(Kuala Lumpur, 23/05/2025) The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) of UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya continues to strengthen its global academic footprint through the FISIP International Student Mobility program, now entering its second year. As a flagship initiative designed to promote academic diplomacy and intercultural collaboration, this year’s program featured two major international engagements: the Joint International Conference on Political and Islamic Studies (JICoPIS 2025), held in collaboration with the University of Malaya, and the Student Leaders International Colloquium 2025, a poster-based competition hosted by the National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM). Conducted from 19 to 23 May 2025, the events were unified under the theme “Mental Health and Wellbeing,” which invited critical reflection on emotional resilience as a foundation for inclusive education, leadership development, and global understanding.
Representing UIN Sunan Ampel were 19 faculty members and 20 students from across three disciplines, which are, International Relations, Political Science, and Sociology. The program brought together participants from seven leading universities, including UPNM, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), University of Malaya, UiTM Shah Alam, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), and UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya. Students were grouped into twelve collaborative teams to compete in the Student Leaders International Colloquium, where they presented academic posters addressing key sub-themes such as the importance of mental health and emotional wellbeing, practical strategies for personal resilience, the creation of supportive environments, the application of critical thinking, and the promotion of mental health awareness in educational institutions.
More than a competition, the colloquium functioned as a platform for intercultural dialogue, intellectual exchange, and youth-driven leadership. By inviting students to translate real-world mental health challenges into academic poster presentations, the program nurtured critical thinking, problem-solving, public speaking, and the ability to transform everyday issues into structured, practical, and scholarly outputs. The format encouraged students to develop innovative perspectives, fostering a sense of agency and responsibility in shaping healthier academic environments.
The program’s core objectives were to raise awareness among student leaders about the significance of emotional wellbeing in their personal and academic lives, to equip them with tangible strategies to manage stress and maintain balance, and to provide a safe, collaborative space to discuss shared struggles and institutional responsibilities. The emphasis on empathy, peer support, and resilience-building marked the program as a key initiative in promoting mental health as an integral part of higher education and student leadership.
By integrating both the academic and student colloquium under the umbrella of the FISIP International Student Mobility program, UIN Sunan Ampel demonstrates its sustained commitment to academic excellence, intercultural collaboration, and character-driven leadership. This initiative not only reflects the faculty’s dedication to fostering global citizenship and critical awareness but also affirms its role in shaping intellectually curious, ethically grounded, and emotionally intelligent future leaders on the international stage.
Author: Nadia Devina Fathimatuz Zahra.
