Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) hosted a meeting of the Vice Rectors for Resources Forum within State Universities with Legal Entities (PTN-BH) on Jul. 10-11, 2025, at the Royal Ambarrukmo Ballroom, Yogyakarta.
This meeting addressed strategic issues concerning human resource (HR) governance, finance, and campus dynamics.
The forum serves as an important platform for policymakers within PTN-BH to share perspectives and formulate solutions to challenges faced by legally incorporated state universities in Indonesia.
UGM Vice Rector for HR and Finance, Professor Supriyadi, stated that this forum is a continuous discussion space among legally incorporated state universities.
This is especially true since its establishment, when there were only seven PTN-BH. Now, with the number increasing to 24 campuses, this forum is expected to foster collaboration rather than competition.
“This forum can be a joint effort to boost the global ranking of Indonesian higher education through research, training, and academic exchange,” Professor Supriyadi said on Thursday (Jul. 10).
Chair of the forum, Professor Muhammad Madyan, highlighted several pressing issues. These include the absence of a ceiling for HR recruitment, financial accountability constraints, and differing treatment of HR by each state university.
He also touched upon tax issues and the unclear scheme for campus loan funds.
“The autonomy of PTN-BH is not yet fully supported by adequate regulations, so this forum is expected to provide concrete solutions that can be proposed to central policymakers,” Professor Madyan revealed.
Professor Sri Suning Kusumawardani, Director of Resources at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of Indonesia, presented various government strategies for strengthening campus HR, particularly regarding lecturer career development.
This is because global challenges such as AI development, environmental crises, and low higher education participation rates are key concerns.
“Indonesia is threatened with a shortage of up to 18 million quality talents by 2030 if strategic interventions are not immediately undertaken,” Professor Kusumawardani stated.
On that occasion, Professor Kusumawardani also conveyed two important recommendations related to tax imposition in PTN-BH.
These include the need for policy encouragement at the presidential level and the socialization of inter-ministerial tax regulation.
She hopes that various proposals, developed through special discussions in this forum, will provide input for the government.
“With a spirit of synergy, this forum is expected to be a driving force for the advancement of Indonesian higher education governance to be more excellent and globally impactful,” Professor Kusumawardani concluded.
Author: Ika Agustine
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Donnie