a) Malang City
Malang is the second largest city in East Java after Surabaya in both area and population. Malang is known as an Education City and home of more than 40 universities for both state and private universities. This city reflects an interesting diversity in educational opportunities within a rich historical and cultural heritage at pleasant locality for living and learning.
b) State University of Malang (UM)
State University of Malang (UM) which was formerly known as IKIP Malang has 50.000 students who are spread put in seven faculties. They are Faculty of Education (FIP), Faculty of Science (FMIPA), Faculty of Letters (FS), Faculty of Technology and Information (FT), Faculty of Sport (FIK), Faculty of Social Studies (FIS), Faculty of Economics (FE) and Graduate and Post Graduate Program (PPS). UM has become students’ destination to continue their study from all over Indonesia, specifically East Java and East Indonesia. UM also has become referenced place for international students to learn Indonesian language and culture.
c) CIS BIPA AT THE FACULTY OF LETTERS
Center for Indonesian Studies (CIS) –BIPA at Faculty of Letters of State University of Malang (UM), in its approach to teach Indonesian to Foreigners, aims at cultivating a balance of speaking and writing competence both in formal and colloquial Indonesian language. The formal variant is essential for reading or interchange with officials and educated people generally. The colloquial Indonesian offered in lessons is understood by most speakers of the language even when their variants differ.
CIS – BIPA has been running the Indonesian Studies Program and the Intensive Indonesian Language Courses to other of Indonesian speakers since 1975. For all this time, many overseas organizations or institutions has joined this program, such as, COTI (The Consortium on the Teaching of Indonesian), CSC (Council Study Center) formerly bearing the name of Cooperative Southeast Asia Studies Program (CSASP) , AFS (American Field Services) of the U.S., ACICIS from Australia, SINKHO from Japan, and other abroad universities. Also hundreds of individuals from all over continents have participated in Indonesian courses at CIS-BIPA UM. Recently, in 2009 we have been running an In-Country program from Walailak University Thailand.
d) CLS Program in Malang Indonesia
On summer 2010, CIS BIPA UM has been trusted to run The Critical Language Scholarship program for American students from many universities cross over The United State of America. The first program of CLS Indonesia will be held in Malang City, East Java Indonesia specifically organized by BIPA under the Faculty of Letters State University of Malang (UM). We have received 17 students and all of them will be arrived in June 14, 2010 . They will study Indonesian language and cultures for ten weeks and this program will end in August 8, 2010.
The CLS Program was established in 2006 as part of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI). The NSLI initiative is an interagency effort to further strengthen national security and prosperity in the 21st century through strategic language learning. Foreign language skills are essential to engaging foreign governments and peoples, especially in critical world regions, to encourage reform, promote understanding and convey respect for other cultures. These skills are also fundamental to the economic competitiveness of the nation. The NSLI initiative focuses resources on improving language learning across the educational spectrum and emphasizes the need to achieve mastery of critical languages
The Critical Language Scholarships for Intensive Summer Institutes (CLS Program) continues to be the key component of a U.S. government interagency effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need foreign languages. Students of diverse disciplines and majors are encouraged to apply and they are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.
The CLS Program is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State. It is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) and the American Councils for International Education (American Councils). The CLS Program is fully funded by ECA through an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress. Under the CLS Program, approximately 550 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students will study one of thirteen critical languages in the summer of 2010. The CLS Program operates in fifteen countries in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, or Europe. The CLS Program provides group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for seven to ten weeks.