The transformation of State Islamic Higher Education Institutions (PTKIN) from institutes and colleges (IAIN/STAIN) into universities (UIN) involves organizational restructuring, academic expansion, governance reform, human resource development, and cultural adaptation. This study analyzes PTKIN transformation through Lewin’s Change Model to develop a contextualized interpretation of organizational change in Islamic higher education. A qualitative integrative literature review synthesized theoretical and empirical literature on higher education transformation, Islamic educational management, and organizational change. Qualitative content analysis and narrative synthesis organized the findings according to the stages of unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. The synthesis identifies three interconnected processes. Unfreezing involves developing institutional readiness in response to policy pressures, modernization, academic competition, and societal expectations. Changing encompasses structural and academic transformation through organizational restructuring, scientific integration, governance adaptation, and human resource development. Refreezing involves institutional consolidation through the institutionalization of new academic practices, quality assurance systems, and organizational values. The analysis further suggests that PTKIN transformation is recursive rather than strictly linear, with the negotiation and reinforcement of Islamic identity serving as an institutional anchor across the three stages. The study concludes that PTKIN transformation can be understood as a recursive process combining organizational change with the continuing negotiation and reinforcement of institutional identity. By contextualizing Lewin’s model within Islamic higher education, the study contributes to organizational change scholarship and offers a conceptual framework for understanding sustainable institutional transformation in universities grounded in institutional values.
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