SDGs 4: Quality Education

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada is an academic environment with a focus on cultural studies. As one of the faculties that highly values cultural significance, it has gained interest from both local and international students. Each year, FIB welcomes over 100 international students from various countries. Some participate in exchange programs, while others are part of the INCULS program.

Interestingly, international students at FIB UGM actively participate in preserving and enriching Indonesia’s cultural heritage. One example is their adoption of traditional attire, such as batik and kebaya.

As one of Indonesia’s traditional clothes with profound philosophical meaning, kebaya is chosen by international students as an expression of their solidarity with Indonesia’s cultural identity.

The use of batik and kebaya by international students at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, is not just an individual act. By wearing traditional Indonesian attire, they implicitly embrace the local culture, contributing positively to creating an inclusive and multicultural educational environment.

Alice Morgan, a student from Australia enrolled in the INCULS program, chose to wear kebaya and batik to attend batik course provided by the faculty. On Thursday, February 22, 2024, she expressed her deep appreciation for batik and its various motifs. At that time, she was accompanied by a friend from the United States who also, interestingly, wore batik and kebaya, even though she was not a student at FIB UGM. This serves as evidence that culture and art can serve as bridges that connect people from different countries and backgrounds.

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM held the last peak agenda of the 78th Dies Natalis series of events, namely the Open Senate Meeting. The Open Senate Meeting was held in the Soegondo Auditorium, 7th Floor, inviting educators, lecturers, student representatives, and Outstanding People Awards from FIB UGM. This agenda consists of several main activities such as the Opening of the Open Senate Meeting by the Chair of the FIB UGM Senate, the 2024 FIB UGM Dean’s Annual Report, Remarks from the UGM Rector, the 78th Dies Natalis Oration by Prof. Dr. Wening Udasmoro, M.Hum., DEA., Cutting the Tumpeng, and Outstanding People Awards.

The Open Senate Meeting began with an opening by the Chairman of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM Senate, Prof. Dr. Heddy Shri Ahimsa Putra, M.A., M.Phil., followed by the 2024 FIB UGM Dean’s Annual Report by Prof. Dr. Setiadi, M.Si., which presented the 2023 FIB UGM annual report in three areas: Education and Teaching, Research, Community Service, Cooperation and Alumni, and Assets, Finance, Human Resources. The presentation of the Dean’s Annual Report covers several aspects, such as achievements, accumulation of achievements, cooperation, academic and student development, community service activities, research and journals, and so on. This report presentation aims to overview the development and strengthening processes that have become FIB UGM’s commitment. Readers can access the annual report through the List of Periodically Available Information page at the following link: FIB UGM Dean’s Annual Report 2024.

After the annual report presentation, the activity was continued with a speech by the UGM Rector, Prof. Dr. Ova Emilia, M.Med.Ed., Sp.OG(K)., Ph.D, explained that Indonesia has the potential for cultural diversity that can be an opportunity for innovation that has meaningful value. “… This potential is certainly an important source of knowledge to optimize innovation that not only creates new cultural products but also to what extent culture can harvest which are productive and at the same time become a treasure trove of values ​​that are meaningful for life,” he said about the importance of cultural diversity.

The agenda of activities continued with the 78th Dies Natalis Oration of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM by Professor of FIB UGM, Prof. Dr. Wening Udasmoro, M.Hum., DEA., with the title: “The Upper Subject: “Honor” and Its Social Reproduction Practices in Contemporary Indonesian Society”. In his speech, he explained the importance of seeing the existence of humans amid technological and information developments in modern times which increasingly ignore the role of humans as subjects that are starting to be replaced by the role of technology as new subjects currently being considered. In addition, the attitude of the community group is also in the spotlight, especially with the current phenomenon of showing off the luxury they have.

After the 78th Dies Natalis Oration of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM ended, the event continued with the Awarding Session for outstanding people of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada which consisted of outstanding lecturers, outstanding education staff, well-performing education staff, and outstanding students. The list of FIB UGM Outstanding People awards is as follows:

Outstanding Lecturer Award:

•  Dr. Sita Hidayah, M.A.

•  Dr. Aprinus Salam, M.Hum.

•  Dr. Agus Suwignyo, M.A.

