Preserving the Meaning of Professor Emeritus
In the centuries-old tradition of international academia, the title of professor emeritus represents one of the highest forms of recognition for senior professors who have made extraordinary contributions and demonstrated lengthy service to the academic world. However, Ministerial Regulation on the Profession, Career and Income of Lecturers (Permendiktisaintek) No. 52 of 2025 assigns a fundamentally different meaning to the term. This regulation grants the status of Professor Emeritus to professors reaching the retirement age of 70 and remaining “employed” until age 75 at private universities (PTS). The question arises: is the use of this terminology, which should be laden with honour, appropriately applied for this purpose? This regulation not only introduces a new policy but also shifts the symbolic meaning of an internationally established honourable title.
The ministerial regulation states that the conferment of Professor Emeritus status is intended for the development and strengthening of science and technology. This status is also considered in university quality assurance or accreditation assessment, limited in this case to private universities. The essence of this regulation deserves appreciation, providing opportunities for senior professors to continue their academic work. This represents a positive step, although it is not entirely novel.
In earlier regulations, such as the Ministerial Regulation on Research, Technology and Higher Education No. 26 of 2015, this was also permitted, even until age 79, but without the specific designation of Professor Emeritus. The only distinction was the change in lecturer identification number, from the National Lecturer Identity Number (NIDN) to a Special Lecturer Identity Number (NIDK), often referred to as “professor with NIDK”, to differentiate from professors who have not yet reached retirement age at 70.
General Understanding and Practice of Awarding the Professor Emeritus Title
Leading dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster and Oxford Learner’s Dictionary define Professor Emeritus as “a person retired from professional life but permitted to retain as an honorary title the rank of the last office held”. The National University of Singapore (NUS) defines the professor emeritus status as “The Emeritus Professor title is awarded to full professors on retirement in recognition of their sustained and strong contributions in teaching, research and/or service to the University and its community.”
This title is an honourable distinction, generally awarded as recognition or the highest honour for a senior professor who has made extraordinary contributions over an extended period. It is not automatically granted to all professors upon reaching retirement. This practice has become an established academic tradition at many leading universities worldwide. With this title, a professor is given the opportunity to continue using their title, remaining involved in various academic activities such as teaching, conducting research, mentoring students, and accessing university facilities. The title is not always tied to salary; indeed, an emeritus professor often no longer receives compensation.
I once had the honour of visiting Prof. Lee Seng-Lip’s office at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in the early 2010s. He had been conferred the title of Professor Emeritus at NUS in recognition of his extraordinary contributions and service. He maintained an office on the NUS campus, continued his academic work, and retained access to various campus facilities, but no longer received a salary. Similarly, I experienced visiting Prof. B. Vijaya Rangan at Curtin University’s campus in Australia. At that time, he held the status of Professor Emeritus. The scheme and its application were similar to Prof. Lee Seng-Lip’s experience at NUS—the highest honour, far from merely a marker of contract extension.
Within Indonesia, the conferment of the Professor Emeritus title has begun to occur, primarily over the past decade at state universities. For example, ITB conferred the title of Professor Emeritus upon Prof. Djoko Santoso in January 2024 and upon Prof. Djoko Tjahjono Iskandar in December 2023. The title was awarded as a form of the highest honour and appreciation for these senior professors, and the conferment took place at a special ceremony. Similarly, the University of Indonesia has conferred the professor emeritus title upon several of its senior professors with similar intent, prior to the publication of this regulation. The Professor Emeritus title conferred in this manner aligns with established international academic tradition.
Professor Emeritus: From Academic Honour to Employment Contract Extension
What is particularly regrettable about the provisions in this regulation is the reduction in the meaning of professor emeritus, from an academic honour to mere employment contract extension. For lecturers at state universities, this even means working at other institutions—that is, at private universities. The terminology, already well-established as an international academic tradition intended as an honorary distinction, a prestigious recognition, has been converted into a mere administrative instrument, no different from the “professor with NIDK” status in earlier regulations.
To reiterate, the issue here is not the extension of service for senior professors who have reached retirement age—not at all. The opportunity given to senior professors to continue their academic work is very much appreciated. What ought to be questioned is the use of academic terminology that could be described as standardised in the global higher education sphere, which has not been appropriately applied.
Why is this important? Academic tradition is built upon symbolic meanings that possess historical and cultural dimensions. The tradition of awarding the professor emeritus title is an international practice that has been ongoing for more than a century. Universities in Indonesia are not isolated from participation in international higher education discourse; they are members of the global academic community.