On December 13-14, 2023, the Rector of University of Darussalam Gontor, along with vice rectors and several departments such as the Library, LPPM, LPPI, BSDM, BPM, Faculty of Medicine, and others, held a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Benchmarking with two leading universities in East Java, both are Brawijaya University (UB) Malang and Muhammadiyah University Malang (UMM).

The event began at Brawijaya University. On December 13, 2023, at exactly 11:00 AM, the UNIDA Gontor delegation arrived at the Rectorate Building of Brawijaya University. The Rector was welcomed by Prof. Widodo, S.Si, MSi, Phd., Med., and his team on the 6th floor of the rectorate building. The event started with speeches from each rector, beginning with the host, Rector of Brawijaya University.

The Rector conveyed that their university currently has 70,000 students, 18 faculties, and 221 study programs, including vocational, undergraduate, master’s, doctorate, and specialist programs. Additionally, the Rector emphasized the importance of inter-university collaboration, mentioning that UB, for example, could learn from Islamic boarding schools about character education.

Meanwhile, the Rector of UNIDA Gontor explained that UNIDA Gontor is an Islamic boarding school university established in 1926 (alongside the founding of Darussalam Gontor Modern Islamic Institutions) with a very simple system. Ten years later (1936), it developed into a middle-level institution called Kulliyat al-Muallimin al-Islamiyah (KMI). After 6 years, there were efforts to further upgrade it into a higher education institution or high Islamic boarding school called Underbow and Bovenbow. In 1963, the aspiration to build a quality and meaningful university began with the name Darussalam Higher Education (PTD). This gradually developed over the years into Darussalam Institute of Education (IPD), Darussalam Islamic Studies Institute (ISID), and finally, officially transformed into a university according to the laws and regulations, named University of Darussalam Gontor.

During their speeches, each rector briefly introduced their respective teams. The event continued with a group photo session, exchange of mementos, followed by discussions and sharing experiences among the departments. To save time, the event was held in one place, allowing the heads of departments to avoid visiting each other’s locations directly. The two-hour event concluded with a lunch.

The visit to Muhammadiyah University Malang was slightly different. Rector of UNIDA Gontor Prof. Dr. KH. Hamid Fahmy Zarkasyi was received by Prof. Dr. Fauzan on December 14, 2023, precisely at 9:00 AM in a special hall. Similar to UB, the event included speeches from each rector. The UMM Rector expressed the hope that there would be tangible outcomes from this event, such as research, student exchanges, joint seminars, and more.

Meanwhile, Rector of UNIDA Gontor presented a brief profile of UNIDA Gontor, as already mentioned at UB. However, the Rector illustrated the close historical relationship between Gontor and UMM. For instance, Prof. Malik Fajar, former UMM Rector, often served as a thesis examiner for IPD students in 1980. The Rector of UNIDA Gontor also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to conduct MoU and benchmarking at UMM. UMM, being a rapidly developing private university with independent research traditions, had units of business similar to Gontor Modern Islamic Institutions. The event concluded with a group photo session and the exchange of mementos.

Unlike the benchmarking held in one room at UB, the UNIDA Gontor delegation was taken on a tour of the UMM campus, visiting the library, research institutions, business units such as hotels, bookstores, PLTHM (Hydropower Plant), Sengkaling recreational park, as well as dormitories and other facilities.