Yogyakarta, February 20, 2026 – The Campus Mosque of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) held a public lecture featuring Panut Mulyono, Rector of UGM for the 2017–2022 period, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering UGM, and Chair of the Forum of Indonesian Rectors (2021–2022). In his lecture, Prof. Panut addressed the role of Natural Resources (SDA) and Human Resources (SDM) as fundamental capital for national development.

In his presentation, he emphasized that Indonesia is a nation blessed with a large population and abundant natural resources. However, these advantages must be managed properly through the development of high-quality human resources.

“With strong nationalism and a solid work ethic, we can achieve rapid progress,” he stated. He stressed that excellent human resources can only be produced through quality education.

Prof. Panut also highlighted the importance of learning from prominent national education figures such as Ki Hajar Dewantara, who laid the foundation of Indonesia’s educational philosophy. He further quoted Nelson Mandela, who once said that education is the most powerful weapon to change the world.

According to him, education plays a strategic role in determining a nation’s progress and independence. A country with a weak education system will struggle to advance and may even decline. Conversely, quality education serves as a tool to accelerate national progress, particularly in mastering science and technology and enhancing global competitiveness.

From an Islamic perspective, Prof. Panut connected the importance of education with Qur’anic teachings, particularly Surah Al-‘Alaq (1–5), which emphasizes the command to read and seek knowledge as part of worship to Allah SWT. He also referred to Surah Al-Mujadilah verse 11, which highlights the virtue of those who pursue knowledge.

Furthermore, he underlined the crucial role of higher education institutions in continuously improving and innovating within the higher education sector to achieve national independence more swiftly. Universities are expected not only to serve as centers of learning but also to generate tangible impacts in addressing socio-economic challenges, fostering inclusive innovation, and contributing more significantly to sustainable development.

This study aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education; SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), through the enhancement of human resource quality and work ethic; and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), by strengthening the mastery of science and technology to drive national advancement.

Through this forum, the UGM Campus Mosque serves not only as a spiritual space but also as an intellectual platform that fosters strategic ideas for Indonesia’s progress toward becoming an independent and globally competitive nation.

[Public Relation of FIB UGM, Alma Syahwalani]

It may seem uncommon for a humanities student to be involved in an international forum centered on business and innovation. Yet that is precisely what makes the story of Kharisma Qurrota Ayun compelling. A Master’s student in Literature at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Kharisma took part in the Korea Youth Summit 2026, organized by Youth Break the Boundaries from February 2–5, 2026, in South Korea.

Rather than attending as a project delegate, Kharisma contributed from behind the scenes as a member of the organizing committee. Far from being a secondary role, her position highlights an important point: global forums are not sustained by ideas alone, but also by the cultural fluency, communication skills, and coordination that make international collaboration possible. Her involvement invites a broader reflection on how the humanities, often perceived as distant from business and technology, play a vital role in knowledge diplomacy and cross-cultural engagement.

The summit’s central agenda, the International Symposium, brought together 34 young innovators from New Zealand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Morocco, Bangladesh, Mexico, and Uzbekistan. Participants presented business-driven solutions to pressing global challenges, including green economic transitions and community-based empowerment initiatives. The symposium functioned not merely as a competition of ideas, but as a shared learning space where diverse perspectives met and evolved.

In this context, Kharisma’s academic training in literary studies proved unexpectedly relevant. Literature sharpens the ability to interpret narratives, understand cultural nuances, and engage with different worldviews, skills that are indispensable in multinational settings. In global conversations, persuasive storytelling and cultural sensitivity are often as important as technical feasibility. Her background equipped her to navigate complex intercultural dynamics while supporting the event’s overall coordination.

As part of the organizing team, she helped ensure the smooth execution of the symposium, facilitated communication among international participants, and maintained the flow of the program. The role demanded meticulous planning, adaptability, and intercultural competence: qualities that reflect the emerging practice of youth-led global diplomacy.

Kharisma’s experience underscores a broader message: humanities graduates are not confined to classrooms or textual analysis. They are equally positioned to contribute to global innovation ecosystems. Her journey illustrates that literature is not only about studying texts, but about cultivating the capacity to “read” societies, bridge differences, and shape meaningful dialogue.

From Yogyakarta to South Korea, her participation signals the growing presence of Indonesian youth in international arenas. It also reminds us that transformative global initiatives rely not only on groundbreaking ideas and capital investment, but on empathy, narrative intelligence, and collaboration across cultures.

[Master of Arts in Literature, Khotibul Umam]

Yogyakarta, February, 11, 2026 – Universitas Gadjah Mada officially inaugurated Collabhub by ParagonCorp, located at the Gelanggang Inovasi dan Kreativitas UGM. The establishment of this collaborative space marks a strategic step in strengthening the ecosystem of innovation, creativity, and interdisciplinary learning within the university.

UGM Rector, Ova Emilia, stated that the inauguration was both a joyful and special occasion. She expressed her appreciation to ParagonCorp for bringing new hope in the form of a space dedicated to networking, learning, and enhancing student productivity.

“Wherever we are, we always learn from and teach one another,” she remarked. She hopes that Collabhub will become a productive and inclusive collaborative space capable of generating positive impacts for students, the broader community, and the world at large.

Collabhub is designed as a multifunctional collaboration zone, featuring a mini library, quiet areas for focused work, and spaces for discussion and inspiration. The facility is expected to serve as a co-learning hub that fosters idea exchange, creativity, and character development among students.

