In conversation with
Prof. Dr. Rudi Harjanto, S.Ikom., MM., M.Sn.

Higher Education Spotlight: Do you feel like this is the right time to shine the spotlight on Indonesian higher education and to portray it to the readers of Newsweek?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: It is a good time to introduce to the readers the challenges that we face in Indonesia. Young people today spend so much time on their smart phones that they process information differently compared to young people even 10 years ago. Because of that, perhaps we have to rethink our way of educating them.

We used to require our teachers to give all teaching face to face, but I think that the role and function of teachers has to change. To teach effectively, information must not flow only one way — as communication is a two-way street. A teacher must fill multiple roles: as mentor, as counsellor, and, of course, as teacher-facilitator.

They must discuss the information that students have found, or are exposed to, on the Internet. They have to help their students judge and filter the validity of this information and whether or not it is good and usable as teaching material

Appropriately engaging with students in the information age can be a challenge for teaching staff. How do you promote this discursive approach to your staff?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: I wrote an article arguing that we must help the students find the information they need. Students are no longer passive receivers of the teachers’ messages; they are independent individuals with their own interests. They might have something in mind that they want to do, and they will search online themselves for the resources they need to do it.

So it is important that the teachers learn what the students know and decide whether or not that information is useful. As teachers, we know the theory and can advise, “This is right for you, this is not, and this needs to be modified.”

Technology and innovation is very important in the education sector. What innovation strategies do you foresee implemented at Universitas Prof. Dr. Moestopo (Beragama)?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: This is very important, because in the future people will not ask you where you studied. They will ask you what you can do. So we have to make our graduates excels, not only theoretically, but also in terms of what they can implement in their lives. For example, if they study communication they have to know how to influence people and write well in order to start businesses.

UPDM (B) was founded due to one man’s passion for dentistry. How has the identity of the university shifted over the years? How do you identify your current role within the Indonesian education sector?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: Prof. Dr. Moestopo was a dentist when he started a 2-hours-daily Dental Health Course in 1952 at his house to enhance the capabilities and skills of a number of dental artisans, in order to meet the minimum standards in terms of dental hygiene, nutrition and simple anatomy, which then developed into an ‘Intellect Junior Dental Course’ in 1957. Dr. Moestopo set up a Dental College of Dr. Moestopo after returning from the U. S. , which has received an official recognition from the Ministry of Health and honored with the visit of President Soekarno, Indonesia’s first president, who recognised dr. Moestopo’s successes in educating an affordable dental health practitioner for the poor. So we are aware the importance of education regardless of the student’s social status. The positive results were then acknowledged by the government in 1961 to upgrade the status the dental college into a higher education scale and it has developed not only to dentistry but also political and social sciences (public administration and international relations), economics and communication faculties as well as Post Graduate Studies. Education is supposed to follow change because we are part of the culture. Nowadays we don’t just make our graduates hold a degree, we expect them to become professional leaders, entrepreneurs, and scientists. They should be at least one of these things but, if possible, I would like them to be all three. For example, if they have an invention they would be able to commercialise it, and set up and lead a company around it.

You have been a teacher in many different institutions, teaching at the University of Moestopo since 1991. Last year you assumed your position as rector. What is your vision and strategy for taking this university into the new era of education?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: I myself was educated here at Moestopo. I want to say proudly to my grandson that I was educated here, so I must contribute to its continued development and improvement. I take risks because I want to continue the founder’s legacy of making this country great through education. Our vision is to generate superior, professional, and integrity in the higher education community in building an advanced, democratic and prosperous Indonesian society based on Pancasila as our national ideology.

That means working with the foundation to change the business model for the better; we not only dependent on the students, we need a network, to provide something new to benefit the public. Teaching business strategy, marketing, something they can implement in their own lives. For example, creating the opportunity for stay at home mothers to come here and learn how to make a blog, and if we also make this available to our students they can build auxiliary skills that will be useful for their lives after graduation.

I want our students to feel proud representing Moestopo University and work with other universities to set up initiatives on promoting traditional local products. Devising a way to market products that traditionally don’t have packaging or branding. Ultimately, we want our students to have the skills to be entrepreneurs.

We work together with the State University of Bandung to set up this project. We support local business of Indonesian Belinjo (gnetum gnemon) nuts crackers. With this kind of product we can enhance the quality, invest in the marketing, invest in distribution. Universities can help them develop the brand.

We work together with one of outstanding art school in Jakarta, so our students can get understanding of art and culture; theatre, in particular. It’s important that our students understand the balance between technology and arts.

