Close cooperation in education is a fundamental element of the Comprehensive Partnership.  In June 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced a Higher Education Partnership in which the United States and Indonesia will commit to help build capacity to provide world-class university educations and to help double the number of American and Indonesian students who study in each other’s country.  A key element of the strategic approach is a whole of government effort to facilitate self-sustaining partnerships among U.S. and Indonesian institutions, foundations, corporations, universities, and individuals.  Recognizing that science and technology are engines of future growth and prosperity, special emphasis is being given to bilateral cooperation in these areas.

Higher Education

The United States will commit more than $165 million over five years to support the Higher Education Partnership.  To help jointly achieve the shared goals in higher education:

• The Department of State is expanding support for the binational Fulbright Program, making it one of the largest in the world.  The Fulbright Indonesia Research, Science and Technology program (FIRST), a five-year, $15 million initiative provides scholarships for Indonesians to study and conduct research in the United States in priority science and technology fields and for Americans to study, teach and conduct research in Indonesia in similar areas.  The Department of State’s Community College Initiative provides $2.5 million per year for scholarships for approximately 50 Indonesian students per year to study in the in one-year certificate programs and to bring approximately 18 faculty and educational administrators for professional development at U.S. community colleges.

• The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is creating partnerships, developing capacity, and expanding education opportunities.  The creation of University Partnerships between U.S. and Indonesian institutions improves research and lecturing, while also promoting faculty and student exchanges.  The Higher Education Leadership, Management and Policy (HELM) Program supports Indonesian universities by building their capacity in organizational management, budget and financing, quality assurance and local outreach.  The scholarship program PRESTASI sends Indonesian professionals to degree programs and training in Indonesia, the United States or third countries.  The Development Credit Authority guarantees student loans for Indonesian students to attend universities in the United States and Indonesia.

• U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hosted Minister of Education and Culture Mohammad Nuh and more than 100 higher education leaders from both counties on October 31, 2011 in Washington, D.C. for the first U.S.-Indonesia Higher Education Summit.

• Our two governments will celebrate 2012 as the Year of Fulbright 60/20 celebrating the 60th anniversary of Fulbright in Indonesia and the 20th anniversary of the American-Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF), the binational commission that administers the Fulbright Program in Indonesia. 

Study in the U.S.

• The United States’ top priority in Indonesia is encouraging Indonesian students to study in the United States.  The Department of State has increased funding to $4.5 million annually for English-language training, student advising services, and other exchanges.  

• The United States Mission in Indonesia welcomes student visa applications.  In FY 2011, student visas applications increased to their highest figure within 10 years, and ninety-five percent of student visa applicants were approved. 

• The United States is increasing the profile of U.S. higher education institutions through education outreach to Indonesians.  Under Secretary Francisco J. Sanchez led the U.S. Department of Commerce’s largest-ever education mission to Indonesia in 2011, in partnership with the Putera Sampoerna Foundation.  Fifty-six U.S. higher education institutions participated in the mission, attracting thousands of prospective Indonesian students and their families.  The Fulbright Commission’s EducationUSA Fair brought an additional 45 universities to Indonesia to recruit students.  The two education fairs attracted more than 20,000 people.

• The U.S. Department of Commerce is developing partnerships to encourage more Indonesians to study in the United States.  Assistant Secretary of Commerce Suresh Kumar signed a memorandum with Putera Sampoerna Foundation’s ACCESS Education Beyond to promote cooperation between U.S. and Indonesian universities, and to connect U.S. higher education institutions with Indonesian students and education institutions. 

Basic Education

• USAID seeks to improve the quality of school management, governance, and teacher professional development within the Indonesian public school system.  By providing support in the areas of school budgeting and planning; creation of materials and tools to facilitate learning in reading, math and science; and dissemination of student-centered teaching methodologies, USAID will have an impact on the overall quality of secular and Islamic primary schools in selected provinces and districts.  The ultimate goal is to improve student performance and outcomes.  Activities are also underway to increase access to quality education for students with disabilities.

