The position of a Guru Besar or Professor represents the highest academic or functional rank for faculty members. Therefore, as leaders, as a Rector, we expect them to exemplify leadership in research and publications to build expertise excellence. Furthermore, their role extends beyond personal accomplishments; they must have a generative function, meaning they should encourage and provide opportunities, paving the way for young faculty members to create excellence in research and publications within their respective fields through a research tradition.
This statement was conveyed by the Rector of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), Prof. Dr. H. M. Solehuddin, M.Pd., M.A., after delivering a presentation at the Council of Professors Seminar at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia’s LPPM Building, Auditorium Room, 3rd Floor, UPI Campus, Jalan Dr. Setiabudhi No. 229, Bandung, on Monday (27/11/2023).
Rektor UPI stated, “The increasing awareness among UPI’s academic community can foster unity in achieving university ranking targets. The focus should be on improving the quality of learning through innovative approaches, cutting-edge technology, and sustainable evaluation. Then, develop relevant and responsive academic programs to meet global demands.”
Based on records, Prof. Solehuddin revealed that UPI successfully entered the global recognition radar in the QS World University Ranking (QS WUR) 2023, securing a ranking between 1201 and 1400 worldwide. Throughout UPI’s history, this recognition is an achievement resulting from the collective hard work of all parties involved. This achievement is expected to motivate faculty members to be more effective in creating works recognized by the global community.
“To enter the top 1000 universities in the world and the world’s top 500 universities, we must be transformative, thinking and working extraordinarily. If we behave ordinarily, it will be like the past, left behind. We must build strategic partnerships with global educational institutions, industries, and organizations, and leverage them to improve global accessibility, collaborative research, and student and faculty exchanges,” he emphasized.
Based on this, Prof. Solehuddin urged, let us change; we must be transformative, both in thinking and action, including in collaboration patterns. We must adapt to a learning system accepted by the global community to open networks for international collaboration. Conduct collaborative research with researchers and world-class institutions, both domestically and internationally. This, in turn, will increase citations per faculty and contribute to the creation of internationalization.