UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) alumnus Dr. Jokhanan Kristiyono, ST, M.MedKom has been appointed Chair of the Almamater Wartawan Surabaya School of Communication Studies (STIKOSA-AWS). He is among the accomplished graduates of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP).
Known well as Jo, Dr. Kristiyono has built an unconventional academic and professional career, particularly in the field of communication. He began his higher education in mechanical engineering in 1994. Despite this background, his main interest lay in visual communication design. After graduating, he worked for a company in Banyuwangi before returning to Surabaya in 2000 to pursue an undergraduate degree in the same field, which he completed in 2005. He later worked primarily as a webmaster and gradually moved into promotional and marketing roles.
“Around 2006, I changed jobs and became more involved in digital-based marketing communication. That was when I began to realize that my technical skills were not enough without stronger theoretical grounding, so I felt the need to return to formal education,” he said.
Journey as educator
Dr. Kristiyono’s decision to continue his studies brought him back to UNAIR, where he enrolled in the Media and Communication program at FISIP. “I believed the program would allow me to directly apply what I learned to my professional work, although adjustments were still needed between theory and real-world conditions,” he said.
Dr. Kristiyono completed his master’s degree at UNAIR in just three semesters. Shortly after graduating, he was offered a lecturer position at STIKOSA AWS in early 2012. He accepted the offer without hesitation, citing his long-standing passion for teaching.
“I’ve always enjoyed teaching. Even in my previous job, I was involved in teaching while serving as a marketing program manager at a private university. I taught visual communication design and interaction communication, which is now widely known as UI/UX,” he said.
Entering the academic profession reinforced Dr. Kristiyono’s commitment to continuous learning. He believes that teaching others requires an ongoing expansion of one’s own knowledge. In 2017, he returned to FISIP UNAIR to pursue doctoral studies through a special scholarship for lecturers and completed the program in early 2020.
Grounded in competence and integrity
After years of service as a lecturer, Dr. Kristiyono was appointed Chair of STIKOSA AWS for the 2023–2027 term. He admitted that he initially declined the role, believing more senior colleagues were better suited. However, his professional competence and personal integrity ultimately led to the trust placed in him to lead the institution.
As chair, Dr. Kristiyono faces new challenges, including managing organizational culture and diverse leadership dynamics. “One of the key challenges is transforming organizational culture. Although this campus has a long history, there is still much to improve. Faculty members may be ready, but management culture is not always visible, for example, standard operating procedures may exist, but their implementation remains inconsistent,” he explained.
During his leadership, Dr. Kristiyono aims to instill values centered on cultural awareness and civility. He also emphasizes maintaining close relationships among faculty, administrative staff, and students, whom he regards as the institution’s core driving force.
He also seeks to promote a more inclusive academic environment without rigid disciplinary boundaries. “This means we can collaborate across different fields of expertise. With growing government support for multidisciplinary research, I hope there will no longer be divisions based on academic disciplines,” he said.
Author: Yulia Rohmawati
