UNDIP, Jakarta (25/4) – At the PLN Auditorium in Jakarta on Saturday (25/4), around 800 alumni of Universitas Diponegoro from various batches gathered. Some attended in person, while others joined virtually. At first glance, the event titled Halalbihalal & Alumni Reunion appeared to be a routine post-Eid gathering. However, what unfolded went beyond mere social bonding.
The Central Board of the Universitas Diponegoro Alumni Association (DPP IKA UNDIP) framed the event under the theme “Ben Connect, Bocahedewe!”—a phrase emphasizing closeness while signaling the need to reconnect alumni who have long moved along their own individual paths.
This fragmentation is not a new issue. Alumni are spread across various sectors—government, business, and other professions—yet their connections are often not integrated into a cohesive system. Interactions tend to occur within limited circles, based on cohorts or personal networks.
Through this forum, DPP IKA UNDIP sought to draw a clearer line—from simply gathering to building a sustainable ecosystem.
Interactive sessions such as the Reconnect Challenge and short storytelling segments were designed to revive conversations that had faded over time. However, a more substantive element emerged during the program activation session, where the organization reintroduced the Undip Business Community (UBC).
UBC is not a new concept. The platform had existed before but gradually faded. Its relaunch is now positioned as a response to an increasingly evident need: a structured space that connects alumni entrepreneurs, professionals, and investors within a unified ecosystem.
In his remarks, Vice Rector IV for Research, Innovation, Collaboration, and Public Communication, Wijayanto, Ph.D, emphasized that alumni play a crucial role in advancing UNDIP’s vision as a World-Class University (WCU).
“UNDIP greatly appreciates the remarkable contributions of its alumni, who now hold important roles in both government and the private sector, contributing to the development of Indonesian society. This movement strongly supports the spirit of UNDIP—Noble and Valuable,” he stated.
Vice Rector IV further encouraged that reunions should not merely serve as nostalgic gatherings, but also as platforms to discuss future agendas through synergy between the university, alumni, government, and industry.
Chairman of DPP IKA UNDIP, Abdul Kadir Karding, described the initiative as an effort to bring together dispersed potential.
“Ben Connect, Bocahedewe! is an invitation to reconnect in a meaningful way. We have long had great potential, but it has not been fully connected,” he explained.
He noted that without proper management, such potential tends to operate independently. In this context, UBC is expected to evolve beyond a forum into a platform enabling opportunity exchange and more concrete collaborations.
However, revitalizing the alumni ecosystem is not without challenges. Data management, sustained participation, and program continuity will determine whether UBC can move beyond an initial initiative.
On another note, the event also served as an entry point for the socialization of the UNDIP Grand Reunion 2027, envisioned as a cross-generational gathering to revive the momentum of the 2016 reunion.
At that time, thousands of alumni gathered in one place. Yet today, the key question is no longer how to attract large numbers, but how to sustain the connections formed beyond the event itself.
“We are preparing the Grand Reunion 2027 as a space to reconnect. But more importantly, how those connections can continue afterward,” Karding added.
At this point, the theme “Ben Connect, Bocahedewe!” finds its true meaning—not merely as a slogan to enliven the atmosphere, but as a marker of a broader effort: transforming occasional meetings into lasting, meaningful connections.
(Public Communication/UNDIP and IKA UNDIP PR)
