The Faculty of Geography at Universitas Gadjah Mada (Geography UGM) held an Open Senate Meeting to commemorate its 62nd Anniversary on Monday, Sep. 1, 2025, at the Merapi Auditorium, Geography UGM.
UGM Rector, Professor Ova Emilia, extended her congratulations to the faculty on its 62nd anniversary. She expressed hope that the faculty would continue to develop programs to promote a green mindset in support of sustainable development.
“By playing an active role, UGM can contribute solutions to support government policies on mineral downstream and renewable energy, as well as create opportunities for global collaboration in technology development and energy investment,” she said.
Dean of Geography UGM, Professor Muhammad Kamal, in his Dean’s Report speech, presented several achievements in academics and student affairs, finance, assets, and human resources, as well as research, community service, cooperation, and alumni relations.
He mentioned that the faculty currently has 1,602 active students across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs.
“Our students have won a total of 101 achievements in various competitions,” he said.
In terms of publications, there were 82 Scopus-indexed publications, resulting in a publication ratio of 1:1.09 per lecturer, the highest among faculties at UGM.
In addition, Geography UGM has expanded double degree programs at the master’s and doctoral levels with international strategic partners.
“We successfully established 37 contractual collaborations, consisting of 25 domestic and 12 international agreements,” he added.
Meanwhile, Geography UGM lecturer, Dr. Agus Joko Pitoyo, delivered a scientific oration on the concept of sustainable geography, which views geography not only as a living space but also as a fragile life-supporting system that must be preserved.
In the current era of disruption, he emphasized that human destruction is not a myth but a reflection of human behavior that is unfriendly to the environment.
“Sustainable geography is understood as an approach that emphasizes the balance between the use of space and resources and the preservation of ecosystems, ensuring the sustainability of human life,” he explained.
Based on concrete efforts to preserve the earth, he highlighted several key points, including strategic collaboration among stakeholders, significant contributions to mapping regional vulnerabilities using geospatial data, active involvement in integrating spatial analysis for climate change mitigation and adaptation, the integration of social geography approaches, the development of Urban Eco-Geography, and the utilization of modern geospatial technology.
Author: Alena Damaris
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photographer: Donnie Trisfian