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dayana University has financed multibillion development projects and global-oriented academic initiatives to support its effort to become a world class university, its rector said.

Among the development projects are the Center for Bali Studies (CBS) building, a museum, a massive educational hospital, an Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) compound, two dams and a sprawling sports arena.

“They are all funded with money earmarked from the central government annual budget,” Udayana university rector I Made Bhakta said over the weekend.

He pointed out that one project, the construction of the CBS building and museum, was near completion. The facilities, which stand on 2.7 hectares of land and will cost Rp 20 billion, will be dedicated to research and documentation of every facet of Balinese culture.

“Research and other academic activities related to CBS have already started and CBS staffers are temporarily housed in the university building. Once the building and museum have been completed all activities will be relocated into these new facilities,” he added.

The construction of the educational hospital, Bhakta said, had entered its third year and was expected to be complete by next year. The hospital stands on 6 hectares and is costing Rp 600 billion to construct.

“The primary function of this hospital is to provide medical faculty students with field training and the experience they need. Beside that, the hospital will also provide medical services to the public and carry out research focusing on tourism-related contagious diseases,” he said, adding that the medical faculty campus in Denpasar would be relocated to an area near the hospital in Jimbaran.

The CBS and hospital building will flank the compound of the IPD, a cooperative research entity between the university and Foreign Ministry. The IPD will serve as the country’s think-thank on regional and global foreign policy issues and be the core organizer for the Bali Democracy Forum. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono places high value on the annual gathering of world leaders.

Working in cooperation with the Public Works Ministry, the university three years ago began constructing two dams designed to end water scarcity that for years plagued the university’s Jimbaran campus,
and to mitigate flooding in the rainy season.

“The development of these buildings and facilities, and the launch of several new academic initiatives, are part of our plan to enable this university to compete on the global stage,” he said.