As many as 236 UGM graduates work at PT Freeport Indonesia, with four of them in top management.
The presence of these alumni is expected to strengthen collaboration with their alma mater in all fields, including internships, research collaborations, and expanding access for UGM graduates to work at the mining company that has operated for almost 60 years in Mimika Regency, West Papua.
Rector of UGM, Professor Ova Emilia, expressed her pleasure and pride in the alumni contributing to the Freeport Indonesia mining industry.
According to Professor Emilia, the alumni’s contribution can enhance UGM’s reputation by boosting the quality of graduates who work in accordance with their respective competencies and professionalism.
“Collaboration with alumni at Freeport can be continued, especially in human resource development and scholarship provision, talent development, as well as in CSR and community development here; I see enormous potential in this,” Professor Emilia said during a gathering with alumni working at Freeport at Rimba Papua Hotel, Timika, West Papua, on Thursday (Jul. 24) evening.
Vice President of Tax PT Freeport Indonesia, Mukhlis Ishak, shared his experiences during his studies at UGM.
Having worked for more than a decade at Freeport, Ishak is an alumnus of FEB UGM from the 1991 cohort.
He admitted graduating from UGM in 1997 because he spent much time actively involved in faculty-level Student Senate organizations.
“Back then, when I returned home, my parents often reminded me not to join demonstrations. I was once active in the association of BEM (Student Executive Board) and all-Indonesia Economic Senates; during that period, I was rarely on campus and even participated in a student exchange in Singapore,” Ishak recalled.
For Ishak, his college years were very enjoyable because he managed to hone himself to gain direct experience interacting with people and leading organizations, thereby building many relations and networks.
On that occasion, Ishak expressed his pride in being a UGM graduate because the university still maintains its Community Service Program (Kuliah Kerja Nyata, KKN) to this day.
“What makes me proud is that UGM became a pioneer in community service, which is still maintained today, whereas many other campuses reduce KKN programs and replace them with other alternatives,” Ishak stated.
According to Ishak, the KKN program should indeed be maintained. This is because the program provides students with experience to interact and apply their knowledge in the community.
“I think it must be maintained; KKN is our pride as alumni; KKN is where we honed ourselves,” Ishak explained.
What is interesting, Ishak said, is that villagers always consider KKN students to be skilled and versatile in solving various problems, which becomes a unique challenge.
“Villagers always consider students to be versatile; that sometimes makes me and other alumni proud of this program,” he said.
Ishak hopes that the collaboration between UGM and Freeport Indonesia will increase the number of UGM graduates hired by this mining company.
“In the future, more graduates will join Freeport, and our task as alumni is to build networks among fellow alumni to encourage alumni to participate in the periodic recruitment conducted by the company,” Ishak hoped.
Vice President Corporate Communication, Katri Krisnati, conveyed a similar sentiment.
An UGM alumna from the Architecture study program (1997 cohort), Krisnati, expressed her pride in UGM for educating its students.
She noted that UGM students always possess a strong work ethic and dedication to working for the community.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya