Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) received a visit from the Directorate of Planning, Data and Information, Ranking, Public Relations, and Cooperation (PDIPHK) of Universitas Negeri Malang (UM) on Tuesday (Sep. 23) at the UGM Central Office.
The delegation was welcomed by Dr. Andi Sandi Antonius Tabusassa Tonralipu, the University Secretary of UGM, together with staff from Public Relations, News, and the Directorate of Partnerships and Global Relations.
“We are delighted to welcome the Universitas Negeri Malang delegation and hope this meeting will provide space for exchanging experiences while strengthening networks among universities,” said Dr. Tonralipu.
In his remarks, Dr. Tonralipu outlined the evolving role of the university secretariat, which now oversees various strategic areas, including public relations, protocol, and the digital transformation bureau.
He highlighted integrated services, the sexual violence task force, and student mental health management as key issues UGM addresses daily.
“We consistently place public service as a top priority, as UGM is fundamentally an educational institution that must respond to the needs of both students and society,” he explained.
Dr. Tonralipu further emphasized that students remain at the core of UGM’s services.
The university promotes various digital innovations, such as the Lean Intelligent Service Assistance (LISA) platform, and continues to strengthen its professional certification services.
In addition, UGM ensures the affordability of education through its Single Tuition Fee (UKT) scheme, which prioritizes students from underprivileged backgrounds.
“More than 60 percent of UGM students come from underprivileged families, so we continuously strengthen policies that support them,” he said.
The UM delegation, led by PDIPHK Director Dr. Yuni Rahmawati, included officials in information, publications, and cooperation.
Dr. Rahmawati explained that the visit aimed to learn from UGM’s experience in managing public relations, university rankings, and branding at both national and international levels.
“We admire how UGM has been able to maintain consistent branding and public communication management while remaining close to the wider community,” she said.
On this occasion, Dr. Rahmawati also shared UM’s achievement of securing national ranking awards for three consecutive years, noting that such accomplishments are inseparable from strong support from university leadership.
However, she stressed that maintaining these achievements is not easy without effective communication strategies and collaborative support.
“We hope to explore more opportunities for collaboration, particularly by learning from the best practices already implemented at UGM,” she remarked.
Dr. Rahmawati also underlined the importance of ensuring that collaborations deliver both social and economic impact.
According to her, UGM’s experience in building strategic partnerships, ranging from Community Service Programs (KKN-PPM UGM) and joint research to cooperation with major companies and international institutions, can serve as a valuable model for UM.
“We see UGM as a key reference point in developing partnerships, and that experience is important for us to learn from,” she said.
Dr. Tonralipu went on to discuss UGM’s partnership governance, managed through the Directorate of Partnerships and Global Relations.
He highlighted the importance of a legal review mechanism involving legal staff, lecturers, and law students to ensure all cooperation documents comply with regulations.
UGM also uses the Lentera system as a monitoring tool for achieving Key Performance Indicators (IKU).
“All cooperation documents, both domestic and international, are managed in an integrated manner involving relevant units, ensuring that each initiative remains measurable and aligned with the university’s interests,” he explained.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both universities agreed to explore opportunities for synergy across multiple fields.
UGM emphasized that inter-university collaboration is essential to addressing the challenges of higher education in the era of globalization.
“This meeting opens the door for broader collaborations among universities, as the challenges ahead can only be met through collaboration,” Dr. Tonralipu concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographer: Firsto Adi