The Agrotechnology Program at the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), organized an Alumni Gathering at D’Heritage Grand Aston Medan on Saturday (23/12/2023). This Agrotechnology Alumni Gathering was attended by 40 alumni working in various regions of Indonesia, including those working abroad and users or employers of the graduates.

Dr. Nini Rahmawati SP., M.Si, the Head of the Agrotechnology Program at the Faculty of Agriculture USU, explained that the gathering event was funded by the university through the Directorate of Internationalization. The alumni gathering invited 20 alumni and top users who were deemed to play a significant role in efforts to improve QS Ranking and realize USU as a world-class university.

"We hope this alumni gathering can be a good start to enhance academic performance and the quality of Tri Dharma services at the Faculty of Agriculture, especially by directly hearing the thoughts, suggestions, and feedback from the alumni and users we invited, which we can then execute in the program of the study program or faculty," said Dr. Nini.

During the discussion session at the meeting, several recommendations were agreed upon, including the need to establish better cooperation between alumni and the program, faculty, and university to support the improvement of QS Ranking for USU as a world-class university. Additionally, collaboration with alumni to support the Work-Integrated Learning Program (internship, independent study) and other academic activities is essential. Alumni are also asked for their willingness to be actively involved in achieving the university's key performance indicators, especially IKU 2 and IKU 4. Continuous alumni meetings are expected, and there is a need for a specific platform to unite all alumni of the Agrotechnology program.

"Through this meeting, we hope that alumni and stakeholders can actively contribute to improving the quality standards of the Faculty of Agriculture, especially for the Agrotechnology Program, which is pioneering efforts towards international accreditation. In addition to building relationships, we also want to receive input for progress regarding the curriculum and what is needed for academic advancement. In meeting international accreditation standards, alumni are one of the indicators for achieving them. We also want to receive inputs related to contributions that can be fulfilled by graduates of the Faculty of Agriculture at USU from the users so that the graduates can be well accepted in the workforce," expressed Prof. Luthfi Aziz Mahmud Siregar, S.P., M.Sc., Ph.D., as the Head of the Agrotechnology S2 Program.

Meanwhile, Prof. Ir. Zulkifli Nasution, M.Sc., Ph.D., a senior lecturer who has served as the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and former Vice Rector 1 of USU, provided comments on implementing the alumni gathering.

"We want to build active communication with our stakeholders or users of our graduates so that we can know whether our graduates meet the current demands in this disruptive era. Alumni must be able to convey to the university and the faculty what is happening in the field. The era of a green economy has begun, and universities must adapt quickly. We cannot prepare our graduates to become the best alumni without that. Abroad, there is one parameter regarding how long the waiting period is for graduates and where they work. Alumni expect this adaptation to happen quickly so they can use it in the field and not be left behind. The faculty will link to people working outside the campus about what and how they are doing. The quality of alumni is shown through whether they have succeeded in an institution and how long they have been unemployed after graduating," he said.

Present representing the leadership, Prof. Dr. Ir. Elisa Julianti, M.Si., as the Vice Dean III of the Faculty of Agriculture USU, stated that the alumni gathering was the first one organized by the Faculty of Agriculture or the Agrotechnology Program. This activity is part of the EQUITY program at USU.

"Although this alumni gathering is the first one we have organized, every year we still invite alumni to come to the faculty, especially during the Dies Natalis activities, to hear input from alumni aimed at building and growing the faculty, as well as the existing study programs," said Prof. Elisa.

Also present at the event was Syaiful Bahri Panjaitan, the Head of Research and Agronomy at PT Wilmar Chemical Indonesia, one of the users of the Agrotechnology Program at USU. He viewed this activity as crucial for improving cooperation and achieving a shared understanding of the needs of users and the program in the future.

"As stakeholders and users, USU is an independent institution in research activities. We from Wilmar have collaborated in the research collaborator program with the Agrotechnology Program at USU, and this is the third year with ongoing research projects," he added.

Currently, there are 1,500 active students in the agrotechnology program at the undergraduate (S1), master's (S2), and doctoral (S3) levels at USU who are expected to fill strategic job opportunities. (RJ)