PUBLIC RELATIONS USU - The Rector of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si., outlined a number of achievements and accomplishments of USU at both the national and international levels. The rector made this statement while presiding over the 73rd Anniversary Open Session of USU at the Auditorium Building on Wednesday (August 20, 2025).

The 73rd Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony also featured a scientific lecture by dr. Inke Nadia Diniyanti Lubis, PGDipPID M.Ked(Ped)., Sp.A., Ph.D. The event was also attended virtually by the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Brian Yuliarto, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., and the Chairman of the USU Board of Trustees, General Police (Ret.) Drs. Agus Andrianto, S.H., M.H.

Prof. Muryanto Amin explained in his presentation that the university he leads now has 28 study programs with international accreditation status. This international accreditation was obtained after USU made improvements in various sectors, including infrastructure and campus management. In addition to international accreditation, during his four-year tenure, the rector successfully upgraded the accreditation status of 81 study programs to excellent.

“There are 28 study programs that have received international accreditation from reputable institutions. This achievement demonstrates that USU is recognized at the national level and meets global standards,” said Prof. Muryanto.

Prof. Muryanto explained that by 2025, 74 programs (42 percent) will achieve the “excellent” rating, 18 programs (10 percent) will achieve the “good” rating, and 3 programs (2 percent) will have the minimum accreditation status as they are newly established.

In his speech, Prof. Muryanto stated that the 73rd anniversary reflects the hard work done, including the transformation of the tri dharma in realizing the vision of becoming a university with academic excellence. This aims to serve as a benchmark for scientific progress capable of competing globally.

“This program is implemented through six priority programs: adaptive institutional governance, adaptation of the three pillars of higher education, infrastructure development, campus digitalization, campus enterprise, and collaboration,” emphasized Prof. Muryanto Amin.

USU is also innovating digital learning through the Plug & Play program, which will involve 12 internationally accredited programs in the odd semester of 2025/2026. According to Prof. Maryanto, digital learning is a good model for addressing global educational challenges, especially when collaborating with industry partners.

“The digital learning innovations implemented by USU prioritize educational inclusivity by providing accessible digital learning models. He said that various facilities have been developed through the Digital Learning Center Building, such as learning for people with disabilities, virtual laboratories, digital library services, and various other digital resources available in the Digital Learning Center Building,” he said.

Under the theme “Innovation Together, Impact for All,” the rector urged all parties to grow together through collaboration, benefiting everyone. This includes supporting President Prabowo's Asta Cita initiative to create the Golden Generation of 2045, with the Ministry of Education and Culture launching various relevant programs in collaboration with the business and industrial sectors and through student internship programs.

“The Diktisaintek programs have a significant impact as a strategy to realize its vision in addressing the challenges faced in education. These include programs to strengthen student organization capacity, impactful internship programs, collaboration programs with the business and industrial sectors, and other flagship programs,” he said.

In research and publications, research funding allocated for 3,659 studies from 2020 to 2025 amounts to Rp246.9 billion. This includes collaborative research projects yielding 149 studies with a budget of Rp65 billion.

“For flagship research during the 2020-2025 period, USU successfully conducted 363 research projects with total funding reaching Rp43.13 billion. Additionally, for collaborative publications, USU successfully produced 12 publications supported by BRIN with total funding of Rp2.2 billion over two years,” he said.

Regarding scientific publication achievements for the 2024-2025 period, the total reached 2,767 national publications, comprising 2,526 Scopus and 1,515 non-Scopus publications, generating over 18,000 Scopus-indexed citations.

“Yesterday, on National Technology Day, 27 lecturers from USU were invited by the president to ITB because their H-index was above 15,” said Prof. Muryanto.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the North Sumatra Provincial Government, Togap Simangunsong, read the governor's speech. Bobby Nasution stated that the presence of USU alumni has significantly contributed to all sectors, from industry, academia, and economics to community leaders.

Bobby said that in addition to being a source of pride for the people of North Sumatra, USU is also a center for ideas and innovations relevant to the times' needs.

“We realize that development in North Sumatra requires close collaboration between local governments and universities. Therefore, the North Sumatra provincial government and USU have strengthened cooperation in various fields,” he said.

Such as scholarship and internship programs, the North Sumatra Provincial Government provides internships to prepare outstanding students to enter the workforce. Secondly, preparing alumni human resources who can create job opportunities in technology-based incubators in the industrial sector.

“In the field of research and innovation, North Sumatra is ready to support the development of locally-based research, particularly in agriculture, renewable energy, the environment, and transportation. We believe that scientific research outcomes serve as raw materials, public policy, and real solutions to community issues,” said the Governor of North Sumatra.

To date, USU alumni and students have also been driving forces behind digital-based SMEs, receiving training, marketing support, and access to capital from the government. Therefore, the Governor urged all students not to fear innovation and to explore their potential to compete in the global job market.

“For USU, aim to become a leading university in research and innovation, pioneer and solution to national issues. Strengthen character development among students to produce a generation that is intelligent, virtuous, and compassionate toward others. Additionally, enhance global collaboration with universities abroad to elevate USU's reputation worldwide further,” said Bobby Nasution.

As is known, during the 2021-2025 period, the implementation of thematic Community Service Learning (CSL) programs has involved thousands of students, with the highest number of 2,066 students in 2022. In 2024, 208 students participated in the international CSL program at Lake Toba, including in Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

In 2025, based on the international rankings of the World University Rankings, USU is ranked 1,001st globally. Meanwhile, according to the Times Higher Education rankings, USU is ranked between 801st and 1,000th.

Currently, USU has 845 faculty members with doctoral degrees and 208 professors. Additionally, 539 faculty members at USU hold professional certification in their fields. USU also has 42,687 students, 1,535 faculty members, 2,336 educational staff, and 266,934 alumni.