The 2020 Professor Summit was attended online by 45 professors from all over Indonesia and three professional actors in collaboration with the PTNBH Council of Professors, Forum Dewan Guru.

ITS Campus, ITS News – The Covid-19 pandemic that coincides with the era of digitization and industry 4.0 has caused many new problems that must urgent sought solutions quickly, precisely, and effectively. Responding to this, the Institute of Technology Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) once again completed the agenda of Professor Summit 2020, a forum that accommodates the innovative thinking and work of professors in Indonesia to build and solve the nation’s problems. Monday (3/11).

The ITS Board of Professors (DP), annual activity, recently held for the second time, was attended by 45 professors from all over Indonesia. And also Three professionals who worked together with the Council of Professors of Legal Entity State Universities (MDGB PTNBH), the Indonesian Board of Professors Forum (FDGBI), and the Indonesian Professors Association (API).

The Professor Summit held on 3-6 November 2020 online took the theme Challenges of Professors in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond. This theme responds to the current very actual problems faced by the Indonesian nation and the rest of the world.

One of the activities that became part of its 60th Dies Natalis series of events consisted of six national seminars, including the National Seminar on Technology and Sovereignty of Marine Resources; National Seminar on Creative Industries, Economics, and Agriculture; National Seminar on The Dynamics of Electrical Development and Informatics; National Seminar on Science, Data Analytics and Health; National Seminar on Environmentally Sound Infrastructure Innovation; and the National Seminar on Education, Social Sciences, and Law.

Prof. Dr. Ir Imam Robandi MT (top left), Prof. Dr. Ir Nadjadji Anwar MSc (top right) and Prof. Dr. Ir H Ari Purbayanto MSc (bottom right)

“Coupled with a Seminar on The Work of Innovation Professors from State Universities Legal Entities,” explained Prof. Dr. Ir Imam Robandi MT, Secretary of the Board of ITS Professors who also served as Secretary of MDGB PTNBH.

ITS Rector Prof. Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng welcomed the second Professor Summit event positively. He told how thinkers’ innovation is the key to solving problems that occur in society, especially ITS. Such as how ITS gathered various energy to create a face shield as an emergency response from the absence of masks in the field in the pandemic’s early days.

“Indonesia’s unpreparedness to face the pandemic prompted us (ITS) to create a face shield project and successfully produce 170 thousand for three months. We distributed it for free to hospitals to health centers and from Aceh to Papua,” said Ashari.

That professor of Electrical Engineering also revealed how the role of industrial innovation 4.0, such as the work of ITS collaboration with Universitas Airlangga in making Raisa robots that are very helpful for medical personnel in handling Covid-19 patients. “Raisa robot is useful, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, because at that time hospitals in Surabaya lacked human resources due to medical personnel who were affected by Covid and had to be quarantined,” he said.

ITS Rector Prof. Dr. Ir Mochamad Ashari MEng (main screen) when giving his opening remarks for the 2020 Professor Summit online

Professor in Indonesia Has Not Been Independent

The Chairman of API, Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Ari Purbayanto MSc., stated that professors in Indonesia are currently not independent. He considers professors in Indonesia have not united. He hopes that through this event, all professors in Indonesia can provide direction and help each other.  So that, it becomes better, especially in the ASEAN region.

“Indonesian professors should not just keep quiet so that the country does not the wrong direction. We must continue to improve quality and quantity, give input to the government and be able to bring this country to be more advanced,” he reminded.

Ari also regrets the number of professors in Indonesia, as many as 5,389 people, counted very little compared to 268 million people in Indonesia. Moreover, as many as 45 percent of these or 2,395 professors are still in 11 PTNBH centered in Java Island. “We (the professors, red) have not been independent because they confined to their respective campuses. I am sad to see the quality of the remote areas because it is too centralized in Java. Why aren’t professors given the freedom to teach on other campuses?” complained Ari.

He also regretted how the title of professor in Indonesia was too fixated on the publication of Scopus. According to him, the professor should be innovative and recognized its benefits and writing in the journal Scopus that can use as a consideration of the professor’s degree. The reality is, if it has not accredited Scopus, then he will not be recognized as a professor.

Besides, he also highlighted very qualified research topics, but they may not be funded due to the limited funds available. “In this case, Malaysia is much better than us, because they each propose directly get funding, while we have to selected because of the limited funds,” said Ari.

Some of the 2020 Professor Summit participants, which was held online from 3-6 November 2020, took the theme Challenges of Professors in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

On the same occasion, the Chairman of DP ITS, Prof. Dr. Ir Nadjadji Anwar MSc. hoped that there would be a forum to exchange information about innovative ideas and works that professors have produced. So that it can build and solve the problems of the nation.

“Through this activity (Professor Summit), I hope to be a forum to increase the sensitivity of professors to maintain idealism, integrity, and prioritize the benefits in work,” he concluded hopefully. (mia/pan/ITS Public Relations)