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| A proud achievement for UMM which is ranked 6th in ASEAN. (Photo: Rino/ PR UMM) |
Another proud achievement was inscribed by the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM). Most recently, the White Campus won the title as the number 6 best private campus in Southeast Asia, according to data released by AppliedHE.
AppliedHE is a world university ranking agency headquartered at 20 Sin Ming Lane, Midview City, Singapore. More than 700 private universities in ASEAN are assessed and included in the ranking process. Some of the criteria used for this assessment include teaching and learning, employability, and research. There is also community engagement, internationalization, and institutional reputation.
Rector of UMM Dr. Fauzan, M.Pd., said this achievement is very encouraging news. The main thing that needs to be done is not excessive euphoria to enliven UMM's achievements to become the sixth-ranked campus in ASEAN. However, it is necessary to evaluate the variables that need to be developed immediately.
"Of course, there must be an increase in UMM's ranking in the ranking results for the following year, considering this is an important aspect of a university's journey. Likewise, with the improvement of quality in all aspects of service. This result is also part of the international recognition, a milestone for UMM for a long time," said Fauzan.
In line with Fauzan, Vice-Rector I of UMM Prof. Syamsul Arifin, M.Sc. grateful that the White Campus can be perched on the top campus in Southeast Asia according to AppliedHE. This shows that this campus has gained recognition, especially in the various fields assessed.
"We are certainly happy because we can obtain good results from an academic perspective, which includes teaching and learning and research. Especially because the university is considered a center of excellence in the development of science," he added.
Syamsul, his nickname, assessed that the research conducted by UMM was relatively good because it was able to collaborate and take advantage of grants from the government and the Business and Industrial World (DUDI). He wants the research results obtained to be harmonized with aspects of teaching and learning—likewise, community engagement should be developed even better.
"What AppliedHE conveyed indicates that we have entered the international arena, following our milestone this year, namely international competitiveness. This result must be momentum, reflection, and muhasabah so that all components of UMM can be good. I certainly appreciate the collective work of all units and sections at UMM who have tried their best," he added.
On the other hand, UMM Assistant Rector for International Accreditation, Suparto, explained that the assessment data carried out by AppliedHE came from three things, namely data from campuses, questionnaires given to alumni and students, and data from Google Scholar. The six aspects are assessed objectively and have their respective portions.
"For example, teaching and learning account for 40% of the total assessment. This aspect is divided into student satisfaction with lecturers, facilities, and the assessment system. Alhamdulillah, UMM was able to record a very high score at 85-90 in each point and was ranked fourth in the teaching and learning aspect," he said.
Then, the second aspect is research which has a portion of 15% of the assessment. Google Scholar data from lecturers, articles, papers and lecturer citations play a significant role in supporting the high scores obtained. It is calculated that UMM got a number in the range of 82 to 87 in the research aspect, which led UMM to be at number two in ASEAN.
"Of course, this number proves that the academic community has an extraordinary passion for research and providing innovations. So that it can be maximized in providing a series of benefits for the community," he added.
Parto, his nickname, also mentions the ranking in each assessment aspect sequentially. The employability aspect is in the 18th position, community engagement is in the 19th position, and internationalization is successfully ranked 18th. "The predicate of the sixth-ranked campus in Southeast Asia is a proud achievement. But don't let us get carried away. On the contrary, we have to improve various aspects that we feel are lacking. So that it can give maximum results, especially UMM's ranking in the eyes of the world, "he added. (cdr/wil)
