UNAIR NEWS – UNAIR held a discussion with the Bandung Institute of Technology’s Rector Prof Reini Wirahadikusumah PhD, on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, at Ballroom The Trans Luxury Hotel Bandung. Various topics were discussed in the UNAIR Meeting and Focus Group Discussion (FGD), including the challenges in ITB development, national issues, and challenges of the university.
In her speech, the first female rector of ITB expressed her tribute for the sharing opportunity with UNAIR’s management. Prof Reini commended the meeting as a collective discussion and evaluation of the campus development.
“I don’t think I deserve to be a speaker. Let us just share so ITB and UNAIR can mutually learn,” she said with an applause by the audience.
Prof Reini explained the historical background of ITB’s establishment as the nation’s problem solver, especially in engineering. It has been the spirit ITB upholds ever since.
Prof Dr Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih MSi (left) as a moderator in discussion with Prof Reini Wirahadikusumah PhD on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (Photo: Agus Irwanto)
“ITB may not be able to do everything. There are some things only UNAIR can handle. The specialization encourages us to open the collaboration opportunity to develop the nation,” she said.
“On the other hand, ITB has to be able to answer the increasing complex challenges of the nation in the future,” she added.
All universities, including ITB currently face some difficult challenges. At least since 2020, ITB had developed its human capital, system integration, and creating a scientific culture. She further stated that human capital is related to human resource (HR) management. ITB positioned HR as an essential asset.
“At ITB, we highlight quality, affordability, and accountability. The quality ranges to various fields, including students, education, and research,” she stated.
“While affordability is about opening big opportunities for everyone to study at ITB, accountability is associated with the management transparency,” she added.
As for the system integration, she underlined the effectiveness and efficiency, considering various systems ITB had.
The third is creating a scientific culture. She encouraged the academic community to maintain a highly scientific and learning spirit. “Apart from that, developing a consistency culture is also necessary,” she said.
In the end, Prof Reini emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration and university development in the future, such as in what ITB currently focused on, for example, academic collaboration between the lecturer and students in conducting research and scientific projects.
“We really hope that ITB and UNAIR can collaborate within our respective specializations in the future,” she said.
Author: Feri Fenoria
