UI Encourages Professors' Contribution to Nation and State
The University of Indonesia (UI) Board of Professors held the 2026 UI Grand Assembly of Professors at the Makara Art Center, UI Campus, Depok, West Java, on Wednesday, 12 August 2026. The forum served to strengthen the role of UI professors in the development of both the university and the nation.
Chairman of the UI Board of Professors, Eko Prasodjo, stated that the grand assembly was organised as a forum for professors to get acquainted, exchange ideas, and potentially build future collaborations. He explained that the first objective was for professors from various faculties to get to know each other, thereby building and strengthening collaboration within the Tridharma of higher education. “Currently, the Board of Professors is encouraging multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research involving various experts and research groups,” he said.
Secondly, the assembly aimed to strengthen collaboration as academic leaders in contributing to solving problems of national development, governance, and the life of the nation and state. Thirdly, professors are expected to play a role in safeguarding, promoting, and becoming models for upholding academic integrity at the University of Indonesia. “This role is certainly to strengthen UI’s vision of being superior and impactful through the role of the Board of Professors,” he said.
Eko noted that UI has 478 professors. Among them, several are involved in government policy, either individually or institutionally. “There are professors who serve as expert staff, ministers, director generals, and many UI professors are directly involved in the policy-making process through various studies, as expert staff, or consultants requested by the government,” he said.
UI Rector Heri Hermansyah stated that professors are assets of both UI and the nation, as they possess high competence in their respective fields. “This meeting serves as a reminder of the function of professors at the University of Indonesia, who are positioned as teachers of the nation,” said Heri. He asserted that with their expertise, UI professors should be sensitive to contributing to the nation and state based on science and data. “In the journey of a nation, there are always matters that require input, analysis, and proposed solutions. This is where the role of professors lies, in providing analysis and alternative solutions based on multidisciplinary knowledge and data,” he said.
Heri explained that many professors contribute individually as consultants or as part of teams to conduct studies for various stakeholders, including the government, the business world, and industry. “With this Grand Assembly, these efforts can be consolidated so that when problem-solving is needed for a particular issue, these professors are ready to contribute their thoughts, energy, and expertise to solve scientific and practical problems in society,” he said.