Indonesia graduate students are increasing significantly for these past decades. This shows positive sign of the high attention and interest of the Indonesian young generation about academic perspective, and its contribution for this country. However, there are some obstacles of an optimal academic development, such as: (1) the lack of literatures and research results on Indonesia in foreign language; (2) the low English ability of Indonesian students which blockage their participation on spreading their ideas and research results in international forum and also in publishing their works in international journals; (3) certain communication device to contact graduate students of other area in Indonesia or of other countries to exchange ideas and research results.
Therefore, the formation of a graduate student’s forum of local and foreign countries is in high demand. The establishing of this forum could, to some opinions, should be started with an international conference for graduate students of local and foreign countries. This conference should be attended by leading intellectuals of various sciences of local and foreign countries, which followed with various academics activities.
Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University has held the first International conference for Indonesian students on “(Re) Considering Contemporary Indonesia: Striving Towards Democracy, Sustainability, and Prosperity, a Multidisciplinary Perspective” on December 1st - 2nd 2009. This conference is an extension of Academy Professorship (API) started by Prof. Yunita T. Winarno, Anthropology Department Indonesia University and Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University. This international conference is part of a program called Improving the Academic Skills of Indonesian Graduate Students: a Series of Scientific-Essay-Writing Workshop as Preparatory Path towards the Conference which has been held continuously in four universities in May – July 2009: Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia University – Depok, Hasanuddin University – Makasar, North Sumatra University.
The keynote speakers of this conference are Prof. Merle Ricklefs (Why Democracy? Why Indonesia?) and Prof. Chua Beng Huat (Disrupting Liberalism in East Asia) National University of Singapore, and Prof. Dr. Melani Budianta (Naratives and Transmission of Knowledge) Indonesia University. This conference attended by 128 presenter who represents five continents (Europe, America, Asia, Australia, and Africa) and 58 participants non-presenters.
