Universities are expected to commit and synergize with local governments to enhance the quality of community service through social collaboration aimed at developing villages, particularly in disaster-prone areas, regions with extreme poverty, and frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped (3T) areas to support sustainable development across various sectors.
This was highlighted during the International Conference of Community Engagement held on Tuesday (Dec. 10) at the UGM Innovation and Creativity Hub (GIK UGM) conference room.
UGM’s Vice Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni, Dr. Arie Sujito, emphasized the importance of universities actively realizing sustainable community service activities to improve economic welfare in various fields.
“We may lag behind other countries in research, but in terms of community service, we are not left behind,” he remarked.
According to Dr. Sujito, community service activities can remain relevant to societal needs through programs like the Community Service Program (KKN-PPM) and other initiatives conducted by academic members.
Dr. Sujito views the conference as an important momentum to strengthen universities’ roles in community service. Collaboration with governments, foundations, and various stakeholders is a key focus for creating tangible and sustainable impacts.
“The initiatives arising from this conference can become real solutions to local and global challenges,” he added.
Professor R. Wisnu Nurcahyo from the UGM Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, a national reviewer for community service programs, highlighted the key to successful community service, especially for long-term targets, in cross-sector collaboration.
According to him, community service must prioritize three main benchmarks: delivery, which ensures research results are effectively conveyed to the community; acceptance, which measures the extent to which programs are received and utilized by the community; and impact, which reflects the tangible benefits provided.
“Flagship programs such as food sovereignty, energy, and health must continue to be priorities,” said Professor Nurcahyo.
Dr. Rachman Kurniawan, Manager of the Environmental Development Pillar, stated that community service contributes significantly to accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He emphasized that global challenges such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss must be key concerns for universities.
Dr. Kurniawan explained that Indonesia’s SDG achievements are relatively strong compared to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
He encouraged universities to integrate the SDGs into the tri-dharma of higher education and position themselves as facilitators of sustainable development.
Author: Rahma Khoirunnisa
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photographer: Donnie