What are you doing to become self-sustainable so that you can create funds for the arts, since government funding is often lacking in this area?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: This is challenging. We cannot generate funds with these kinds of activities, but it is one of our contributions to society. It’s a way of making students feel proud to be a part of Moestopo. We expect them to write blogs, to tweet, and tell their friends about it. We encourage students active in their own students’ communities or associations, such as dentistry, public administration, international relations, management, banking, accounting,  and communication as well as promoting them to be involved in art performance, photo exhibition, and educate society about silkscreen technique to commercialize artistic local wisdom T-shirts, for instance.

How are you looking to increase your research capabilities at UPDM? What are the opportunities that you see within Indonesia and ASEAN?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: We start with the teachers first. At the end of every term, students have to write a report, receiving direct tutor from our teachers. The aim is to write up their report in a simplified form to produce a journal-ready article. The student then has the opportunity to become the first or second author, depending on their contribution to the finished product, of a published article. This is a way to promote our university to industry.

Recently we have collaborated with International College of Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep in Thailand, in order to devise a double degree in social sciences subjects like international marketing and business management. Students would study here for five semesters and then four in Thailand. When they graduate they get a degree from both institutions. This is a way to elevate the standard of our education beyond a local standard — to a regional standard. It gives our students a wonderful opportunity too, an opportunity to work with and understand their counterparts in Thailand, stepping closer to becoming a global citizen.

What other opportunities do you see in ASEAN in the long run? Do you see this union as an opportunity or challenge?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: It is indeed a challenge. Education is an industry, but our priority is providing a good standard of education to our students rather than competing with other institutions. Continuing to improve that standard is our challenge, not just relying on the information that we get from books, but also what is happening in the market. Students need an expansive view beyond just theory.

How do you envision the next ten years for Moestopo?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: Technology makes everything change so fast. We will concentrate on Indonesian students first. We want our Indonesian students to become international students, a global citizen. but our plan is to give them strong skills in order to anticipate the changing international market.

After that, of course, we will move to foreign students. I want to discuss making a new faculty with the Thai university, together we develop new science, and expect them to come and study to our university also.

How are you strengthening your industry partnerships?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: This is what I am proposing to our foundation — not only working with our students, their parents, and our neighbours, but also working with organisations who will provide our students with on the job training in multi national companies. Applying course work and classroom experiences to their jobs, such as excursion studies to government institution for our public administration students, diplomatic course & workshop for international relations students, as well as to private institutions like mass media, public relations & advertising agencies, banks, public accountants offices as well as setting up an internships as mandatory subject for the students, which thereby stimulating academic, and personal growth, in a professional setting to equip our students with necessary experience for their futures. We are making preparations this year to begin partnerships in 2018. We are exploring opportunities in Thailand, China, and South Korea.

How do you promote your passion for the environment to your students and faculty in order to get them to take positive action?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: We are planning to have the national choir competition. We want every student in Indonesia to feel they are Indonesian and part of our culture. We don’t just keep our heritage because it belongs to us alone, but we share it in order to enrich our country and others. We cannot protect our heritage alone, without working together. Make it open, share it for the benefit of the country. We can communicate this philosophy through the arts. It’s a way of teaching our students ethics.

Is education a way to reinterpret the concept of Islam Nusantara as beyond one religion, as Indonesia Nusantara? How can you send this message to your students?

Prof Dr. Rudy Harjanto: This is our duty to maintain our heritage for our students.

The word “Beragama” which literally means “religious” has in depth meaning as a manifestation of faith and piety to the Almighty God, in line with the first principle of Pancasila, as guidance for each citizen of the Republic of Indonesia to respect each other and to promote cooperation among religious groups within the Unitary State of Republic of Indonesia. It is also the innermost desire of the people engaged with our University to see a harmonious relationship among followers of all religions as it is the guidelines for all the people engaged in this University. Pancasila is not only the ideology of our country as a whole; every individual Indonesian person should have it too. Pancasila can unite us. We talk about God, humanity, and unity in Indonesia. This is important, how can we be tolerant of those who are different from us?

We study Pancasila in our school. Every new student is taken to our founder’s grave at the memorial to this country’s heroes in Bandung. Our founder formed this university at a time when independent Indonesia was still young. Now it’s our duty to make his dream come true. We make this university more than just a university; we make it as a contributor to the good of Indonesia — Pancasila. What he believed in. ‘United for progress; together, stronger.’