“Jakarta-Promotion Team—Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) was awarded the title of The Best of University’s Social Media with a Silver Medal in the 15th SPS Awards 2024 ceremony held in Jakarta on Tuesday (Apr. 30). The award was organized by the Press Company Union (SPS) to appreciate journalistic work from media, campus press, and corporations/institutions throughout Indonesia.”

Januar P. Ruswita, the elected Chairman of the Press Company Union (SPS) for the 2023-2027 period, stated in his speech that the Press Company Union (SPS) is the oldest press organization established 78 years ago, with most of its members being print media companies. This award is given to motivate and appreciate print media managers, marking the 15th time the SPS Award has been held.

“In the last 10-20 years, digital technology has developed very rapidly. The media industry, including print media, television, and radio, has also been impacted. We must encourage the press to be agents of change for a better life and contributors to national intelligence. The print media industry continues to publish journalistic products that prioritize quality and responsible journalism,” he said.

USU was included in the Indonesia Digital Media Awards (IDMA) category, specifically in the Best University Social Media Sub-Category. Universitas Indonesia (UI) also achieved the same accolade, making USU and UI the only universities to receive this award. The award was accepted directly by USU Promotion Coordinator Zulfahmi Purba.

USU Rector Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin, S.Sos., M.Si., appreciated USU’s achievements, particularly its promotion efforts through social media channels. He mentioned that USU has set high targets as a digital campus to respond to current developments.

“In recent years, USU has undergone major transformations in several sectors, including promotion. We strive to keep up with developments and engage with the young generation. Therefore, we have focused on social media as one of our main channels,” he stated.

He emphasized that this achievement serves as motivation to improve further. Various collaborations will also be undertaken to expand USU’s information reach. As known, in addition to attractive content, the spread of information coverage also influences the impact. USU has opened information channels through social media such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter).

For information, the number of entries this year increased compared to previous years. 719 entries participated in the SPS Award 2024, consisting of 299 entries in the Indonesia Print Media Awards (IPMA) category, 205 entries in the Indonesia Inhouse Magazine Awards (InMA) category, 12 entries in the Indonesia Young Readers Awards (IYRA) category, 85 entries in the Indonesia Students Media Awards (ISMA) category, and 118 entries in the Indonesia Digital Media Awards (IDMA) category.

Author: Bambang Riyanto - Staf Humas

Interviewee: Prof Dr Muryanto Amin, S.Sos, M.Si - Rektor USU

Photographer: Istimewa - Istimewa