USU PR - The Civil Engineering Alumni Association (IKATSI) of the Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) held Lustrum XIII in celebration of the anniversary of the USU Civil Engineering study program, entitled “Bersinergi Membangun Bangsa Menuju Teknik Sipil USU yang Unggul dan Berkelanjutan.” The event took place at the USU Faculty of Engineering Hall and the USU Civil Engineering Department Area on Friday-Saturday (27-28/09/2024).

In his speech, USU Rector, Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si, expressed his appreciation for the contribution of alumni in organizing this Lustrum. He highlighted that the role of alumni is very important in the development of the campus, and emphasized the importance of alumni to contribute back to their alma mater.

“I thank IKATSI for showing great concern for the development of the Faculty of Engineering, especially the USU Civil Engineering Study Program,” said Prof. Mury.

According to the USU Rector, no university can survive and develop without the active support of its alumni. He revealed that the university has allocated 30 billion rupiah for the procurement of a new laboratory for the USU Civil Engineering study program. This strategic step was taken as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen campus infrastructure.

“Here, we are trying to invite alumni back, not just to provide assistance, but to build a deeper concern for campus development,” he added.

Head of IKATSI USU, Ir. Hertansyah Siregar, S.T., M.T., DIPL FCGE, IPM, ASEAN ENG, explained the series of Civil Engineering Lustrum XIII activities that have been going on since early September. This activity began with a number of agendas, such as short courses, alumni teaching, as well as talk shows and interactive dialogs. For the peak of the event, a fun walk was held, the pavilion was inaugurated, and the IKATSI website launched.

“We have started since early September with various activities such as short courses, alumni teaching, and also talk shows and interactive dialogs,” he explained.

Regarding the launch of the website, the Head of IKATSI USU emphasized that this platform will be an important tool to reconcile alumni who have been scattered since the 1990s, with an estimated number of 6,000 people. The website is expected to help collect unrecorded alumni data to make it more organized.

“Since the 1990s, our alumni have been scattered everywhere, and the number has reached around 6,000. This website will be a means to re-collect unrecorded alumni data so that it can be better organized,” he explained.

James William, as Head of the USU Civil Engineering Organization this period, said that the theme of this activity was raised to emphasize the importance of cooperation between students, alumni, and the entire academic community. He also explained that the inauguration of the pavilion was one of the main highlights of the event because the pavilion can be used by students, alumni, lecturers, and staff to interact.

“I hope students can get closer to alumni, not only as seniors but as brothers who can be consulted and discussed. This cooperation is important to maintain the kinship between us all,” he said.