USU PUBLIC RELATIONS – Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) is preparing to conduct an Internal Quality Audit (AMI) of the Internal Quality Assurance System (SPMI) as part of efforts to align standards and indicators at the Faculty/Graduate School and Study Program levels. The preparation was carried out at the Academic Senate Room, 3rd Floor, USU Rectorate Bureau, on Tuesday (15/9/2026).

USU Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Alumni Affairs, Prof. Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan, S.Si., M.Si., Apt., emphasized that quality assurance needs to be positioned as an integral part of the core work of higher education institutions, rather than as an additional task carried out only when facing an accreditation process.

Faculty leaders play an important role in ensuring that university standards do not stop at the stage of establishment but are genuinely implemented, monitored, evaluated, and followed up with improvements at the unit level.

“I hope that faculty leaders can become increasingly active in ensuring that university standards are truly translated into practice, implemented, monitored, evaluated, and followed up at their respective units,” said Prof. Poppy.

Documentation is an important component in demonstrating that quality improvement at USU is taking place in a concrete and systematic manner. With documented evidence of improvements, the accreditation process will no longer be something that is pursued only as the assessment approaches, but rather part of a work cycle that is carried out routinely.

Prof. Poppy expressed hope that the activity would produce a shared understanding and concrete steps across all faculties. Key aspects that need attention include standards, indicators, targets, measurement methods, data sources, as well as verification and validation processes.

Echoing this view, Prof. Setiawan, S.Kp., MNS., Ph.D., Acting Director of the Directorate of Quality Assurance at USU, explained that the completeness and verifiability of SPMI documents play an important role in fulfilling the requirements for an Unggul accreditation rating. According to him, documents that have not been verified or validated may become issues that need to be addressed promptly.

“If it is marked red, it means this is a serious concern for us, because SPMI is one of the necessary requirements for an Unggul accreditation rating. Therefore, USU cannot achieve an Unggul rating if even one aspect of our SPMI documentation is not verified or validated,” explained Prof. Setiawan.

In strengthening SPMI, the Quality Assurance Institute (LPM) plays a role in facilitating the formulation of standards as well as developing various quality assurance instruments. A number of existing policies and instruments also need to be updated to remain aligned with regulatory developments and the university’s needs.