UNS — Entering the second week of September 2023, a total of 40 Decree Letters (SK) from the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) Republic of Indonesia (RI) have been received by UNS Professors from 14 faculties. The number of professors receiving the Ministerial Decrees is an accumulation of those who have been officially confirmed as professors since March 2023, totaling 5 professors; 4 professors in April; 5 professors in May; 5 professors in August; and 22 professors in September will soon be inaugurated.
The Chair of the UNS’s Professor Council (DP), Prof. Drs. Suranto Tjiptowibisono, M.Sc., Ph.D. stated that this achievement is not only a source of pride but also presents challenges that must be faced in preparing for Indonesia Emas 2045 (Golden Indonesia 2045). As a relatively young institution in terms of university age, being less than 50 years old, UNS already boasts more than 205 active professors and a total of 898 doctorates, which is an extraordinary achievement. “Professors and Doctors, who are still relatively productive in producing international scientific works contributing to the scientific development and welfare of our beloved nation,” Prof. Suranto explained in a written statement received by uns.ac.id, Friday (8/9/2023).
With a combined total of 1,100 Professors and Doctors, it is expected that they will make significant contributions to achieving maximum performance in implementing the Tridharma of Higher Education. UNS has already made impressive achievements in the State Legal Entity Higher Education Institutions (PTNBH) league, positioning itself in the second position of the 22 top universities in the country during 2022 and 2023. This achievement is expected to be maintained and further improved upon in accordance with the Key Performance Indicators (Indikator Kinerja Utama or IKU) set by Kemendikbudristek. Additionally, laboratory facilities will continue to be upgraded in terms of both quantity and quality.
In addition to laboratory equipment needing upgrades to modern and advanced facilities to support research activities at universities, the ecosystem of the academic community, which shapes the academic atmosphere, needs to be continually developed. The culture of producing manuscripts ready for publication in reputable international journals and implementation in the field as a form of downstreaming for the prosperity of the nation should be nurtured and expanded.
Of course, these aspirations are shared by Professors and Doctors in every university in Indonesia. It is acknowledged that the laboratory conditions and situation are not yet evenly distributed in terms of quality and quantity as hoped for. “Even though we can overcome this through collaboration among domestic PTNBHs or even abroad. Another challenge faced by professors and doctors in Indonesia in conducting research at their respective institutions is the complexity of administrative accountability, including financial administration,” he added.
If this latter issue can be overcome with a simple and flexible model where all administrative requirements and needs for raw chemicals and consumables can be handled by a separate directorate, the task of Professors and Doctors to conduct research and publish scientific works in JIB can proceed smoothly, thus contributing to the faster improvement of university ranking status at the international level. “Hopefully the increasing number of Professors accelerate the achievement of highly skilled Indonesian human resources on the path to Indonesia Emas 2045, hopefully!” he concluded. Humas UNS