Universitas Gadjah Mada and South Sulawesi Provincial Government established cooperation in education, research, and community service to improve the quality of human resources and support regional development policy innovation. The signing of cooperation agreement was done simultaneously with UGM South Sulawesi Alumni Gathering event which was held at the Governor’s house in Makassar, Friday night (10/19).
Governor of South Sulawesi, Prof. Dr. Nurdin Abdullah, M.Agr., stated this cooperation was expected to support development programs. “Today we carry out the MoU between South Sulawesi and UGM, especially in improving human resources, because many young people seek to improve their capacity,” he said.
Additionally, the Governor also hoped to synergize with UGM in research collaboration. “We have a Research and Development that is expected to be the driver of innovation in regions.”
Meanwhile, in community service, the Governor claimed to have benefited from the UGM Student Community Service Program which had been very helpful in conducting development innovations during his ten years as Bantaeng Regent. “I sincerely hope students will continue to be sent here every year because they are innovative and so well-prepared. They have created many innovations including irrigation wells.”
UGM Rector, Prof. Ir. Panut Mulyono, M.Eng., D.Eng., said the cooperation with the regional government was realized by the synergy of UGM alumni in South Sulawesi. Therefore, he asked alumni to continue to make contributions with their respective roles and competencies. “I hope this can further advance the province.”
In his opinion, one of the strengths of UGM alumni is maintaining connection and communication with their university. He said there was no university in the world that grew without the alumni support. “No university can advance without the support of the alumni because their aid and contribution are essential for the progress of the university.”
He added that UGM always strives to support the acceleration of development in regions through its far-reaching alumni. “With all our strength, we want the contribution to this nation to be even greater.”
Head of South Sulawesi UGM Alumni Regional Board, Prof. Dr. Faridah Patitinggi, mentioned there were 400-500 UGM alumni in the province. They are dispersed and work in various lines of work, ranging from government sector, research, education, to private sector.
According to Faridah, the Alumni is very active in providing input and ideas in supporting regional development. She hoped the collaboration would make a real contribution to the community. “Hopefully, the synergy between UGM, the Alumni, and Regional Government could last and contribute to the South Sulawesi’s development,” she concluded.