Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has appointed 50 new professors from January to August 2023.
“As of August 2023, there has been an addition of 50 new professors. Thus, there are currently 415 active professors at UGM,” stated the UGM Director of Human Resources, Professor Suadi, on Friday (August 18).
The director explained that these 50 new professors come from 14 faculties, with distribution as follows: Faculty of Economics and Business (1), Faculty of Pharmacy (3), Faculty of Geography (3), Faculty of Cultural Sciences (1), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (1), Faculty of Dentistry (2), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (3), Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing (4), Faculty of Forestry (4), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (3), Faculty of Agriculture (5), Faculty of Animal Sciences (2), Faculty of Engineering (17), and Faculty of Agricultural Technology (1).
Professor Suadi mentioned that the number of professors at UGM has significantly increased since late 2022. In 2021, there were 19 new professors, and in 2022, there were 41 new professors.
“This number is expected to continue growing. So far, more than 40 individuals are still in the process and are expected to achieve professorship in 2023,” he revealed.
Professor Suadi noted that UGM has undertaken efforts to expedite the promotion of its lecturers. Internally, UGM has developed a dashboard to map the position of lecturer performance related to education, research, and community service (the three pillars of higher education).
In addition, the institution has promoted teamwork among lecturers, departments, faculties, and the university itself and enhanced the administrative process for handling Credit Point Assessment. To assist with this procedure, document preparation workshops have also been held.
Collaboration across units has sped up the process because it is possible to successfully exchange information, expertise, and experiences in managing administrative operations for rank advancement.
“We are trying to communicate a service level agreement for each submission. For example, regarding the process duration in the faculty, the validator, and others. Moving forward, UGM will continue to facilitate lecturers’ rank advancement,” he said.
Professor Suadi mentioned that the significant increase in the number of new professors is also influenced by external factors, particularly the issuance of the Ministry of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform Regulation No.1 of 2023 on Functional Positions.
This regulation encourages lecturers to review their credit points for eligibility to apply for rank advancement or credit point recognition.
“Despite causing some ‘noise,’ this regulation has motivated lecturers to pursue rank advancement to avoid its negative impact. This has contributed to the surge of new professors at UGM. These lecturers have many accomplishments but are often hindered by administrative issues when pursuing their career progression,” he explained.
He hoped adding new professors could accelerate UGM’s strategic plan to enhance its reputation. He hopes that the various academic achievements, including publications and innovations, can lead to practical applications that benefit society.
“This way, UGM’s presence can firmly root itself in society,” he stated.
The addition of these new professors is evidence of UGM’s commitment to achieving quality education. Creating quality education aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4. Improving education quality will drive the achievement of other sustainable development goals, such as enhancing the Human Development Index.
Author: Ika