Library Partnerships and Collaboration

• The Library of Congress is developing the American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS) with a consortium of universities, including Cornell, Yale, Princeton, Hawaii, Michigan, Wisconsin, UC Berkeley, and UCLA, to further develop Indonesian studies and links between Indonesian and U.S. scholars.  The Library of Congress is also assisting the House Democracy Partnership with Indonesian parliament staff improvement.

Link of source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/11/18/fact-sheet-us-indonesia-education-partnership

ACCESS Education Beyond is also an in-country trusted partner for higher education links between Indonesia and the world. We support accredited international universities seeking to enter the Indonesian market, or to expand their existing programmes.

For more information, please call +62 21 579 30123 or e-mail us at access@sampoernafoundation.org.

We have many events that you can sign up for in November. For those of you in 10th – 12th grade, sign up for our SAT test prep class or the 2-day boot camp. The curriculum is especially designed for Indonesian students, and will be taught by a professional American teacher and top U.S. university graduate. For those that need a comprehensive, in depth study, sign up for the one-month prep class. For those needing a short, two day course on how you can master the SAT, sign up for the Boot Camp today.

Application essays are always important for those applying to American higher education institutions. ACCESS is holding application essay seminars as well as workshops (where you can walk away with a first draft) for students that need to know the strategies on writing a successful admissions essay.

If you are applying to top schools in the U.S., sign up for the ACCESS’ university interview workshop! Taught by a former university admissions officer, you can learn how to make a great impression to top universities.

ACCESS Education Advances the U.S. – Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership Through Collaboration with U.S. Higher Education Delegation 

Jakarta, November 7, 2011 – Today, ACCESS Education Beyond (ACCESS Education), an independent international higher education preparation and partnerships program initiated by the Putera Sampoerna Foundation, announces its collaboration with the Global Associates Knowledge Network, a consortium of senior U.S. higher education delegates, including vice presidents, deans and directors from U.S universities to explore education and research program partnership opportunities with Indonesian institutions.

This collaboration fits well with the goals of the Comprehensive Partnership on higher education annouced by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and American President Barack Obama a year ago in November, in which aims to harness the energies of the non-governmental, public, and public sectors in both countries in support of expanding billateral programs in higher education, including help build Indonesia’s capacity to provide world class university education.

“A year after the signing of the  U.S. – Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership in November 2010, ACCESS Education strives to continue advancing its education goals through partnering with and hosting U.S. universities to enter or expand their benefit to Indonesia. Our collaboration with the Global Associates network is ACCESS Education’s latest effort to advance the university partnerships component of the Comprehensive Partnership,” said Brook W. Ross, Director of ACCESS Education Beyond.

The Global Associates is a knowledge network of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) dedicated to identifying global higher education and training needs, fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and keeping its members abreast of developments in international education. The representatives consist of Brown University, California State University Long Beach, The George Washington University, Kansas State University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Mississippi, San Diego State University and Syracuse University. This visit to Indonesia is the latest in a series of exploratory overseas trips taken by Global Associates members every year.

The Global Associates network seeks to establish student and faculty exchange programs, study abroad and pathway programs, research collaborations and possibly joint and dual degree programs with Indonesian universities. Additionally, the delegation is interested to discuss executive development programs, short-term technical certificates, highly focused and customized training programs for public and private sectors in Indonesia. Also of interest are fully online degree programs and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs for Indonesian students. Through U.S. – Indonesia university partnerships and collaborations, the impact will help build Indonesia’s capacity to provide world class university education and thus benefit Indonesian students and the overall economy.

“The Global Associates has identified Indonesia as a key country for academic partnership between the universities in the 2 countries. As Indonesia increases its focus in support of education allocating almost 20 percent of its federal budget, this is the right time to think about joint academic programs between universities in U.S. and Indonesia,” said Dr. Jeet Joshee, Global Associates Chariman, as well California State University, Long Beach, Associate Vice President Interantional Education.

