Unity and contribution marked the Grand Meeting (Mubes) of the Hasanuddin University Alumni Association (IKA Unhas), a lively event attended by about 1,500 delegates from across Indonesia and overseas. Participants comprised representatives of 17 Faculty IKA chapters, 25 Regional IKA chapters, 44 District IKA chapters, IKA Overseas (Japan), and a number of Autonomous Bodies.
Under the theme “Unhas Collaboration for the Nation,” the forum served as a strategic space to discuss important issues, particularly those related to national resilience and energy. The Mubes also affirmed Unhas’s position as a major institution supported by an influential alumni network with impact reaching the global level.
Unhas Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Jamaluddin Jompa, M.Sc. stressed the importance of a spirit of unity in building institutional strength through alumni.
“Unhas has formulated the slogan ‘My Unhas United, My Unhas Strong,’ which means that Unhas exists for everyone, including alumni, who are a major part of Unhas’s progress,” said Prof. JJ on Saturday (2 May).
Prof. JJ said that a great university exists with influential and impactful alumni. A university and its alumni are inseparably bound and make each other great.
“The relationship between Unhas and its alumni is no longer merely nostalgic romanticism. We have transformed into a single ecosystem of closely bound networks. Alumni are the driving nodes that continue to channel ideas and real collaboration to enlarge the name of our alma mater and our shared competitiveness,” said Prof. JJ.
South Sulawesi Governor Sudirman Sulaiman, S.T, who is also an alumnus of the Unhas Faculty of Engineering, expressed pride and also outlined the performance of the South Sulawesi provincial government.
“I am proud to be part of the Unhas Engineering alumni, all the more so now that I have been entrusted as Governor of South Sulawesi,” said Sudirman Sulaiman.
The Governor explained that various development programs continue to be pushed to improve public welfare, from strengthening the economic sector and building infrastructure to sustainable management of regional resources.
“We continue to work to deliver programs that have a direct impact on the public. That is why I invite all Unhas alumni to join in building South Sulawesi so that it becomes more advanced and competitive,” said Sudirman Sulaiman.
Meanwhile, IKA Unhas Chair Dr. Amran Sulaiman, M.P., affirmed that the alumni organization has undergone a significant transformation in delivering real impact.
“IKA has transformed greatly in making an impact, whether for alumni, the university, or the wider community,” said Amran Sulaiman.
Amran Sulaiman also stressed the importance of hard work and a big vision to make IKA Unhas the leading alumni organization in Indonesia.
“Without collaboration, a city cannot possibly move forward together. We cannot achieve success alone,” added the Minister of Agriculture.
Through this Mubes, IKA Unhas is expected to become more solid in strengthening cross-sector collaboration and to deliver real contributions to national development, particularly in advancing Makassar, South Sulawesi, and Indonesia as a whole.
Alumni were encouraged to bring forward ideas that are solution-oriented, narrative-driven, and constructive for the advancement of the university and for alumni’s real contributions to society. (*/aya)
Editor: Ishaq Rahman
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.