The Quality Assurance Unit (UPM) of the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), organized an International Quality Assurance Benchmarking activity with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohamad Shaharudin bin Samsurijan, Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), on Tuesday, 16 July 2024. The activity was conducted virtually and attended by the Dean Office, Coordinators for Monitoring and Evaluation, Internal Quality Assurance System (SPMI), External Quality Assurance System (SPME), Quality Control Groups (GKM), as well as faculty coordinators at FEB UNS.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Dwi Prasetyani, S.E., M.Si., Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Research, and Student Affairs of FEB UNS, expressed her sincere appreciation to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohamad Shaharudin Samsurijan for his willingness to participate virtually and share insights on quality assurance practices implemented at the School of Social Sciences, USM. She conveyed the expectation that the meeting would generate mutual benefits for both FEB UNS and the School of Social Sciences, USM.

Dr. Dwi further explained that FEB UNS currently manages four undergraduate Study Programs, three master’s Study Programs, and one doctoral Study Program. These Study Programs have obtained international accreditation from AQAS and achieved an “Excellent” status in the national accreditation conducted by LAMEMBA. In addition, she noted that FEB UNS is committed to preparing for the submission of AACSB accreditation in the current year.

“As we understand, quality assurance can be divided into internal and external mechanisms, where institutions often place greater attention on external quality assurance. Nevertheless, UNS has developed an internal system to support the implementation of internal quality assurance,” she stated.

She also expressed hope that UNS and USM would establish future collaboration and cooperation, including opportunities for academic visits, joint activities, or guest lectures involving the academic community of FEB UNS and the School of Social Sciences, USM.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Budhi Haryanto, M.M., Head of the Quality Assurance Unit of FEB UNS, introduced the UPM management team, ranging from field coordinators to the Quality Control Groups responsible for quality assurance across each Study Program. He emphasized that FEB UNS has consistently and sustainably implemented various academic activities to achieve its vision and mission, with the aim of attaining recognition as a reputable global university.

In this context, he highlighted benchmarking as a strategic activity to learn from the experiences of other universities in managing teaching and learning processes, thereby supporting FEB UNS in achieving broader national and international recognition. Prof. Budhi also conveyed his appreciation to Assoc. Prof. Shaharudin and the team from the School of Social Sciences, USM, for their willingness to share experiences and best practices. In the subsequent session, Assoc. Prof. Shaharudin presented a detailed explanation of the quality assurance system implemented at the School of Social Sciences, USM, followed by an interactive discussion with the participants.