Award for outstanding education personnel: Eska Nurbowo, A.Md. from the Language Center

Award for best-performing education personnel: Bapak Murjiman from the Administration Division

Outstanding student awards were given to

• Wahyu Lestariningsih from the Cultural Anthropology Study Program,
•  Devina Ocsanda from the Archaeology Study Program,
•  Lulu Nabiha Nurilailati from the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program,
• Raihana Alfiyya Riqqa Aldila from the Korean Language and Culture Study Program,
• Grace Sandy Br. Barus from the Indonesian Language and Literature Study Program
• Rifal Fadlurrahman from the French Language and Literature Study Program Rafael
• Raga Budi Panuntun Hernawan from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program
• Muhammad Jhony Fonsen from the Tourism Study Program
• Elvira Sundari from the Arabic Literature Study Program
• Devi Ayu Lisdiyana from the English Literature Study Program
• Dinda Nabila from the History Study Program

The ceremony continued with the symbolic Tumpeng Cutting procession by the Chairman of the FIB UGM Senate which was then handed over to the Dean of FIB UGM and forwarded to the Committee Head of the 78th Dies Natalis Committee, Erika Purnawati, S.Kom., M.Cs.

Following the Tumpeng Cutting, the event was enlivened by a joint choir performance by lecturers, educators, and students. They presented three songs themed “Love” with different versions dedicated to FIB UGM, namely “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Karena Cinta, and “Selayang Pandang”.

The 78th Dies Natalis Open Senate Meeting of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM concluded with a prayer session led by Mr. Hamdan, M.A., and closing remarks by the Chairman of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM Senate. The closing of this activity is expected to bring new hope for the future of FIB UGM, fostering innovation in advancing Indonesian culture.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 14: Life Below Water | SDGs 15: Life on Land | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The XXIX National Cultural Gathering was successfully organized by I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa State Hindu University (UHN) which took place on Sunday-Friday, from November 5th until 10th, 2023. The theme of the 2023 National Cultural Gathering was “Sabda Budaya: Mukhti Luwir Nihan Segara”, which means “Cultural Echoes: Thundering like the Ocean”. The theme intends to highlight the richness of Indonesian culture that is still thundering amid the current era of globalization. The activity lasted for five days with various agendas including the National Deliberation, Wimbakara (Competition), and National Seminar. It ended with the Awarding Night as well as the closing of the XXIX National Cultural Gathering activities.

In this XXIX National Cultural Gathering, the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), sent eight delegates to participate in the entire series of events. The UGM delegation consists of Nurma Aisyah (class of 2021) as the head of the delegation, Vighna Rivattyannur Hernawan (class of 2020), Bima Muslih Wicaksono (class of 2022), Haryo Untoro (class of 2022), Kintan Dewinta Putri (class of 2022), Muhammad Siswoyo (class of 2022), Alma Syahwalani (class of 2023), and Meifira Arini Pitaloka (class of 2023).

There were six contested activities, including the Cultural Parade, National Scientific Writing Competition (LKTIN), Poetry Musicalization Competition, Comic Strip Competition, Cultural Tiktok Competition, and Cultural Reportage Competition. Of the six competitions, the delegation of Universitas Gadjah Mada won five competitions, including:

• 1st place in the Cultural Reportage competition (Alma Syahwalani)

The Cultural Reportage competition raised the theme of Taman Sari Yogyakarta, a historic water garden site, as a reflection of the splendor and majesty of Indonesian culture that is passed down to this day.

• 2nd place in the National Scientific Writing Competition (Haryo Untoro and Muhammad Siswoyo)

The National Scientific Writing Competition entitled Reflection of the Entity of the Agrarian Tradition in the Track Record of Cowongan Song Verses, raised the Cowongan ritual song verses as material objects that contain elements of agricultural in the form of various plants and animals. The elements are then associated with their classification in Javanese culture and reveal the inheritance related to the name of the agrarian elements and the agrarian mythology behind them.

• 2nd place in Comic Strip competition (Meifira Arini Pitaloka)

The Comic Strip competition with the theme “environmental conservation based on local wisdom” tells the story of young people who want to reforest by paying attention to the philosophy of these plants.

• 3rd place in the Poetry Musicalization competition (Nurma Aisyah and Bima Muslih Wicaksono)

The Poetry Musicalization Competition raised the theme “Sabda Budaya: Mukhti Luwir Nihan Segara” brought poetry created by Muhammad Siswoyo about the beauty and majesty of the nation’s culture. The poem was performed with a recitation combined with singing and musical accompaniment, thus mesmerizing the other participants.

