Universitas Indonesia (UI) has selected Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU as the Rector of UI for the 2024–2029 term. The announcement was made following the “Public Debate of the Three UI Rector Candidates for the 2024–2029 Term” on Monday (23/9) at the UI Convention Center, Depok Campus. Prof. Heri received 18 out of 23 votes cast by the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology—represented by the Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Abdul Haris—and the 15 members of the UI Board of Trustees (MWA).
The fifteen MWA members are Dr. (HC) KH Yahya Cholil Staquf; Prof. Dr. Ir. Praswasti PDK Wulan, M.T.; Dr. (HC) Noni Sri Ayati Purnomo, B.Eng., M.B.A.; Dr. Muh. Yusuf Ateh, Ak., MBA, CSFA, CGCAE; Dr. Ir. Setia N Miliatia Moemin, MBA; Ir. Irfan Setiaputra; Dr. Dany Amrul Ichdan, S.E., M.Sc.; Prof. Dr. Tri Hayati, S.H., M.H.; Prof. Dr. Amy Yayuk Sri Rahayu, M.Si.; Dr. Enie Novieastari, S.Kp., M.S.N.; Prof. Drs. Heru Suhartanto, M.Sc., Ph.D.; Prof. Dr. Bambang Wibawarta, S.S., M.A.; Prof. Dr. Budi Frensidy, S.E., Ak., M.Com., CPA; Tikka Anggraeni, M.Si., CPR; and Muhammad Zahid Abdullah.
Upon accepting the leadership baton, Prof. Heri stated that advancing UI cannot be achieved by one “Superman” alone but requires a “super team.” “Let us all, all UI stakeholders, both on and off campus, work hand-in-hand to advance UI as envisioned. Let us make UI impactful, reputable, and contributing to the glory of this nation so that UI not only becomes a leading university but also a driving force for the nation’s progress,” he said.
The long process of selecting the UI Rector for the 2024–2029 term began in July 2024. In the Public Debate of the Three UI Rector Candidates, Prof. Heri competed with two other candidates, Prof. Dr. dr. Ari Fahrial Syam, SpPD, K-GEH, MMB, and Teguh Dartanto, Ph.D. All three candidates presented their plans for the university’s development and their solutions to the main challenges UI will face in the future.
The public debate was divided into two segments. In Segment 1, the candidates presented their vision, mission, and work programs, followed by questions for each candidate to respond to. In Segment 2, each candidate received the same three questions from the MWA UI, covering UI’s role as an inclusive university that values diversity, UI’s development through innovation and creativity, and UI’s responsibility in advancing the nation.
During the debate, Prof. Heri outlined his vision to transform UI into a university with impactful national contributions and reputable global recognition through multidisciplinary collaboration based on productivity. To achieve this, he will implement five main strategies, further broken down into fifteen priority programs: Empowering Entrepreneurship, Improving Education Access and Quality, Impactful Research and Innovation, Global Competitiveness, and Good Governance and Cultural Transformation.
The Chair of the UI Board of Trustees, Dr. (H.C.) K.H. Yahya Cholil Staquf emphasized that the selection of the UI Rector is significant due to UI’s critical role in the country. He said, “UI is the only university that bears the name of Indonesia. UI not only serves as a reference for basic knowledge of Indonesia’s intellectual framework but also provides excellent human resources to safeguard, manage, and pursue the vision and future of Indonesia. Therefore, the UI Rector’s election is important not only for the UI academic community but also for the entire nation of Indonesia.”
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Public Communication Office
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia
