UT Ready to Become World Class University Through Inauguration of Six New Professors

Universitas Terbuka (UT) has stated its readiness to become a World Class University through the inauguration of six new professors across various scientific fields. “The inauguration of these six professors complements the existing 39 professors, and tomorrow we will inaugurate another six, bringing the total to 45. This confirms and proves that UT is ready to advance onto the world stage,” said UT Rector Prof Ali Muktiyanto after the Professor Inauguration event at the UT Campus in South Tangerang on Wednesday. The Rector assessed that the presence of these new professors strengthens the campus’s confidence in building global collaborations. Although UT maintains the concept of resource sharing with various leading digital universities worldwide, he said, the presence of 45 professors serves as a spearhead to propel UT into the ranks of world university rankings. Ali explained that his institution has prepared a Professor Research Group programme and established a national strategy to boost research productivity. “We hope to produce at least 450 reputable international scientific publications, and this will boost UT. UT can no longer be seen as a second-class university that only focuses on education, but we are ready to advance towards a research-based university that impacts society,” Ali asserted. He added that a professor is a trust given by the government, the people, and the nation. Therefore, a professor is required to uphold high academic ethics. He also highlighted the importance of the knowledge dissemination stage. The works produced by professors must first be published in journals, reference books, monographs, and patents before being implemented in the community. “It is hoped that after producing knowledge, it will have an impact on society. With these professors, firstly, the production of knowledge at UT will certainly increase. Secondly, it will also have a real impact on society,” said Chanif Nurcholis. The six professors inaugurated on the first day included Prof Rahmat Budiman with expertise in English writing; Prof Juhana with expertise in the humanisation of English instruction; and Prof Yumiati with expertise in developing algebra learning based on ethnomathematics. Also inaugurated were Prof Siti Aisyah with expertise in early childhood education based on the BERLIAN model; Prof Made Yudhi Setiani with expertise in distance political education; and Prof Milwan with expertise in regional-based open and distance higher education service policy.