The Global Associates delegation to Indonesia will meet and discuss partnerships with 13 top Indonesian universities in Jakarta, Bandung, Solo, and Yogyakarta, namely Universitas Atma Jaya, Institute Teknologi Bandung, Universitas Parahyangan, Universitas Padjajaran, Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Bina Nusanatara University, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Universitas Muhamadiyah Solo, Universitas Islam Yogyakarta, Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, Universitas Gadjah Mada and Universitas Sanata Dharma.

ACCESS Education is an integral part of the Putera Sampoerna Foundation’s “Pathway to Leadership” grand strategy to develop 1,000 new leaders for Indonesia each year who are capable in facing the challenges of global participation head-on. ACCESS Education is committed to advancing the Comprehensive Partnership through providing strategic assistance to prospective U.S. university applicants and American colleges and universities looking to enter or expand their presence and partnerhsips in Indonesia.

We’re having another writing workshop boot camp part I on Tuesday, October 18th 2011 and part II on Thursday, October 20th 2011 from 16.30 – 19.00 WIB at our office in Sampoerna Strategic Square Building.

In the boot camp, you will learn how to create an outline and develop it into an application essay. We will also talk about common mistakes made in an essay and also how to make your essay flow.

Here are the details:

• Workshop Part I: Tuesday, October 18^th 2011 at 16.30 – 19.00 WIB

• Fundamentals of Essays – The Content and Structure

• Leave with an outline

• Workshop Part II: Thursday, October 20^th 2011 at 16.30 – 19.00 WIB

• Catching the Reader’s Attention: Introductions and Conclusions

• Putting it All Together- Transitions and Grammar Points

• Leave with your First Draft

Workshop Part I: Rp. 600,000 /person

Workshop Part II: Rp. 600,000/person

Both Workshops I & II:  Rp. 1.000.000/person

To ensure that you get the most out of our workshop, we will only accept limited number of participants. Please let us know immediately by email ( access@sampoernafoundation.org ) if you would like to book your place for the boot camp.

Thank you very much and looking forward to meeting you this week!

So what’s your dream school abroad? Share with us at our booth and we’ll show you how to get there.

We’ll see you there scholars!

INTRODUCTION TO APPLICATION ESSAYS SEMINAR

Thursday, 13 October 2011

17.00 – 18.30 WIB

ACCESS Education Auditorium

Rp. 150,000/ person

APPLICATIONE SSAY BOOT CAMP

Walk away with your first draft!

Sunday, 16 October 2011

09.00 – 13.30 WIB

Rp. 1,000,000 / person

To secure your seat today, contact us at acces@sampoernafoundation.org or (62-21) 5793 -0123

SIGN UP NOW, SEATS ARE LIMITED!

Earlier I posted a checklist for those of you who want to be enrolled in university by August/Sep of next year… here’s a list for those of you who are thinking ahead. It’s never to early to get started.

Now is the time to start your university search. Here are the three most important questions to ask:

• What’s important to me?
• Where can I get in?
• What can I afford?

Here are some other important questions that may help you answer those questions:

• Where do I want to attend university?
• What kind of university do I want attend?

Community College

Liberal Arts

Ivy League

State University

Private

2+2 Community College + University

• What size of a university do I want to attend?
• What do I want to study?
• What kind of extracurricular activities are important to me?

You should also think about preparing for English and other admission tests at this point.  Getting ahead start is always an advantage. It will help you choose a better university and may improve your scores.

Fell free to comment or email me with your questions!

