ITB to have new rector on Monday

Yuli Tri Suwarni The Jakarta Post Bandung

Following a three-month selection period involving 200 nominees, the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) was scheduled to elect one of three favored candidates for the institute's top position on Monday, to replace current rector Prof. Lilik Hendrajaya.

Rizal T. Tamin, secretary of the ITB representatives assembly, said the election would be conducted by the assembly at the education ministry in Jakarta to allow Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fadjar, also an ITB assemblyman, to participate in the election.

"We want the minister to cast his vote in the election and that is why the election is being held in Jakarta," he told The Jakarta Post here on Friday.

ITB is the first state institute to offer the rectorship to the public through a free and fair election. Of the 200 who submitted their candidacy for the institute's top position, the assembly has selected three candidates. State university rectors used to be appointed by the government in consultation with the university's academic senate.

The three, all from the institute, are Sahari Besari of the architecture department, Bana Kartasasmita of the mathematics department and Kusmayanto Kardiman, a lecturer in the physics department.

The minister held a dialog with the three candidates at the campus on Friday. "Coincidentally the minister is visiting ITB, so he could meet the three candidates," said Rizal.

Before their selection, all nominees were required to present their own vision before the 20-member assembly representing the academic senate, students and administrative staff. Around 200 scholars from numerous state and private universities lodged their application after the election committee offered the vacancy to the public in Aug. 2001.

According to a poll conducted among students by the ITB representatives assembly recently, Sahari was considered to have a better vision on the institute's future development while Kusmayanto was favored for his close relationship with all students.

However, 82 percent of more than 800 respondents were disappointed with the election since they were not involved in the election process.

"35 percent of the respondents knew nothing about the three candidates' profiles and only 12 percent were familiar with the candidates," Rian Nugraha representing 14,000 students in the assembly, said.

Rian said the election committee and the academic senate have had a monopoly in the election process while students were asked to contribute their inputs on an ideal rector for the institute.

He said that most students also questioned the academic senate's independence since the senate was chaired by Sahari and it had six representatives in the assembly.

Rian said whoever would be elected, the new rector was expected to reduce the high tuition fees and help improve the quality of education so that the institute could become renowned outside Indonesia.