UNAIR NEWS – Exactly last December 2020, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) Department of State Administration officially changed its name to Department of Public Administration. The change marked the quality upgrade of the department that is ready to open a double degree program, preparation for redesigning the new curriculum, and expanding academic networks at international level.
As explained by the Head of the Department Dr. Antun Mardiyanta, Drs., MA. in an interview with UNAIR NEWS, the department has shown remarkable academic progress and will continue in the future.
First, in terms of accreditation, the two programs under the department, Public Administration Bachelor’s Program and Public Policy Master’s Program, have been accredited A by BAN-PT. Furthermore, Public Administration also gets the highest score among the same programs from other universities.
“Then we were also accredited A by the international accreditation agency ASIC from the United Kingdom, and are currently in the process of achieving superior accreditation. We have achieved everything through the continuity of curriculum redesign following feedback from various stakeholders, “said the head of the department inaugurated in December 2020.
Dr. Antun revealed that his department consistently maintains relationships with alumni, the government, private sector, universities, research institutions, and public administration expert associations. All of these parties are an important part of the academic process and strengthen the skills and knowledge of its graduates in professional world.
This commitment made Public Administration succeeded in becoming the only department in UNAIR that received a Freedom of Learning Independent Campus (MBKM) grant from the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2020.
This encourages Dr. Antun to further intensify independent learning activities and smart university agenda. Most recently, his department succeeded in sending two students for internships and conducting research collaborations with academics at Osaka University, Japan.
Meanwhile, for the annual program, the Department of Public Administration has a community service program assisting one fostered village in Gresik area. The fostered village is a form of community service as well as a practical field for students to formulate policy and administrative plans at regional level. Furthermore, international conferences have also become a mandatory annual agenda that links the Department of Public Administration with their partner universities.
“The closest agenda is an international mini-conference with Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia (UiTM). The conference has become a routine event, although this time it was held online because of the pandemic, “he added.
Together with UiTM, the Public Policy Master Program will soon be ready to open a double degree program. ” After graduation, double degree master’s program students will have two degrees, Master of Public Policy and Master of Administrative Science from UiTM Malaysia,” he explained.
Meanwhile following the pandemic situation, Dr. Antun emphasized that all academic activities will run as usual even though they are held online. The Department of Public Administration itself is ready to invite international guest lecturers and practitioners to teach in the course.
With this academic quality, UNAIR Department of Public Administration has produced many reputable graduates in academic community, government, private sector, and international institutions. “Some of them assume positions of heads of agencies, deans, various ministries, multinational private companies, as well as World Bank consultants,” said Dr. Antun.
In the future, Dr. Antun and his department staff will direct the curriculum towards practicum, digital administrative, and data science activities. It is an effort carried out as a quick response by the Public Administration Department to the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, requests for jobs, and the Covid-19 pandemic which leads to enormous digital needs.
Author: Intang Arifia
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