• 3rd place in Tiktok Nusantara competition (Kintan Dewinta Putri)

Cultural Tiktok competition featuring traditional games, including Dakon or Congklak, Clogs, and games accompanied by dolanan cublek-cublek suweng songs.

The achievement of the UGM Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program in winning various competitions is a concrete manifestation of UGM Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Students in promoting, appreciating, and preserving the diverse cultures and traditions in Indonesia.

With the existence of the XXIXth National Cultural Gathering activities, it is hoped that they will motivate students to be interested in promoting this cultural heritage and tradition. Furthermore, this National Cultural Gathering activity can strengthen relationships between students of regional literature study programs throughout Indonesia and implement sustainable development goals, especially in improving the quality of education, extracting local wisdom that is in tune with the ecosystem, and working together to preserve and explore the nation’s cultural potential.

We would like to thank all those who have participated in the success of this event. Hopefully, Imbasadi can continue to accommodate students majoring in regional literature throughout Indonesia in developing and preserving the nation’s culture.

Indonesia is diverse, and Imbasadi unites.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

As in previous years, in the even semester of the 2023/2024 Academic Year, the Korean Language and Culture Study Program are sending two students to South Korea to participate in a student exchange program. The two students managed to get the opportunity to study at Busan University of Foreign Studies and Soongsil University during the Spring 2024 period. This program is a result of collaboration between the Korean Language and Culture Study Program and these two universities. Not only that, they also have the opportunity to obtain a Global Korea Scholarship scholarship which is also the result of collaboration between the Korean Language and Culture Study Program and the Global Korea Scholarship. The following is a brief introduction from the two students.

The first student is Raden Ajeng Dian Sari, a student from batch 2022, who chose Busan University of Foreign Studies as her destination university. She saw this as a very valuable opportunity for herself. Through this program, she wants to experience the things that will be the key to her success in the future. She also advised her friends to never be afraid to try, because we are all stronger than we think. The second student is Rohadatul ‘Aisy Hamdaini from batch 2022, who will explore new experiences at Soongsil University. At first, she never expected to get this opportunity. So she was very grateful. Through this program, she has a vision to balance her academic and non-academic activities. She hopes that she will be able to explore the language and culture in Korea. Finally, she said “it is better to regret having done something, than to regret not having done it.”

With this, fellow students from the Korean Language and Culture Study Program and others are expected to have greater enthusiasm and strong motivation to achieve their dreams. Moreover, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences really supports the students to participate in international mobility. The existence of strong cooperation between the Faculty of Cultural Sciences and global institutions serves as a support from the faculty to facilitate students in undertaking international programs. And with these collaborations, various programs are created in which students can participate.

SDGS 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDGs 17: Partnership for the Goals

On Tuesday, February 13th, 2024, Universitas Gadjah Mada through the UGM Public Relations, News, and Protocol Office held a Technical Guidance with the theme “Management of Universitas Gadjah Mada Social Media” for public relations, protocol, and news staff in the UGM work unit environment which was held in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, from 09.00 – 12.00 WIB. To strengthen the university’s public relations function, UGM presented several speakers from the UGM Public Relations, News, and Protocol Office to present the material themes. This aligns with providing information services to the public about events, events, and information around UGM.

The Technical Guidance session began with a speech from the Deputy Dean for Alumni, Cooperation, and Innovation, Dr. Fajar Adi Kusumo, S.Si., M.Sc., who stated that the publication of activities carried out in the UGM environment could be a source of inspiration for the wider community, therefore it is necessary to have qualified knowledge to manage information for the public, especially information that is shared through social media. In line with this, Mrs. Hestining Kurniastutim, S.S., M.B.A., Head of the UGM Public Relations, News, and Protocol Office, also stated the high urgency of social media, as well as the traffic of the existence of the official pages of each unit which affects the ups and downs of information accessibility caused by the increasingly rapid communication.

The Technical Guidance session was then continued with a presentation of material that mapped the segmentation of social media users from each social media platform, the objectives of building social media content, efforts to increase engagement from social media content, the characteristics of content for public information, and the stages of production of content for social media. The presentation of the material ended with the opening of a question and answer session from the faculty, department, and other UGM work units regarding the management of social media on several platforms, copywriting, content feedback management, engaging influencers or important UGM figures, and finding a balance in content creation.