The achievements of the Renaissance-Yogyakarta can only be implemented by creative community groups across professions and institutions who are also supported by superior education whose graduates will strengthen the creative entity in order to build a dignified advanced civilization. UNY as an important implementer of Kampus Merdeka Program is expected to graduate alumni of prospective educators, not just teachers, who are ready to develop education and learning relevant to the needs of digitalization of education without being deprived of their cultural roots. That was said by the Governor of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, in a scientific speech for the 57th Anniversary of UNY which was held online.
Renaissance-Yogyakarta is a process that shifting our civilization toward a more dignified-advanced direction. The process will not change our core-values but we need a change on core-behavior and core-competence that fit in with Yogyakarta core-culture. “A change is needed as part our survival strategy in the middle of changing cultural ecosystem that is driven by Covid-19,” Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X said.
“UNY must not only pursue fame at national or international level. It is important to ensure that UNY has positive contribution for the society welfare,” The Chairperson of the UNY Advisory Council as well as the Minister of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration, Abdul Halim Iskandar said. As the UNY alumnus, Abdul Halim Iskandar believed that the strength of education institutions lies in their relevance, namely in the usefulness of science for the community as the guardian of the authority of scientific truth in the midst of post truth conditions, which is proven in the real work of the academic community in the midst of society. Abdul Halim Iskandar hopes that UNY will take a more active role to achieve sustainable development goals, which in the context of one development is called the Village SDGs, by becoming a center of excellence in the scientific field according to its core competence, mainstreaming Village SDGs in the education process and teaching, become partners in the village, central and local government and other stakeholders in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Village SDGs.
UNY Rector Sumaryanto in his speech explained, the theme of UNY 57th Anniversary is "Quality Education to Build a New Civilization". "This theme was taken to reinforce UNY's commitment as one of the educational universities in Indonesia which has a strategic role in supporting the improvement of the quality of national education by creating educators and education staff who are superior, creative, innovative, devout, independent, intellectual," Sumaryanto said. UNY always strives to improve various services both internally and externally during the pandemic period. UNY has provided internet quota support, reducing tuition fee, providing foodstuff and various services that support students’ activities. For external services, UNY has continued to strengthen partnership with numbers of industries and institutions at the national, regional and international levels.
