Becoming Universities: Old Traditions, New Directions

Abstract

In November 2008, I was back at the Annual Conference of Islamic Studies (ACIS) this time in Palembang, South Sumatra. The event was just three days before the inauguration of a new governor. The incoming governor gave a speech on the second day of the conference. During this speech he said that he wanted the local State Islamic Institute, Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Raden Fateh to become the best. Immediately following the speech, a representative of this campus thanked the governor for his commitment for Raden Fateh to become a Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN). This hope was expressed despite the fact that there was a moratorium on IAINs converting to universities. ¹ The transformation of six IAIN into full-fledged universities since the late 1990s excited and captivated the imaginations of many IAIN instructors and staff. Many IAIN faculty expressed concern about the declining impact IAIN had on Indonesian society. Without expanding the programs beyond the traditional religious fakultas, they fear that State Islamic Higher Education will lose its relevancy. To answer the question of where PTAINs are going, we must consider from whence they came. The basic structure of any Perguruan Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri (PTAIN) is said to be modeled after Al-Azhar University in Cairo.