September – October 2011

• September 24 – 25, SMA Kolese Kasinius
• September 30 – 1 October, SMAK 5, SMAK 7
• October 7 – 8,  SMAK 1
• October 15,  SMAK 3 SMA Santa Theresia
• October 22, SMA Don Bosco
• October 29 – 30, SMA Kolese Gonzaga

ACCESS Education Beyond will opening booths at those school listed above, our university counselors will be attending so this is the chance to talk to them directly about your international education dreams! Its free and open to public, don’t forget to bring your friends and parents along! See you there scholars!

By LYNN F. JACOBS and JEREMY S. HYMAN

As the next class of college freshmen prepare to pack for college, I asked Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman, authors of The Secrets of College Success, to compile some tips for getting ready academically. What follows are excerpts. –Jacques Steinberg

Pre-orient yourself. Many colleges offer extremely elaborate orientation programs, often lasting up to a week, in which you learn the way around campus, pick your classes, and often have some group activity to forge a sense of community. It’s easy to fall prey to information overload and wind up — despite the college’s best intentions –totally disoriented. That’s why it’s crucial, before you head off to orientation, to familiarize yourself with the central academic information about your college.

Things to consider: college requirements (always available at the college Web site), schedule of classes for the fall (also available at the site, though you might need a password, which the school should be able to provide you), and, in the best case, syllabuses from the actual courses (check out the departmental pages for links to these). Getting this information in advance will not only make you a good college consumer, it’ll prevent you from being shoehorned into the “standard first-year program” by some all-too-rushed adviser. And while you’re at it, you might want to research the credit you might be able to get for any A.P. (advanced placement) or I.B. (international baccalaureate) courses you might have taken.

Get into the college “mindset.” For most students taking the direct path from high school to college, the biggest change is that, once at college, you’re in charge. Whereas in high school your teachers and parents often held your hand — reminding you repeatedly about due dates and checking to see if you have done your homework — your college professors will expect you to operate as an independent adult. It will be enormously easy to skip class or neglect to do the reading assignments or even “forget” to turn in a paper or take an exam, without anyone rebuking you or warning about the possible consequences. So use the remaining time this summer to wean yourself of external management: take control of your life, meet your responsibilities, and get in the habit of making a schedule (electronic calendars work well) on your own.

Brush up on a foreign language. At many colleges, the biggest single requirement is two years of a foreign language. Many freshmen have had a smattering (or more) of some foreign language in high school, whether it be Spanish or French, or for the more enterprising, and global-minded, Mandarin or Arabic. Whatever the case, the summer before college is an excellent time to get ahead on your language skills. If travel abroad is in your plans, pick a country that speaks the language you’re working on; if Spanish is your intended tongue, volunteer work in most communities can put you in a situation where Spanish is routinely spoken.

For the electronic-minded, there is a wealth of foreign-language programming on the Internet. For example, livemocha, where, the site says, you can chat for free with over 10 million native speakers in nearly 40 languages; the various “pod” sites — ChinesePod, FrenchPod, SpanishPod, and ItalianPod – where you’ll find over 1,000 podcasts, with review, practice and reinforcement; and radiolingua, where you’ll find the popular CoffeeBreakSpanish and CoffeeBreakFrench podcasts as well as the One-Minute podcasts in, among other languages, Irish, Polish, Russian and even Luxembourgish.

Do a life-changing activity. Many students (and parents) wrongly think of the summer before college as a time to veg out and take a break from the arduous work you’ve been doing in the senior year of high school. Instead, spend this last, free summer doing something that will enrich and change your life (and perhaps do something for others). In some cases, you might consider taking an internship or apprenticeship that will further your career goals (one student interested in law worked as an unpaid intern at the New York attorney general’s office the summer before college).

For other students, travel can be a transformative experience: you’ll be in a much stronger position to study Middle-Eastern relations if you’ve just spent a few weeks touring Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. And, for those interested in the service professions, another less pricey (but potentially just as valuable) experience is a summer of service in a hospital, clinic, or hospice — or a food bank, Head Start program, or homeless shelter. Such volunteer work will not only give you an experience in helping others, it’ll make you feel good as you start college.