Chief Executive of the ParagonCorp Institute, Salman Subakat, expressed his heartfelt emotion, having followed the development journey of GIK since its early stages. He emphasized the importance of nurturing students’ sensitivity and empathy throughout their learning process.

“As Javanese people say, we should not merely feel capable, but be capable of feeling,” he noted, underscoring the significance of human values in collaboration and innovation.

Meanwhile, the President Director of GIK UGM, Alfatika, explained that the co-learning hub initiative had been planned since last year. According to her, every meaningful initiative requires time before it can come to fruition. She reaffirmed that GIK is a home for students to grow and create authentically, with a strong commitment to providing the best space for the academic community.

On this occasion, ParagonCorp also symbolically presented an endowment fund of IDR 25 billion to support the sustainable development of student innovation and creativity. The ceremony concluded with a ribbon-cutting as an official mark of the opening of Collabhub by ParagonCorp.

This collaboration also contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) through the provision of inclusive and adaptive collaborative learning spaces; SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) through the strengthening of innovation infrastructure based on university–industry partnerships; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), reflected in the strategic synergy between UGM and ParagonCorp in building a sustainable and impactful learning ecosystem.

[Public Relations FIB UGM, Alma Syahwalani]

Singapore, January 5, 2026 – Randy Setiawan, an educational staff member of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), was selected as a delegate in the Transforming University Libraries Leadership and Innovation Programme (TULLIP) organized by NUS Libraries. The program brought together 19 participants from various countries and was held over five days, focusing on strengthening leadership, innovation, and digital transformation in university libraries.

The TULLIP program was designed to foster collaboration between librarians across the ASEAN region and the global academic community. Through a series of workshops, seminars, roundtable discussions, and learning visits, participants were equipped with strategic skills to address the challenges of library management amid a rapidly evolving information landscape.

Throughout the program, participants took part in a range of thematic sessions. The first day explored leadership in driving transformative change within libraries. The second day highlighted the use of artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and innovation in leading academic libraries. The third day focused on library partnership practices in supporting education and research. On the fourth day, libraries were positioned as living labs through the management of collections, infrastructure, and spatial design. The program concluded on the fifth day with a case study-based problem-solving session.

In one of the presentation sessions, Setiawan outlined the challenges faced by the FIB UGM Library, particularly in relation to limited collection storage space. “In yesterday’s paper presentation, we highlighted an issue faced by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Library, namely the need to accommodate space as the library collection continues to grow,” Setiawan explained.

He added that older collections remain in high demand among students. “In addition, there is an urgent need to transform library collections from physical formats to digital ones. This is due to the limited capacity of the temporary library space, which can only accommodate around 15 percent of the total collection,” he said. As a result, approximately 85 percent of the collection must be stored long term and is at risk of deterioration.

Setiawan also shared that the workshop sessions provided participants with insights into effective and up-to-date collection digitization processes. On the same occasion, he introduced efforts to promote the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM’s rare collections through the Lawang Sejarah platform, which can be accessed at langka.lib.ugm.ac.id.

The participation of the FIB UGM delegate in the TULLIP program reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to adapting to developments in information technology and strengthening the role of libraries as centers for learning and research. Through enhanced human resource capacity and international networking, libraries are expected to better support an inclusive, impactful, and sustainability-oriented academic ecosystem.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]

Yogyakarta, December 18, 2025 – The Research and Publication Unit, together with the Journal and Publishing Bureau of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada, received an award as the second-best performer in the SINTA achievement category at the university level for 2025. The award was announced on Thursday, 18 December 2025, at Multimedia Room 1, North Wing, UGM Central Building, and was presented by the Vice Rector for Research, Business Development, and Cooperation.

This achievement is the result of a long-term process that has been underway since 2017 and has involved various stakeholders supporting the research ecosystem at the faculty, including lecturers, administrative staff, and external researchers. Continuous collaboration has served as the main foundation for building strong research and high-quality publication practices within the faculty.

Structurally, the Research and Publication Unit and the Journal and Publishing Bureau operate under the Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation, and Alumni Affairs. Both units play strategic roles in managing research and academic publications. The Research and Publication Unit oversees various research schemes and facilitates the acceleration of faculty publications through mentoring programs, intensive writing activities, technical workshops, as well as translation and proofreading services. In addition, the unit is responsible for entering research and publication data of faculty members and postgraduate students into various academic databases.

Meanwhile, the Journal and Publishing Bureau supports the management of faculty publication data in SINTA and Google Scholar, while also strengthening publication acceleration programs. These efforts include developing a journal database within the faculty’s academic fields, producing technical tutorials on writing and reference management, and providing guidance on journal selection and article submission. The bureau also organizes a range of workshops for lecturers and postgraduate students.

Diah, a member of the Research and Publication Unit team at FIB UGM, expressed the hope that this achievement would serve as a foundation for future research development. “Producing collaborative research that expands academic networks and exposure for scholars, thereby strengthening the credibility of FIB,” she said. In line with this view, Yoga from the Journal and Publishing Bureau team at FIB UGM emphasized the importance of joint efforts between the two units. “The synergy between these units in supporting research and publication can increase the number of scholarly works produced, while also strengthening FIB’s role so it can stand alongside and compete with STEM fields,” Yoga stated.

This award reaffirms FIB UGM’s commitment to building an inclusive and sustainable research culture. Through cross-functional collaboration and stronger publication governance, the faculty is expected to continue contributing to the advancement of knowledge with broad benefits for society and the future of higher education.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]