USU PR- Universitas Sumatera Utara(USU) held its 71st Anniversary Open Session at the Auditorium on Tuesday (24/10/2023). Several figures were seen attending in person or virtually, including the Chairperson of the Board of Trustee, Nurmala Kartini Pandjaitan, Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim, Acting Governor of North Sumatra, Hassanudin and rising singer Ghea Indrawari.

Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim, in his speech, appreciated the transformation program the Universitas Sumatera Utara carried out. USU has translated the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka program he launched through various programs impacting society.

“Since 2021, USU has been at the forefront of the Merdeka Belajar movement. More than 3,300 students have participated in the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka program, and the alumni of the program are alumni who have superior human resources and will be able to become winners in the era of global competition,” said Nadiem.

Nadiem Anwar Makarim hopes that USU will continue to support the Merdeka Learning Campus Merdeka program consistently. At the age of 71, he believes USU will continue to grow and be able to become a world-class university.

“Happy 71st Anniversary to USU; let’s continue to move simultaneously to implement Merdeka Learning Independent Campus,” he said.

USU Rector Prof. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si., who led the session in his speech entitled “Moving Towards Golden Indonesia 2045: USU Transformation to Build Human Capital”, emphasized that at the age of 71, USU is increasingly improving, starting from equalizing infrastructure development and enhancing curriculum quality, research, and innovation.

This commemoration is used as a momentum to reflect on all the efforts that the Universitas Sumatera Utara has made since 2021, through a transformation in all lines in Tri Dharma USU to advance to achieve the Design of the Universitas Sumatera Utara 2020-2024 to become an International standard university characterized by local excellence, “said the Rector, starting his speech.

The Rector explained that the transformation movement that had been launched with the tagline “Transformation Towards The Ultimate” was implemented in real terms through the Six Priority Programs that he had launched since he was given the mandate to become Rector of the Universitas Sumatera Utara for the 2021-2026 Period.

The Rector added that the 71st anniversary of the Universitas Sumatera Utara took the theme ‘Growing Together Through Innovation, Transformation, and Sustainability.’ The theme was chosen to express and mobilize the spirit of growing together through innovation, transformation, and sustainability. The growth process is encouraged through collaboration, inclusiveness, including the community and industry in a participatory manner, and opening up together in the existing differences.

“Innovation, transformation, and sustainability are the approach models used for the development of USU as a legal entity state university that carries out the mission of succeeding the national development agenda which targets the improvement of human resources equally through education, training and development, innovation and creativity, attitude and work ethic. To carry out this mission, through the 71st Anniversary Open Session, I would like to express the spirit of USU to continue to Advance Towards Golden Indonesia 2045,” said the Rector.

Prof. Mury said that the transformation to accelerate the development of Indonesia’s human capital has been and is happening at USU. The acceleration is reflected through an innovative, inclusive, and integrative development model in education and learning, research/publication, community service, enterprise development, and global cooperation. This development is supported by the strategy of digitizing business processes within USU, namely building competent and professional lecturers and education personnel through priority programs to adapt Tri Dharma tasks, adaptive governance, and campus digitalization.

“Through this development strategy, Universitas Sumatera Utara will become an Innovative, Entrepreneurial, and Global University at the end of the USU Long Term Plan 2015-2039 and lead academic excellence in TALENTA USU,” he said.

Important priority programs in the transformation of Tri Dharma that USU has carried out since 2021 include: first in education and learning, namely implementing the MBKM Independent Partner Program of the Universitas Sumatera Utara.

Second in the field of research, carried out by encouraging and facilitating collaborative research with domestic and foreign universities, unique research with special advantages, for example, in the areas of health and forestry, such as facilitating USU Mangrove PUI research cooperation with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and FK USU health research cooperation with Singhealth Singapore is some evidence of accelerated improvement in the quality and quantity of downstream research at USU.

Third, in the field of community service, carried out through fostered village and community-based activities. Community Service activities are carried out with a pattern of developing appropriate technology from the innovation of lecturers and students who are applied and donated to communities in need.

Prof. Mury explained that the transformations that have been implemented have had a significant impact on the development of USU. This can be seen from the various achievements USU has made from national to international levels. Universitas Sumatera Utara has been recognized as a world-class university since 2021. To increase this recognition, the USU academic community must broaden its horizons through interaction and collaboration with the best scientists and practitioners in the world.

Despite several prestigious achievements and world recognition, Prof. Mury explained that the transformation process at USU will continue. Priority programs continue to be implemented, and adaptive institutions and governance continue to be developed according to the characteristics and needs of Universitas Sumatera Utara.

The Rector explained the first thing is that the improvement of campus bureaucratic services continues to be carried out by adding various campus digital services. Academic and non-academic administrative processes are shortened, face-to-face services are reduced, and can be completed using a reliable information system.

“Both educational services of Universitas Sumatera Utara continue to produce superior graduates who are qualified, productive, and have personality. All lecturers adapt their learning model supported by a digital learning system. Third, the research and innovation ecosystem will be strengthened through the governance of TALENTA USU Research. Collaborative research between USU lecturers, world scientists, practitioners/professionals, and students is an important priority that produces reputable international journal articles and innovations with high TKT, “he said.

Fourth, the implementation of Community Service (PkM) must be based on innovation and fulfill the indicators of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Every PkM activity must be able to measure quantitatively the changes that occur at the location of service and have an economic impact on the community.

Fifth, strengthening the internationalization of the Universitas Sumatera Utara through the Enhancing Quality Education for International University Recognition (Equity) Program, including international mobility student and staff activities, building international consortium networks, sabbatical leave, fellowships, collaborative research, and strengthening the international curriculum.

Sixth, the development and strengthening of infrastructure and utilization of the Universitas Sumatera Utara assets is carried out through internal business strengthening programs and cooperation with industry. Seventh, strengthening digitalization through the development of information systems focused on integrating and eliminating all obsolete information systems, developing new information systems needed to support the integration step.

“Eighth, Campus Enterprise and International Cooperation will continue to be carried out through the development of IPR, research results, and business startups, downstream of research products, and commercialization cooperation with domestic and foreign industries,” he said.

The Rector also reported on infrastructure arrangement, which became an essential support program. In the coming years, the Universitas Sumatera Utara will never stop improving infrastructure such as classrooms in the form of smart classrooms, international standard laboratories, park arrangements that support the academic atmosphere and green campus, public facilities for the well-being of campus residents and the construction and development of academic support units and USU business units by relying not only on internal funding but also maximizing external funding from other legal sources.

“After establishing the Digital Learning Center Building at USU, the only Digital Learning Center Building in Indonesia, strengthening learning infrastructure based on the latest digital technology and its supporters will be carried out endlessly. The plan to develop USU campus facilities in the future is our joint effort to make USU the Ultimate World Class University,” said Prof. Mury.

The 71st Anniversary Open Session was closed with a performance from Ghea Indrawari, who previously motivated USU students to continue working and pay attention to mental health issues. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, and love yourself. The song “Jiwa yang Bersedih” is my personal experience to escape the teenage problems I faced,” she said.