Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) inaugurated 859 new engineers on Tuesday (Jan. 14).
The new engineers come from the Faculty of Engineering (727), Faculty of Forestry (70), and Faculty of Animal Science (62). With the addition of 727 new graduates, the Faculty of Engineering has successfully produced 4,281 engineers to date.
The Faculty of Forestry, with the addition of 70 new graduates, has produced 374 engineers, while the Faculty of Animal Science, with 62 new engineers, has produced 747 engineers. In total, UGM has successfully produced 5,402 engineers.
Professor Selo, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, stated that with the inauguration of engineers by UGM and the Indonesian Engineers Association (PII), the graduates can now truly be considered engineers when having just a Bachelor of Engineering degree felt incomplete.
“But with today’s inauguration, they are officially engineers because they are also inaugurated with PII,” he said at Grha Sabha Pramana.
Professor Selo did not say much on this occasion. He simply reminded everyone of the meaningful words in the Gadjah Mada hymne and the PII hymne.
“It says to serve, to uphold culture for the glory of the archipelago. Then there’s the PII hymne, and we are all Indonesian engineers needed by this country,” he explained.
Once again, he congratulated the newly inaugurated engineers. The UGM engineering graduates are the pride of UGM and the pride of Indonesia, bearing a great responsibility to bring this nation toward becoming a developed country.
“As engineers, we will certainly face many challenges ahead, not only technical challenges related to engineering but also non-technical challenges that can sometimes be even more difficult to overcome,” he added.
Several officials attended the inauguration of the new engineers, including Teguh Haryono, the Secretary General of PII; Santi Sirat, the Executive Director of PII; and the Deans and Vice Deans of the Faculties of Engineering, Forestry, and Animal Science.
In his speech, Teguh Haryono conveyed that Indonesia’s grand vision for 2045 is to make industry one of the main pillars determining the nation’s competitiveness.
He said technological advancement, strengthening manufacturing capacity, and developing superior human resources are key to achieving this vision.
“We, as engineers, have a strategic role in integrating technological innovation with societal needs,” he stated.
In Haryono’s view, engineers are agents of change who can bridge the gap between academic potential and practical applications in the industrial world.
The triple helix model, consisting of academia, industry, and government, must be continuously strengthened to create an ecosystem that supports industrial transformation.
“In this context, UGM has demonstrated its outstanding commitment to producing high-quality engineers ready to contribute to various sectors,” he explained.
“According to the data we received, UGM has produced approximately 5,402 engineers, and across Indonesia, there are currently around 28,000 engineers, with UGM contributing the most among the 45 universities that offer the Professional Engineering Education Program (PSBPI).”
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Donnie