Transforming Islamic higher education institutions in Indonesia from “institutes/colleges” into “universities”: Globalization or glocalization?

Abstract

Transforming “institutes” and “colleges” into “universities” has become a trend in the effort to develop state Islamic higher education institutions in Indonesia. The transformation idea was examined in this study, whether it was a globalization phenomenon or a glocalization phenomenon. Using a case study, this qualitative research found that globalization and glocalization played a role in institutional transformation. Through internationalization, globalization became the initial motive for transformation. However, under limited autonomy and funding, efforts to internationalize and implement globalization behaviors were hampered. In turn, glocalization appeared stronger through the political and moral literacies of the leaders of the universities. The resistance that started the controversy over the idea of transformation can, in principle, be accommodated and suppressed by the facts of glocalization. Without ignoring locality, accommodation for globalization can be optimized by accelerating these Islamic universities toward world-class universities and changing them into universities with greater autonomy.