As stated in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution, one of the goals that Indonesia wants to achieve is to educate the nation. To achieve this goal, Universitas Indonesia (UI)—as a higher education institution that bears the name of the nation—is responsible for providing quality education so that graduates not only have the competencies needed by the job market, but are also able to compete in the international arena.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Dedi Priadi, DEA—as Acting Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs as well as Vice Rector for Human Resources and Assets—said that as the flag carrier of Indonesian higher education in the eyes of the world, UI has a target that is stated in its Long-Term Development Plan (RPJP) for the 2015–2035 period. The target is to become a “National Teacher” who achieves the top 5 positions in Southeast Asia, is recognized as a leading institution in Asia, and is ranked 100th in the world.
UI’s steps also support the achievement of the 2025–2045 National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN) which has a vision of “Negara Nusantara Berdaulat, Maju, dan Keberlanjutan.” This vision is stated in five main targets, namely per capita income equivalent to developed countries; poverty reaching 0% and reduced inequality; leadership and influence in the international world increase; human resource competitiveness increases, and the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions decreases towards Net Zero Emission. These five targets are achieved if Indonesian human resources have the capabilities developed by Universitas Berkelas Dunia (UBD), or World Class Universities.
According to Prof. Dedi, by becoming a flag carrier, UI is not only a World Class University, but also inspires other universities to participate in efforts to improve Indonesia’s reputation. “Currently, UI has achieved targets in several global rankings, including being number 1 in Indonesia, 3rd in Southeast Asia, 6th Asia, and 31st in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2024; and ranked 1st in Indonesia, 8th in Southeast Asia, and 206th in the world for the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings (WUR) 2025. Of course, this ranking will continue to be improved so that Indonesian education is taken into account in the global arena,” he said.
Efforts to improve UI’s reputation are carried out through the implementation of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education which includes education, research, and community service. However, Prof. Dedi said there were several challenges faced in its implementation, including those related to human resources, governance, and finance. According to him, to make UI a world-class university, UI’s human resources must excel. UI lecturers and education staff (tenaga kependidikan/tendik) must have expertise and competence and be able to adapt to the sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI) that is currently developing.
Not only that, UI has challenges in terms of governance. UI has 14 faculties, 2 schools, and 1 vocational education program that must be managed properly. For this reason, a comprehensive, centralized, and measurable system is needed so that evaluation can be carried out easily. “UI is very large with almost three thousand lecturers, two thousand employees, and 48 thousand students. Faculties can start from a centralized administrative aspect, completed through coordinated governance. For that, the use of information technology must be maximized,” said Prof. Dedi.
UI also strives to provide the best facilities to support student learning. This effort is realized through improving facilities, adding laboratory equipment assets, to the construction of a Science and Technology Park (STP) which will be used for downstreaming research products. This facility is expected to attract industries to collaborate with UI researchers so that both can produce innovative products that have sales value.
“As a State University with a Legal Entity (PTN-BH), UI is required to be able to manage the funds needed. University income cannot only rely on funds from the government or student education fees, but it is necessary to open other opportunities, one of which is through collaboration with industry partners for the creation of research products. UI also has business units through Special Work Units that make many contributions,” said Prof. Dedi.
In addition to industry partners, UI also collaborates with top world universities in developing education and research programs. UI and partner universities run student exchange programs, research collaborations, double degrees, and various other programs. Prof. Dedi said, “With this exchange program, students and lecturers from abroad can study and teach at UI, and vice versa, UI students and lecturers can study and teach at foreign universities. This allows for a wider transfer of knowledge, so that it can produce innovations that have an impact on society.”
