Semarang, December 9, 2024 – Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) is undertaking various efforts to strengthen its global position in achieving its target of ranking among the top 500 universities in the QS World University Rankings (QS WUR) by 2026. UNDIP’s Planning and Development Agency (Badan Perencanaan dan Pengembangan / BPP) held a workshop titled “Strengthening UNDIP’s WCU Program Activities to Achieve the Top 500 QS WUR 2026.” The event took place at Horison I Hall, 8th Floor, Horison Inn Antawirya Hotel, Semarang.
The workshop aims to reinforce the implementation of the World Class University (WCU) program at the faculty and school levels. The WCU program will be managed in a decentralized manner starting in 2025, which will allow each faculty and school to design innovative programs and activities that support the achievement of QS WUR indicators, such as academic reputation, research quality, international collaboration, and student diversity.
It is essential to note the nine indicators and their weightings used in the QS WUR 2025, including Academic Reputation (30%), Employer Reputation (15%), Faculty-Student Ratio (10%), Citations per Faculty (20%), International Faculty Ratio (5%), International Student Ratio (5%), Sustainability (5%), Academic Collaboration (5%), and Employment Outcomes (5%).
UNDIP Rector, Prof. Dr. Suharnomo, S.E., M.Si., emphasized the university’s commitment to becoming a top-500 world-class university, highlighting the importance of synergy and commitment from all members of the academic community to achieve this goal. “It is essential to design performance processes that encompass the leading indicators. A good scorecard should balance process performance and outcome performance,” he said.
Prof. Suharnomo also stressed that each faculty or school must have its unique strengths, likening them to a ‘golden goose’ that produces ‘golden eggs.’ “The golden goose can take the form of facilities or individuals that must be identified, supported, and optimized,” he added.
Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Public Communication, Wijayanto, S.IP., M.Si., Ph.D., noted that over the past three years, UNDIP’s QS WUR indicators have consistently improved, except for Employment Outcomes and Sustainability.
“One key indicator is Academic Reputation, which accounts for 30%. Improving this requires leveraging media networks to support WCU in line with UNDIP’s vision of being dignified and impactful,” explained Wijayanto, Ph.D.
Wijayanto explained that lecturers are expected to be able to run the KPIs program, which can also increase academic reputation. For example, international academic networks are where lecturers/researchers attend international events abroad (workshops, conferences, etc.) as speakers. Second, global events (other than summer courses/international conferences) by faculties/schools need to be developed with the aim of inviting participants from abroad. Third is media exposure, where lecturers become resource persons in the mass/popular media based on expertise.
During the event, Vice Rector IV introduced a new directorate under Field IV: the Directorate of Media Networks, Communities, and Public Communication. This directorate will focus on achieving WCU goals and significantly improving academic reputation (AR). Two specific programs were introduced to support AR: the Journalist and Academician Forum (Juara) and Training for Writing Popular Scientific Articles for Faculty Members. So far, Juara has been conducted six times, generating 114 media exposures.
The Chair of the UNDIP Board of Professors, Prof. Dr. Ir. Purwanto, DEA, outlined UNDIP’s 2025-2029 vision to become a leading research university with the tagline ‘Dignified UNDIP, Beneficial UNDIP’ (UNDIP Bermartabat, UNDIP Bermanfaat), emphasizing good university governance and sustainable development. This effort also finalizes UNDIP’s steps to achieve the target of being the Top 500 university and its future vision to be the Top 300 university globally.
Director of Global Reputation, Partnerships, and Connectivity, Prof. Dr. Ir. Hadiyanto, S.T., M.Sc., IPU., discussed strategies for improving UNDIP’s reputation through the WCU program. “Achieving QS WUR indicators requires improving processes, especially in reputation. Rankings will follow naturally. Moving forward, each faculty or school will manage its WCU activities, creating detailed timelines for 2025 and monitoring WCU indicators quarterly,” he said.
“Focusing on enhancing research quality and publication, UNDIP will support high-quality research published in reputable international journals, strengthen international collaborations, and increase academic reputation through strategic global partnerships. Additionally, UNDIP aims to attract more international students through global programs, enhancing diversity,” stated Prof. Hadiyanto.
The workshop is expected to foster a stronger academic culture, improve international research and publication capacity, and strengthen global networks with academic and industry partners worldwide. It also serves as a strategic forum for UNDIP stakeholders to align UNDIP’s vision and develop concrete, focused, measurable, and synchronized programs toward achieving WCU targets. (DHW)
