Tahir Foundation Bangun Gedung Pascasarjana FK UGM
Tahir Foundation Bangun Gedung Pascasarjana FK UGM
Tahir Foundation donated a grant as high as IDR100 billions to construct the graduate hall of Faculty of Medicine at Universitas Gadjah Mada. The building will measure 9,781 square meters, consisting of three buidlings to be finished in the next18 months. A ground breaking was done on Friday (4/3) at the Faculty by chairman of Tahir Foundation, Prof. Dr. Tahir, MBA, Rector of UGM, Prof. Ir. Dwikorita Karnawati, M.Sc., Ph.D., Director General for Science and Technology in the Research and Higher Learning Ministry, Prof. Ali Ghufron Mukti, and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Dr. dr. Teguh Aryandono, Sp.B (K) Onk.
Tahir said the grant donated by Tahir Foundation as part of their commitment for health sciences development. He said he did not harbour any interest on the grant. “Yes, we know of there’s no such thing as a free lunch saying, but I have had lunch already. I did this because I do care about health discipline,” said Tahir.
His care to develop health education, said Tahir, was inspired by his late father who dedicated his life to give financial assistance for treatment of cancer patients. Tahir hoped the graduate hall would be able to drive forward education and research, even push UGM to get to the big 500 world universities. “The current ranking of UGM is far behind the big 500 while our neighbour university, National University of Singapore, always makes it to the top 100 in the world. Now, how can UGM achieve that target,” he said.
Rector of UGM appreciated Tahir Foundation for the philantrophy aid for the construction of the graduate hall. She expected the new building would make graduate education progress. “UGM wants to make graduate education as the backbone of academic development,” she said.
Related to Tahir’s statement on the UGM ranking, the Rector said indeed UGM was less competitive than world universities in terms of patents, publication in scientific journals, and ratio between lecturers and students. “Despite the lack in journal publications and patents, we’re convinced that in terms of community service, we rank better than other world universities,” she said.
Ali Ghufron Mukti said UGM was one of three Indonesian universities to be targeted to get into the big 500 until 2019. “UGM is one of three universities we encourage to get into the big 500 in the world,” he said.