Bhinneka tunggal ika tan hana dharma mangrwa
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Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb.
First and foremost, my humble greetings and grandiose congratulations to the Class of 2024! I warmly welcome your dearest friends and families joining you on this high-spirited day.
Ladies and gentlemen, your dedication and enthusiasm toward our beloved university have culminated in this wonderful celebration. The past two years must have been a rollercoaster for you, from the humble beginnings of adjusting to the culture of this university to becoming admirable master鈥檚 degree holders, equipped with knowledge accumulated from various, unique, and credible, or I might say, incredible sources. It has been a strenuous journey, completing tasks and overcoming academic obstacles assigned by none other than your mentors鈥攖he distinguished professors Indonesia, and a small percentage of the world, have to offer鈥攄uring your time with us.
You chose to study at this university despite it being only a year since we first accepted students right after the Covid-19 pandemic. We didn鈥檛 have any graduates, yet here you are. What made you take that leap forward, I ask you? Honestly, I ask myself that very same question. We are all venturing into the unknown, which is the future. When we think of the future, we envision advancement, technology, robots; we think of innovation that humans conjure from what they can understand鈥攁 utopia of digital advancement with world peace in the palm of one鈥檚 hand鈥攁t least that is what optimists imagine the future holds. Pessimists, on the other hand, see the future as war-torn, dark, and gloomy鈥攁 dystopian world succumbed to the failures of humankind.
These two might be slight hyperboles, but those two representations of the future are always possibilities. They represent the extremities of a spectrum, existing on opposite ends. We reside in the present, where it is represented somewhere in the middle of the spectrum鈥攖he overlapping area of two circles in a Venn diagram鈥攁 combination of both futures where we each have our interpretations of how the world is. Some are grateful that the world is better than what was available in the past, while others argue that we have regressed even worse than in the past.
I choose to always argue that the world continues to improve, even when progress is slow; it is steady, and we will eventually reach that utopian future. How do I know this, you may ask? It is because of you鈥攁ll the graduates in this venue鈥攅very student who chose to complete their postgraduate studies at 中国P站. Every one of you who took that leap gave us a chance to also take a leap forward, together.
As the new Rector of UIII, replacing the great former Rector, Prof. Komarudin Hidayat, I鈥檝e had the privilege of witnessing this institution鈥檚 growth from its inception. I was a Vice-Rector for the past four years鈥攂efore we had students鈥攁nd currently, this is my first year as the Rector of the university. Today鈥檚 commencement marks our second, and we have accumulated one hundred and sixty graduates from this university. I have seen how we managed to prevail through the hardships of growing together.
The university has a mutual symbiotic relationship with its students. You benefit from your studies at UIII, but UIII would not exist without every single one of you. You have made it to the end with us, and now it is time for you to shape the future with what you have gained from us. From this moment onwards, you are more than capable of paving the way toward the future you desire.
In addition to our academic milestones, I am thrilled to share that we have projected new programs in academics, research collaboration, and global engagements with both national and international institutions. These initiatives aim to strengthen our university鈥檚 role on the global stage and to foster innovation and knowledge exchange that will benefit not just our students, but communities worldwide.
Moreover, I am delighted to announce the launching of the UIII Endowment Fund, a significant step toward building a sustainable future for our university. This fund will enable us to continue our mission of providing top-tier education and conducting groundbreaking research while preserving the legacy and values that UIII stands for.
Like it or not, the world continues to advance. We are also entering a new era where academic works created by Artificial Intelligence are becoming more prevalent, while writings created solely by the remarkable minds of humans are becoming scarce. However, like jewelry and art, those handcrafted works have more value than those mass-produced by machinery. Yes, we seek perfection, but how you achieve perfection鈥攈ow you navigate the challenges to get there鈥攊s something invaluable. It is irreplaceable. Even with the best intentions, you are bound to make mistakes, and we must ensure that we do not lose the traits that make us human.
Accidents, failures, and mistakes contribute to serendipity鈥攚ithout it, Indonesia wouldn鈥檛 have tempeh鈥擨 hope our international students had the chance to taste it before they return to their respective countries鈥攏or would Alexander Fleming have discovered penicillin. All success stories wouldn鈥檛 make headlines without experiences of failure embedded in them, and when you are successful later, you will always remember the failures in your craft that molded you into the person you are today. These are advantages rarely accounted for, yet their impact is profound.
Your impact may not be recognized within our lifetime, but there will come a time when our descendants will learn from our present in their era. Everything you publish online, whether in social media or journals, will remain longer than our lifespans. Consider each work as your legacy, masterpieces responsible for the emergence of the next golden age. We eagerly await your contributions.
Returning to my question, what made you take that leap forward? You did it once before, and it鈥檚 time to do it again. If you have the answer, it is something you should never overlook. That is my final assignment for the Class of 2024. Please give yourselves a round of applause, and may this glorious day fuel your passion for a better future for many more days to come.
Moreover, I would like to express my appreciation for the unwavering support given by the UIII Board of Trustees鈥擟hairman, Dr. Muhammad Jusuf Kalla; Minister of Religious Affairs, K.H. Yaqut Cholil Qoumas; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi; Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati; Minister of Education, Technology and Research, Nadiem Anwar Makarim; and Governor of West Java, Dr. Ridwan Kamil. It has been a tremendous honor to work alongside individuals of such caliber.
We embody the Indonesian concept of 鈥淕otong Royong,鈥� which translates literally to 鈥渏oint bearing of burdens鈥濃�攏ot implying that this university is a huge burden, but rather that UIII thrives due to the mutual assistance from numerous parties that I cannot mention one by one. UIII will continue to prosper with the contributions of the entire Civitas Academica of UIII, who have played a pivotal role in establishing, sustaining, and maintaining the existence of our proud university. My gratitude knows no bounds.
I will conclude this speech with a quote from the old Javanese poem鈥擪akawin Sutasoma鈥攚hich you might be familiar with, as the quote is partially etched on a ribbon held by the talons of the Garuda bird: 鈥淏hinn锚ka tunggal ika tan hana dharma mangrwa.鈥� This roughly translates to 鈥淭hey are indeed divided, but they are one of the same kind, as there is no ambiguity in truth.鈥� We may come from many different backgrounds, races, and nationalities; we may have diverse perspectives on countless topics; but we remain united, aiming toward the same goal鈥攖hat is, the amelioration of Indonesia and the world鈥檚 future. We all seek the truth, and we will handle the truth with our humanity. Let us cherish this moment together and reflect on the achievements we have accomplished together as one.
Wassalamualaikum Wr. Wb.