KUPANG – Universitas Nusa Cendana is once again holding a professorial inauguration ceremony ahead of its 61st anniversary on September 1st. Two professors from the Faculty of Education (FKIP) being inaugurated are Prof. Dr. Yantus A.B. Neolaka, S.Pd., M.Si (in the field of Analytical Chemistry) and Prof. Dr. I Gusti M.N. Budiana, S.Si, M.Si (in the field of Organic Chemistry)..
The inauguration was conducted by Undana's Rector, Prof. Dr. drh. Maxs U. E. Sanam, M.Sc, while the bestowing of academic robes to the two professors was carried out by the Chairman of the Undana Senate, Prof. Ir. Fredrik L. Benu, M.Si., Ph.D., at the Undana Auditorium on Thursday, August 3rd, 2023.
Prof. Yantus, who was inaugurated, has produced a total of 8 research projects in national-scale competitions since 2015, participating as a member in 3 and leading 5 as the principal investigator. Additionally, he has engaged in 1 international-scale research project funded by the Malaysian government through mygrand research scheme under a research collaboration with collaborators research with Chm. Dr. Aemi Syazwani Binti Abdul Keyon from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2022 and will continue until 2025.
Along with Professor Fredrik L. Benu, Ph.D, and the team, they also successfully won the Collaborative Social Service Program for Community Building in 2022 and the Business Collaboration and Creative Design Collaboration program in 2023.
He has published a total of 23 (twenty-three) scholarly works in reputable international journals. Among them, 8 journals have been published in top-tier journals, ranking within the top 1-20 globally.
One of his publications with the title A Cr(VI)-imprinted-poly(4-VP-co-EGDMA) sorbent prepared using precipitation polymerization and its application for selective adsorptive removal and solid phase extraction of Cr(VI) ions from electroplating industrial wastewater that was published in the year 2020, is ranked 4th in the category top cited paper of journal Reactive and Functional Polymers by the publisher Elsevier.
Prof. Yantus also possesses experience in book authorship, having authored 2 books: "Dasar-Dasar Pemisahan Kimia" published by Undana Press (2008) and "Kimia Dasar" published by MIPA Press (2021).
Meanwhile, Prof. Gusti has, up to the present, generated 11 competitive grant research projects since the year 2000, conducted 10 community service activities since the year 2000, authored 6 scientific articles in reputable journals, obtained 4 national patents, and possesses experience in book authorship with a total of 4 books.
Among the awards received include the Faculty-level Outstanding Lecturer Award in 2007, Best Poster Author at the Seminar on Research Results by Ristek-DIKTI in 2018, Best Master's Graduate from the Department of Chemistry, FMIPA UGM in 2004, with a study duration of 1 year and 3 months, and Best Doctoral Graduate from the Department of Chemistry, FMIPA UGM in 2004, with a study duration of 3 years and 1 month.
Undana's Rector, Prof. Dr. drh. Maxs U. E. Sanam, M.Sc, in his address, extended his congratulations and pride for the inauguration of the 49th and 50th Undana professors who originate from the FKIP.
The appointment of a Professor, according to the Rector, is a testament to their academic accountability, having mastered and delved deep into a specific field of knowledge. The aim, as stated by the Rector, is to allow both the academic community and the general public to comprehend the competence and expertise of the professor, through the articulation of crystallized thoughts with a scientific undertone, in accordance with the pursued discipline.
The Rector further explained that the scholarly discourse delivered reflects a new thought pattern based on research outcomes that are more practical, aiming to materialize new ideas as contributions to science and technology, arts and culture, and their utility for human life and the environment.
Prof. Maxs also appreciated the idea presented by Prof. Yantus regarding the use of ionics to address human cancer issues, as well as the use of sunscreens discussed by Prof. Gusti.
"Out of this total, 19 individuals have entered retirement or passed away, and one person moved to another institution, resulting in Undana currently having 29 active Professors. There is still one more professor to be inaugurated later, which will make a total of 30 Professors at Undana," he stated.
Therefore, according to Prof. Maxs, based on this number and considering the ideal range of 10-15 percent of the total faculty members, the minimum number of professors at Undana should be between 90 to 135 individuals. This is because the current count of Undana faculty members stands at around 900 individuals.
"Considering this situation, in reality, Undana has great potential to achieve the ideal range of 10-15 percent, as our number of doctoral degree holders is around 230 and associate professors amount to 200. We have a significant opportunity to increase the number of professors to the ideal range," Prof. Maxs expressed with optimism.
As of now, the Rector continued, Undana has proposed approximately 25 individuals who have been validated to be submitted for assessment by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) regarding their Professorship nominations.
The Rector also conveyed that the appointment of these two professors brings not only joy and pride to their families but also to Undana as a whole. This contributes to the university's mission of producing high-quality and competent human resources in their respective fields.
"We hope that the success of these 2 professors can motivate students and faculty members to develop their academic potential and capacity," Prof. Maxs requested.
Based on the track records of these two professors, Undana's Rector acknowledged that Prof. Gusti and Prof. Yantus are exceptional professors, even of world-class caliber. Consequently, he urged the two professors to continue their contributions and innovations to benefit society.
Furthermore, the Rector added that being a professor entails not only achieving academic excellence but also requires maturity of character and integrity, both as an educator and as an individual.
"With the highest academic degree, it is only fitting that we possess and nurture a sense of care for humanity and the universe, and have the courage to uphold truth founded on honesty and integrity," Undana's Rector concluded.
Present on this occasion were the Governor of NTT, Dr. Victor B. Laiskodat, along with Forkompimda NTT (Regional Leadership Communication Forum), the TNI/Polri (Indonesian National Army and National Police) ranks, Kupang City Government officials along with Forkompimda, the Secretary and members of the Undana Senate, the Professors, the Undana Dharma Wanita Association, and other invited guests. (rfl).
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