Apriadi Gunawan
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nMedan<\/p>\n
The state University of North Sumatra (USU) may become the
\ncountry's second profit-oriented college after the Bandung
\nInstitute of Technology (ITB), which recently changed its non-
\ncommercial corporate status amid rapid education development.<\/p>\n
USU leaders have proposed changing the university's non-
\ncommercial status in order to be able to freely raise tuition
\nfees and other funds to improve education quality at the
\nuniversity.<\/p>\n
The decision was announced by USU Rector Chairuddin P. Lubis
\nduring a ceremony marking the university's 44th anniversary on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
Present at the event were North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal
\nNurdin, foreign diplomats, rectors from other universities, local
\nmilitary and police chiefs, USU students and its alumni
\ngraduates.<\/p>\n
Chairuddin said the decision was made during a meeting of
\nsenior USU leaders on Aug. 23.<\/p>\n
\"The change in the university's status is based on the
\nprevailing conditions and the results of observing the
\ndevelopment of universities in Indonesia in the last 10 years, in
\nwhich higher education institutions have faced drastic changes,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
The decision followed the increasing involvement of many
\nprofit-making sectors in dealing with higher education colleges,
\nand the advancement of global technology, which all required the
\nchanges of educational systems and management, he added.<\/p>\n
\"The status change will also shift the vision of the USU to
\nbecome 'a university for industry',\" the rector said.<\/p>\n
He said the status shift would empower his university to
\nprivately raise funds through its business activities and to
\nrecruit and pay for more staff and lecturers.<\/p>\n
The government would not cover the costs of new staff but
\nwould still temporarily cover the salaries of current USU
\nlecturers and staff officials, despite the change of its status,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
The university will have to cover all the costs of salaries
\nafter a 10-year transitional period, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The status of the employees will no longer be civil servants,
\nbut they will be hired on the basis of contract agreements. The
\nUSU has the right to lay off those deemed unproductive,\" the
\nrector said.<\/p>\n
Chairuddin said the government had so far provided the
\nuniversity with Rp 38 billion per year to pay the salaries of
\n1,652 employees, including lecturers, and Rp 10 billion for
\nyearly development programs.<\/p>\n
Governor Rizal welcomed as a positive step the planned change
\nof the USU's status, saying the move was in line with the new
\nlaws offering autonomy to the education sector.<\/p>\n
The government had recently inaugurated the new status of the
\nstate-run ITB to become a profit-making education institution in
\nrelation to the national campus autonomy programs.<\/p>\n
Apart from the ITB, the government has also planned to make
\nseveral other leading state universities, including the
\nUniversity of Indonesia, the Gadjah Mada University and the Bogor
\nInstitute of Agriculture, pilot programs for the campus autonomy
\npolicy.<\/p>\n
However, these three universities have yet to respond to the
\ngovernment's plans.<\/p>\n
Under the autonomy plans, universities are allowed to
\nestablish business cooperation more freely with other parties,
\nand that the rector is no longer appointed by the education
\nminister but by a board of trustees comprising representatives
\nfrom the government, students and the community.<\/p>\n
Only the ITB has its new rector appointed by its board of
\ntrustees, not by the national education minister.<\/p>",
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