Western Sydney University applauds the President of the Republic of Indonesia, His Excellency Joko Widodo, for announcing the university's plan to build a cutting-edge campus there. The declaration was made at the Indonesia-Australia CEO Forum, which was hosted by President Widodo while he was in Sydney. It came after the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights recently gave its approval for Western Sydney University to establish a Yayasan Foundation, which is required as a prerequisite to establishing a foreign campus.
The University's request to set up a branch campus in Surabaya is about to receive approval from the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. Western Sydney University intends to create the campus in Surabaya, East Java, a city fulfilling the requirements of an emerging Indonesian economy, subject to final site selection and Board of Trustees approval. With a concentration on STEM skills, the envisioned campus would include degree programs as well as industry-relevant short courses, with a special focus on degrees in information and communications technology (ICT), data science, and electrical engineering. Work on the campus is scheduled to start in late 2023, pending Board approval, in preparation for the University's first student intake in September 2024. 2,500 students are anticipated to enroll on campus over time.
The Western Sydney University campus in Vietnam, run in collaboration with UEH University and long-established, is built upon the new Surabaya location. The projected Surabaya campus, according to Chancellor Professor Jennifer Westacott AO, is a significant strategic commitment by the University to increase its worldwide presence and solidify its position as a leader in global education. “Western Sydney University has a long and proud history of opening up access to higher education for students who have the drive, ambition, and dedication to succeed. Establishing a significant long-term presence in Indonesia is an exciting new chapter in that history”, said Professor Westacott.
“The planned new international campus will create life-changing opportunities for local students to graduate with a globally recognized degree and will support Indonesia in its economic transformation”.
According to Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover AO, the Surabaya campus aims to provide top-notch amenities and a technologically advanced learning environment with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, climate resilience, and sustainability. It is also anticipated that the university's enormously successful Launchpad tech start-up incubator would play a significant role on campus, helping to promote a thriving entrepreneurial culture and start-up ecosystem in Surabaya.
“Western Sydney University is proud to have been named number one in the world for our social, ecological, and economic impact for the second year running in the prestigious Times Higher Education Impact rankings – a first for an Australian university”, said Professor Glover.
“We will ensure that our long-standing commitment to sustainability and working with local communities to create a more inclusive and resilient future is deeply embedded across all our planned operations in Surabaya”.
The University's presence in Indonesia will be heavily reliant on partnerships. An executive short course on reaching net zero for neighborhood firms will be offered by the university in August. The Indonesia Global Compact Network, KADIN, and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry have joined forces to present the training in Jakarta.
