USU PR - The Rector of the Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si, officially confirmed the degrees of 1,952 students in the USU Graduate Graduation Period II T.A 2023/2024. The graduation procession was held in a hybrid manner at the USU Auditorium for two days, Monday - Tuesday (5-6/2/2024).

USU graduates this period consisted of 758 people (38.83%) men and 1,194 people (61.17%) women. Currently the number of USU graduates is 254,365 people.

The Rector delivered a speech entitled “Response to Climate Change and Adaptation to the Needs of Worker Profiles of College Graduates,” which reviewed about

Action is needed to manage the changing needs of work in the midst of climate change issues, as well as requiring each country to ratify regulations on climate change.

“The issue of world climate change has started since the 1987 Montgreal Protocol, an environmental treaty that became a model for future diplomacy,” explained Prof. Muryanto.

Through the nationally determined contribution policy (NDC), the government prevents the global average temperature from rising 20 C (3.60F) above pre-industrial temperatures and strives to keep it below 1.50C (2.70F). In line with that, the rector highlighted the importance of the policy in achieving global net-zero emissions.

“The policy regulates technical decisions that have economic, social, and political impacts on supply chains with changing production patterns, known as renewable energy,” said Prof. Muryanto.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and International Labor Organization (ILO) report, there will be 13.7 million jobs in the renewable energy sector worldwide in 2022, an increase of 7.88% compared to the previous year's period.

The USU Rector explained that, as part of the world's productivity ecosystem, formal education institutions still produce a larger number of graduates than other institutions. In addition to having a basic understanding of the field of science of interest, each graduate is expected to acquire the skills needed by the new renewable energy industry.

“Changes in the needs of jobs and professions in the Renewable Energy sector in the world have continued to increase over the past decade,” said Prof. Muryanto.

The profile of skilled labor is needed to grow investment in Indonesia. So, what is needed is the innovation ability of the skilled workforce in Indonesia. Responding to this, the USU Rector emphasized that the learning curriculum obtained by USU graduates during the lecture period must be adjusted to the changing needs of the workforce profile in the renewable energy sector.

“The role of science and social humanities is very important in providing solutions to the problem of the importance of behavior change in society,” said Prof. Mury.

Furthermore, the USU Rector stated that several USU alumni have chosen professions as entrepreneurs in the field of new renewable energy (EBT), such as Kepul and Aksata Pangan. Kepul is an innovation in an effort to optimize the buying and selling of recyclable waste. Meanwhile, Aksata Pangan is a non-profit organization that focuses on overcoming food problems with a commitment to overcome hunger and food waste.

In line with that, the USU Rector also highlighted that USU alumni are needed to enter other high technology-based renewable industries such as EV, large-scale hydropower, floating solar PV, geothermal, and even carbon storage and capture.

“We all expect the role of USU alumni to have technical capabilities in the EBT industry so that Indonesia does not only become a consumer,” said Prof. Muryanto.

The USU Rector also stated that USU has carried out various program arrangements over the past 3 years and continues without stopping in order to produce alumni who are product knowledge-based. USU's policy of becoming a World Class University was chosen to ensure that the learning process meets international standards.

“On this happy occasion, it is necessary to convey that USU has made various program innovations so that alumni are able to play a role in world changes, including in the field of EBT,” said Prof. Muryanto.

In 2023-2024, USU implemented the Enhancing Quality Education for International University Recognition (EQUITY) Program as an effort to achieve the QS 500 ranking of world-class universities. QS WUR 2024 released 1,500 universities worldwide in its ranking in July 2023. USU already has a standard as a world-class university at 1,201 QS WUR rankings in 2023, 1,501 THE WUR rankings in 2023, and the top 5 universities in Indonesia according to Schimago Rank in 2023, rising from 28th to 12th place in Indonesia according to Webometric in 2023, reaching 401-450 QS AUR in 2023 or rising 50 ranks from last year.

Therefore, the EQUITY Program is very important for improvements in learning processes such as curriculum, learning methods, integration of Three Pillars of Higher Education, and improvement of learning facilities / infrastructure that will continue to undergo transformation from old ways to new innovative ways.

USU, which manages a total of 40,908 students and has produced 254,365 alumni, must remain able to play a role in the growth of the new renewable energy industry, so that the alumni produced are quickly absorbed by the industry.

“Ensuring that the change projects you do provide the best results for life is when you are able to become a role model or lead by example,” said Prof. Muryanto.

Meanwhile, Anderson Sitorus, S.Hut., a graduate of the USU Faculty of Forestry who achieved the title of Highest GPA in the USU Undergraduate Program, with a perfect GPA of 4.00, stated that discipline and diligence in the learning process are the main keys. He also emphasized the importance of setting targets and trying hard since the first semester, as well as being actively involved in self-development activities outside campus.

“So, for students, especially the Faculty of Forestry, we must be diligent in studying because we have the responsibility to complete what we have taken before,” Anderson said.

Author: Bambang Riyanto - Public Relations

Interviewee: Prof. Muryanto Amin - Rector of USU

Photographer: Amri Simatupang - Public Relations