The Deputy Chair of Muhammadiyah Council for Higher Education, Research, and Development (CHERD) inaugurated Dr Rustamadji, MSi who was reappointed as the Rector of Universitas Pendidikan Muhammadiyah (UNIMUDA) Sorong in the year 2022-2026. The inauguration procession located in the Rectorate Building of UNIMUDA Sorong, Monday (05/07) was attended by the Head of Higher Education Service Institution (LLDikti) Regional 14, the Sorong Regent, Raja Ampat Regent, the Chairman of Muhammadiyah Province Board (PWM) West Papua, the Chairman of Local People’s Representatives Council of Sorong, and other invited guests.
UNIMUDA Sorong becomes a private university that has the highest number of study programs in Papua and its surroundings. By establishing 26 study programs, most of the UNIMUDA Sorong students were indigenous people of Papua. “Approximately 70% of the students are from the indigenous people of Papua. It is evidence that UNIMUDA is advantageous in Papua land,” said the Rector, familiarly known as Transformational Figure. He continued by mentioning that in four years, UNIMUDA succeeded in increasing the number of students to 5000. Rustamadji also admitted that UNIMUDA also has 67 hectares and 26 study programs. Besides becoming a Muhammadiyah asset, it also becomes Papua people, local government, and West Papua province assets. “InsyaAllah, in the following years, our team will make breakthroughs that have never happened in Sorong or Papua and West Papua,” he said.
A lot of achievements of UNIMUDA Sorong in Dr. Rustamadji’s leadership, including more than 60 national grants, the best campus in implementing the Independent Learning Independent Campus (MBKM) in the Eastern part of Indonesia, 365 students who conduct independent student exchange program, six students has achieved international credit transfer program in Turkiye for 1 semester, international campus by inviting international students from Papua Niugini, ASEAN, and Middle East students.
In his remarks, Prof Chairil Anwar explained the Muhammadiyah cadre who are similar to Dr Rustamadji was essential to development. “I hope Dr Rustamadji can teach cadres at a similar level or they might be higher than him to always make breakthroughs,” he said. He also mentioned that UNIMUDA had involved local people being educated. “I see UNIMUDA has a particular identity that has been mentioned by the Rector, first, as a campus with Indonesian identity. We can call this campus, Universitas Muhammadiyah Indonesia,” he said.
