study, before returning to Indonesia for a final trimester.
School of Government's Professor of Public Management Evan Berman, who has long-established networks at the Universitas Indonesia, was a key driver of establishing the MOA.
"This agreement is hugely valuable to both universities. Victoria is one of the few universities in the world to offer a Master's in e-Government, so for Universitas Indonesia, it leverages off our distinctive strength in this area. It's also a great chance for Victoria to foster closer relations with Indonesia's top-ranked university in both teaching and research."
The partnership also sets the stage for further collaborative opportunities and the renewal of Victoria’s 2013 Memorandum of Understanding with the funding agency, the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education. The MOU established the framework for co-operative educational opportunities such as staff exchanges and student scholarships.
During their visit, the delegation met with key people including Chair in Digital Government Professor Miriam Lips, Victoria Business School Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean Professor Ian Williamson and staff from the Schools of Information Management and Government.