The Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (RISTEK DIKTI), to be precise the Directorate of Science, Technology and Higher Education Resources issued an announcement regarding the Spiritual Pedagogy Short Course which was held in mid-November 2018 at the University of California at Riverside, USA. Based on this information, one of the lecturers of the Sharia Economics Undergraduate Program at STIE Perbanas Surabaya, Dr. Ika Yunia Fauzia, Lc., MEI., Had the opportunity to participate by submitting an application file.

From the initial selection to filing, he also passed along with twelve lecturers from other campuses in Indonesia. After receiving a selection summons to Jakarta for the interview test, his party finally passed the interview test with the other six lecturers. Meanwhile, the interview selection material at that time was related to general knowledge, English and Arabic, scientific journal publications, publication of textbooks and reference books, collaborative research, and a number of other materials.

Furthermore, Dr. Ika Yunia Fauzia, Lc., MEI said that the process of administering administration to America is not easy. Moreover, the visa used is the J-1 visa, which is specifically used for the university agenda. First, he filled out bioforms (biography for academic personnel) in the targeted campus system, namely the University of California Riverside (UCR). After entering the required data, the UCR campus issued a letter of approve appointment as a visiting scholar.

"Administrative affairs do not just stop there, because the next agenda is to fill in an isocline or international students and scholar payment confirmation. The first obligation has to pay USD 500 to enter the existing system. After payment, DS 2019 will come out which is a magic letter that must be brought for a visa interview at the American embassy, ​​and if DS 2019 is not available, then a visit to America will not be possible, "he said.

After going through several tiring visa procedures, the author of the Book of Business Ethics in Islam managed to go to the UCR campus along with five other lecturers. In this case, STIE Perbanas Surabaya received an honor for being one of the campuses that succeeded in sending its lecturers to contribute to this activity.

From 21 November 2018 to 13 December 2018, Dr. Ika Yunia Fauzia, Lc., MEI., Also joined the short course. He had the opportunity to collaborate or join research and publications with lecturers in the Middle East and Islamic Studies Program of the University of California at Riverside (UCR). This is in accordance with the scientific field that he does, namely Islamic Economics. He also closely followed the teaching and learning process on the UCR campus.

"We participated in the seat in several classes, namely the upper class, lower class and graduate class. This experience can be an input for scientific transformation in the academic community of STIE Perbanas Surabaya. In addition, it can be used as a means of developing networks with other academics in the international arena for more intensive cooperation in the future, "he explained.

Several other series of activities were also carried out by Dr. Ika Yunia Fauzia, Lc., MEI, related to community visites, cross cultural studies, participant seminars, independent and library research, academic discussions, and so on. He also made simple observations about how the practice of Islamic finance in Uncle Sam's country. For example, Dr. Ika Yunia Fauzia, Lc., MEI, found that there are several sharia developers who have offered housing without usury.

He knows this from a cross-country Muslim community who happens to live in the San Bernardino Arena, California, USA. Several brochures about buying and selling property without usury were found in a room in the corner of the Al-Rahman mosque, Fontana area, California. The mosque is used for the worship of American Muslims of all races, ethnicities and skin colors. On another occasion, he also participated in the International forum held by International Affairs from the UCR Campus. Dr. Ika Yunia Fauzia, Lc., MEI., And her five colleagues became delegates from Indonesia to be able to exchange information with other participants. "This international forum was attended by scholars or scientists from several worlds, from China, Brazil and India, with a variety of different scientific disciplines," he added.

On the sidelines of the Short Course activities, Dr. Ika Yunia Fauzia, Lc., MEI., Had the opportunity to see one of the largest date-producing regions in America, precisely in Mecca, California. Various types of dates are cultivated here. The taste and quality are very similar to those in Saudi Arabia. Also, various kinds of seeds that are used as souvenirs for Hajj and Umrah are cultivated well in America.

"It turns out that now anything can grow anywhere. Dates that are characteristic of desert plains can thrive in California soil which has cool air and loose soil. This means that if a product has a high demand and becomes one of the goods needed by the public, it should be a priority that must be fought to be developed properly in the country. For example, rice and soybeans, which are the basic needs of the Indonesian people, should also be able to thrive so that they can supply the needs of the Indonesian people properly. Learned from farming on American soil, in California. If dates alone can thrive there, then the fact is that all this time, soybeans for the raw material for tempeh are imported from America. This condition is a necessary thing because if dates grow there especially soybeans, of course this is a minor problem. As a result, learning from America about agricultural economic problems is not easy, the only difficult thing is how to implement it in this beloved country, the Great Indonesia, "he concluded. (Tail)