Udayana University: Strengths, Challanges and Its Future

[Moving Forward] Udayana University: Strengths, Challanges and Its Future InCircle Journal of Research & Development, #1 issue, December 2015 Udayana University, officially established on August 17, 1962, is the oldest public university in Bali. The Faculty of Letters it was the first faculty in Udayana University Bali and has been established since September 29, 1958 as a branch of Airlangga University Surabaya. Next, the Faculty of Law and Society (1964) was founded, then the Faculty of Engineering (1965), and in 1967 the Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Economics were built. In 1994 , they finished the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Science), and in 1997, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The Faculty of Agricultural Technology was accomplished in 2005 The Faculty of Tourism (2008), the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (2009), and the Faculty of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (2011) saw the light in the last decade, which brings the total number of faculties to 13.[1] Seeing the capabilities of human resources, as well as the facilities in Udayana University and also based the needs of the community, Udayana University has opened and developed some new courses, with the support of stakeholders. Udayana University has also opened a Graduate School, as well as non-regular courses in the form of D1, D2, D3 and D4. Up to 2014, Udayana University has had 8 courses, 46 bachelor programs, 25 master programs, 9 doctoral program, 5 courses professions, and 13 specialist programs. In the Udayana University’s Strategic Plan for 2015 to 2019, there are a couple of goals that have to be reached. Udayana University has decided in her ‘object and development policy’,to aim for achieving superior accreditation in 2017, and, most importantly, for achieving the World Class University status (WCU) in 2027. In order to reach these goals, a lot of improvements need to be carried out at Udayana University, in gradual steps, with consistency, sustainable, comprehensive, and it needs the cooperation of all lines, of students faculty and staff..[2] Udayana University takes advantage from its location on the island of Bali, which is a popular tourism destination. 22 854 students in 2014, including 877 diploma, 18 041 bachelor’s, 721 Specialists, 2,543 master programs, 622 doctoral and 1,567 lecturers, with the latest educational qualification bachelors 5.87%, 64.96% masters ,24.25% doctors, and 4.91% Specialists. Also a large number of teachers, consisting 159 people (10:15%). 13 faculties, ranging from diploma, undergraduate to graduate. Udayana University has many collaborations with various universities in Indonesia and abroad, in the fields of education, research, and community service. This is proven by the election of Udayana as the host of EHEF (European Higher Education Fair) in 2015, that was first held in Bali on Thursday, November 5th, 2015.[3] However, to achieve Udayana University end goal of becoming World Class University, there are still a lot of weaknesses that have to be overcome. For example, only 22% of the programs possesses the highest accreditation (A), while 59% scores a‘B’, 5% only manages to get a C, and 14% of the programs has an expired accreditation. The low quality of the organization and the low productivity in the field of research and community service, which are also caused by limited funds, are another reason for it’s weakness. Communication / dissemination and publication of research results through seminars are lacking in the scientific publications, especially at the international level, which in return adversely affects the ability and interest in research and adds to a low scientific culture. In terms of infrastructure it seems that the physical infrastructure is not adequate for the buildings, the laboratory and the library. The Student information system has not been managed well, which makes it difficult for students to understand and to use correctly. In addition, its infrastructure is not adequate, it is lacking in clarity of the academic community for the use and management of the facilities. In addition to internal conditions at Udayana University, rapid growing of globalization is also big challenge. The increased marketing, the competitive world, the emerging zones of free trade, the growth of affiliated companies of multinationals and the freer flow of information have resulted in the rise of the knowledge-based economy, which requires the support of people who are able to work radically in different ethics and the environment and also qualified to be widely accepted. We can say in a simple way that college graduates should be able to meet the criteria to compete in the global labor market. In 2015, ASEAN and the Asean Economic Community in 2015, demanded that a graduate of the University of Udayana has to qualify as highly competitive worker to be able to win the competition in the job market. Although faced with various challenges, Udayana University is expected to utilize its potential in order to achieve the goal of becoming a World Class University through the strategy and direction of the policy that will be applied by the academic community of Udayana. The ‘Asean Economic Community’, which will take place annually, starting in 2015, could also be a tremendous opportunity for the University of Udayana to train graduates that will be competitive in the labor market of South-East Asia with the standardization of national and international accreditations. [1] Universitas Udayana, Rencana Strategis Universitas Udayana tahun 2015-2019, page. 7 [2] Ibid, page. 2 [3] Official website of the European Union, 2015, European Higher Education Fair, accesed on November 7th 2015, URL : http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/indonesia/more_info/ehef/ehef_en.htm