On consecutive days, the academic community at UIN Sunan Kalijaga welcomed several distinguished visitors. On February 12, 2025, the Rector, Prof. Noorhaidi,accompanied by Dr. Ahmad Rafiq, MA, the Acting Director of Postgraduate Studies, and Prof. M. Nor Ichwan, lecturer of Postgraduate Studies, hosted Prof. Edith Franke and her colleagues from Phillips University of Marburg, Germany. This visit is part of a long-standing partnership that has flourished over decades, during which Phillips University and UIN Sunan Kalijaga have collaborated on various academic initiatives. During this meeting, they jointly organised an International Conference titled "Exploring Everyday Lived Religious Life." In the rector's office, Prof. Edith praised UIN Sunan Kalijaga as a credible partner and a valuable resource for the Religious Studies Program, emphasising the need to strengthen this collaboration further. She proposed the development of additional initiatives, such as summer courses and student and faculty exchange programs, to enhance the partnership soon.

Meanwhile, on Friday, February 14, the Rector of UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Prof. Noorhadi, welcomed a visit from Prof. David Grafton and Prof. Carla Grafton from Hartford International University in the USA. During this meeting, Rector Noorhadi signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a framework for further collaborative activities between the two institutions over the next five years. This agreement followed a focused discussion on "Global Faiths in the Digital Age: Promoting Dialogue and Understanding." Despite the challenges faced by both countries, such as declining public trust in the US government, which is perceived to support Israel's actions against Palestinians and Indonesian non-populist policies that threaten education funding in Indonesia, Rector Noorhadi emphasised the importance of maintaining academic relationships and collaborations. He pointed out that the connection between scholars from both universities demonstrates the potential for a more meaningful partnership, which should be prioritised to benefit the communities in both nations. *SKD