[Unpad.ac.id, 20/01/2016] Former Director General of Higher Education 1999 – 2007 period, Prof. Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro has assessed that decision to set Unpad as a Legal Entity must also develop new paradigm of management within the institution. This paradigm refers to the hierarchy of State Universities as Legal Entities, which is the management of campus autonomy and accountability.
“For State Universities of Legal Entities, it is ultimate to have all decisions to be made at the university level, including professors appointment,” said Prof. Satryo as a speaker in Leadership Capacity Development Workshop at Unpad Training Center, Jalan Ir. H. Juanda No. 4, Bandung, Wednesday (20/01). The workshop was opened by Rector Unpad, Prof. Tri Hanggono Achmad, and attended by the Vice Rectors, directors, and deans in Unpad.
According to Prof. Satryo, with autonomy of State Universities as Legal Entities, the government has entrusted UNPAD to be able to manage its institution independently. Autonomy here does not reflect that management of university is carried out indefinitely, but it still relies on paradigm of accountability. Thus, Unpad should strengthen its internal governance arrangements.
By running autonomy-based accountability, Universitas Padjadjaran is expected to improve academic quality. Quality is considered not only as reference to increase Unpad rank on university ranking system. One of important aspects, according to Prof. Satryo, in improving quality is how Universitas Padjadjaran realizes “academic promise” to stakeholders.
“University uniqueness should be noticeable so we have ways how to express quality, not only through ranking,” said Prof. Satryo.
Even with autonomy, Prof. Satryo said that State Universities of Legal Entities in Indonesia still face obstacles, especially in financial and personnel aspects. On financial aspect, State Universities of Legal Entities is still constrained by tight government finances. While in the aspect of personnel, education staffs should not be Civil Servants and bound by rules imposed as government official.
“This is necessary so that State Universities of Legal Entities can really run entirely,” said this Professor of from Bandung Institute of Technology.
With these constraints, Prof. Satryo consider that conditions is still not fully supporting State Universities of Legal Entities. Therefore, he hopes Unpad is able to find solution to run a good autonomous State Universities of Legal Entities.
“A variety of error of State Universities of Legal Entities campus should not be repeated and able to provide new proposals which hopefully will fit Unpad,” said Prof. Satryo.
In the presence of leaders of university, Prof. Satryo describes main requirement for proper autonomy work, which is to apply the knowledge-based leadership. Leaders shall decide the direction of university development based on knowledge, instead of just the rules. Prof. Satryo stated that rules are not always able to overcome the various problems.
“The rule is limited for common issues only. Unpad should proactively raise the idea of State Universities of Legal Entities,” said one of the initiators of State Universities of Legal Entities autonomy in Indonesia.*
Reported by Arief Maulana / eh
