When UGM formulates itself as the University of Culture, think about culture in its broad meaning as something strategic to uplift the prestige and dignity of the nation. Culture does not mean the culture of Yogyakarta or Javanese only but a whole from Sabang to Merauke, from Sangihe to Talaud. UGM is born and developed in the culture of Yogyakarta, so this should not be left behind.
“UGM should put its feet on the culture of Yogyakarta and develop itself together with the variety of other cultures in order to be able to produce the peaks of Indonesian culture,” said Head of Cultural Agency of Yogyakarta, Drs. GBPH Yudaningrat, MM., in a workshop entitled UGM as University of Culture in the conference room of LPPM, Thursday (18/7).
Yudaningrat added that UGM is expected for its role to formulate the strategy and the policy of national culture wisely to make the culture of Nusantara stand tall along with other cultures in the world.
Head of Centre for Cultural Studies of UGM, Dr. Aprinus Salam, considered it not easy to develop, struggle for and preserve UGM as a University of Culture, bearing in mind that there are many competitions of ideology, interest, goal and manners of how people fulfilling what they have been striving for as a human.
“It is better if those competitions and differences are located in one harmonious configuration so the position of UGM as a University of Culture can have a role to safeguard of that balance of harmony,” Aprinus said.
As is known, UGM has gained the title of National University, University of Struggle, University of Pancasila, and University of Democracy. On 8 February 2006, UGM Board of Trustees issued decree No. 19/SK/MWA/2006 saying that UGM is a University of Culture.