HUMAS USU – The Academic Senate (Senat Akademik, SA) of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) recently conducted the election of rector candidates in the Academic Senate Room, USU Rectorate Bureau, on Thursday (25/9/2025) to determine the top three candidates for USU Rector from eight candidates who passed the initial screening for audition. After conducting a voting process (one man one vote), 112 senate members carried out a democratic, honest, and fair election.
The election results officially determined three candidates who will subsequently be chosen by the 21 Members of the Board of Trustees (MWA) in Jakarta. The three candidates are Prof. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si., who secured 53 votes; the second highest vote-getter, Prof. Poppy Anjelisa Z Hasibuan, who received 18 votes; and the third highest, Prof. Isfenti Sadalia, who garnered 16 votes.
Meanwhile, other candidates who obtained the fourth highest votes in descending order were Prof. Himsar Ambarita with 13 votes, Dr. Dr. Johny Marpaung with 9 votes, Prof. Hasim Purba with 2 votes, and the remaining candidates, Dr. Firman Syarif and Prof. Syahril Efendi, received 0 votes. Additionally, 1 vote was considered invalid.
The Chairperson of the USU Academic Senate, Prof. Budi Agustono, who opened the event, appreciated all Academic Senate (SA) members present for supporting the rector election agenda for the upcoming period. “This is an important agenda, because our votes will determine the future of USU in selecting the best individuals who will occupy the rector position,” he stated.
Following the election by the Academic Senate, Prof. Budi Agustono explained that there remains one more process to be conducted, namely the selection by the USU Board of Trustees (MWA). “Thus, the top three rector candidates will be selected at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) by MWA members on October 2, 2025,” he said.
Prof. Budi Agustono hopes that the vote results from the Academic Senate represent the best outcome for USU’s advancement. He mentioned that all candidates participating in the contest are genuinely individuals who care about USU’s progress, but the Academic Senate members must choose who, in their opinion, is the best among the good.
“I hope the forthcoming selection process conducted by the MWA proceeds smoothly. We also ask all parties to respect the election results and fully support whoever will become the next USU rector,” emphasized this Professor of History.
Brief Profiles
As is known, the three elected rector candidates are not newcomers in the history of educational development at USU. They are the best sons and daughters born and nurtured at Universitas Sumatera Utara.
The candidate with the highest number of votes in the Academic Senate election is Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.S.Sos., M.Si. He pursued his doctoral education at the University of Indonesia with a specialization in Political Science. Prof. Mury currently serves as USU Rector, having achieved numerous changes and recorded many accomplishments for USU’s advancement during his leadership period.
Next is Prof. Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan, S.Si., M.Si., Apt., who completed her latest education at Universitas Sumatera Utara, specializing in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She currently serves as Vice Rector III, having significantly contributed to USU’s transformation during her term as Vice Rector III.
The candidate with the third highest votes is Prof. Dr. Isfenti Sadalia, S.E., M.E., who completed her final education at Universitas Airlangga with a specialization in Management Studies. Prof. Isfenti currently serves as the first Dean of the Vocational Faculty at USU and has made substantial contributions to the faculty and university in her long career as a lecturer.