USU PUBLIC RELATIONS – Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) received a delegation from the North Nias Regency Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), accompanied by the Dean of the USU Faculty of Agriculture, on Friday (November 6, 2026), at the TTU Meeting Room, USU Rectorate Building. The meeting discussed the continuation of collaboration in developing USU’s Off-Main-Campus Study Program (PSDKU) in North Nias, including strengthening education, research, and community service to improve human resource quality and develop regional potential.

USU Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, and Cooperation, Prof. Dr. Eng. Himsar Ambarita, S.T., M.T., stated that collaboration with the North Nias Regency Government had considerable potential for development through a living lab approach. According to him, regional potential and local conditions could serve as a setting for the USU academic community to conduct research and carry out community service directly and sustainably.

“The region’s potential makes it suitable for research and community service. This is one of the key factors motivating us to pursue this collaboration,” he said.

He further emphasized that the collaboration was expected to bridge the gap between university research outcomes and community needs. Through the direct involvement of lecturers and researchers in North Nias, various challenges faced by the community could be identified and serve as the basis for developing more practical and applicable research.

“This collaboration is one of our efforts to ensure that research genuinely addresses actual needs. We hope that the real problems faced by the community can be directly addressed by the researchers and lecturers we send there,” he explained.

Dean of the USU Faculty of Agriculture, Dr. Rulianda Purnomo Wibowo, S.P., M.Ec., explained that the Faculty would ensure that education, research, and community service at the North Nias PSDKU were implemented in accordance with the university’s quality standards. He also emphasized that research should be based on regional challenges and involve partnerships with communities and local governments to ensure that its outcomes could be implemented effectively.

“The first and most important step is to identify the problems existing in the region. After that, we must establish partnerships to ensure that the outcomes genuinely meet local needs and can be implemented in ways that benefit the community,” he stated.

Chair of the North Nias Regency DPRD, Ya'aman Telaumbanua, S.E., M.M., stated that the development of USU’s PSDKU was part of the local government’s efforts to improve human resource quality while optimizing the potential of the agricultural and fisheries sectors. He also expressed his hope that continued collaboration with USU would generate tangible benefits for the community.

“Our hope is that many young people from North Nias who receive an education there will be able to guide and help their parents. We want to see changes so that our farmers gain better knowledge and adopt improved farming methods rather than continuing to rely on conventional practices,” he said.

Through the meeting between the North Nias Regency DPRD and the USU Faculty of Agriculture, strengthened collaboration between the university and the local government is expected to support the sustainable development of the PSDKU. This synergy represents a strategic step toward improving human resource quality, optimizing agricultural and fisheries potential, and strengthening USU’s contribution through education, research, and community service.