“Don’t be a one-time professor,” said Prof. Dr. Bunyamin Maftuh, M.Pd., MA, when giving an opening speech in the inauguration of Dr. H. Jaja Suteja, SE., MSi as professor, Monday, December 23rd 2019. The inauguration itself was held in UNPAS Jl Setiabudhi, Bandung. Prof. Dr. Bunyamin Maftuh is a Director of Career and Human Resource Competency in Ministry of Education and Culture.
The inauguration was held openly in UNPAS Senate Session led by Prof. Dr. H. M. Didi Turmudzi, M.Si as a UNPAS Senate Chairperson.
The session was also attended by several representatives of West Java LL Dikti, Head of Pasundan YPT (Dr. H. Makbul Mansyur, M.Si) and representatives of STKIP, STIE and STH Pasundan, deans and vice deans, heads of each departments of UNPAS, head of IKA UNPAS, head of IIKU and other invitees.
The term above “One-time professor” (translated from Bahasa Indonesia “Profesor pohon pisang”), as Prof. Bunyamin Maftuh stated, means that a person who only works once in a lifetime, just like banana tree that only produces once in its lifetime. Therefore, he continued, being a professor is not the final goal. Do not stop working, considering the fact that the number of professor in Indonesia is only about 6.100 of 240 thousand teachers. It only amounts to 2,4%.
According to the Ministry of Education and Culture archives, there are 25 to 50 professors approved to be inaugurated. This year, the professors recommended by Service Institution, hereinafter will be referred to as Lembaga Layanan (LL) of West Java Dikti, are the largest ones approved among others. It counts to 10 professors. “But, there is only one [approved] from UNPAS. This is exactly the challenge for UNPAS itself.”, said Prof. Bunyamin Maftuh.
Nevertheless, he responded that he was also proud and glad of Dr. Jaja Suteja for being inaugurated as professor in UNPAS. “This is good for supporting the institution’s importance. The more professors, the better. Other than that, it could motivate other teachers to be one of those. Because being professor is like realizing the dream. It is doubtful if there are teachers who do not wish for being a professor.”, he continued.
Prof. Maftuh also explained that a Lektor Kepala who is going to be submitted as professor has to supervise students in Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral programs. It is not only about writing article to be submitted to international journal.
In the end of his speech, Prof. Maftuh stated that a good professor is those who are able to lead and guide another new professors as his replacement when he/ she retired. This is how regeneration works. A professor should be able to train his/ her junior teachers. If this is not fully done, it won’t be working. The professor only becomes one for his/her own self.
The Rector of UNPAS, Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Eddy Jusuf Sp., M.Si., M.Kom sent his gratitude for the inauguration of Dr. Jaja Suteja as professor. He also said that there are 26 active professors in UNPAS. “Now, it becomes 27.”. Right now, Faculty of Economics and Business has 4 professors.
He confirmed that UNPAS has already recommended and submitted 16 professors to be inaugurated in 2023. “That would be very nice if half of them succeeded,”. He continued that to be a professor was only self-funded. Right now, UNPAS has prepared everything to fund it because it also represents one of the university’s purposes and performances. “The professor [him/herself] still has to be a tutor and researcher, then publish their works publicly.”, he said.
In accordance with what Prof. Eddy Jusuf mentioned, Head of YPT Pasundan also sent his gratitude. “Prof. Jaja is a great person to strengthen and empower the other staffs in UNPAS,”, said Dr. Makbul. UNPAS has 27 active professors, while the other universities under the auspices of YPT Pasundan also have professors. STKIP Pasundan has 4, STIE has 2 and STH Pasundan Sukabumi has 1 professor.”.
He also stated that based on the archives in Lembaga Layanan Dikti in 2017, there were 75 professors approved. The next year, it became 77 professors. This year [2019], it raises up to 86 professors. “What a great step-up, West Java,” said Makbul.
Makbul also stated that he would never resist if the Rector submits the financial plan for the birth of professor. As for Prof. Jaja, Makbul advised him to keep the position still. Keep on working and publishing works for public and societies.
“This accomplishment achieved by Prof. Jaja was not an instant journey. And it should not be one,” said the Head of PB Pasundan. “We shouldn’t stop and give up in the middle. We should keep working to reach our dream. To be a professor, we should be humble. Because if we failed for three times, we should continue for the fourth, fifth, sixth time. Until we made it ourselves.”
The Senate Chairperson, Prof. Didi Turmudzi also had his message sent to Prof. Jaja, “Right now, we don’t need to stick to the idiom ‘ulah goong nabeuh manéh’,”. The idiom is translated from Sundanese which means that ‘do not reveal our achievement’. Prof. Didi Turmudzi continued, “However, if it’s not revealed, how do people know about what we have done?”
Inaugural Speech
In his speech entitled “The Dynamics of Financial Technology in the Middle of Synergy between Financial Literate and Inclusion in Realizing Financial Wellbeing in Indonesia” translated from Bahasa Indonesia “Dinamika Financial Technology di Tengah Sinergi antara Financial Literate dan Inclusion dalam Mewujudkan Financial Wellbeing di Indonesia”, Prof. Jaja Suteja sent his opinion and research result about the economic development in Indonesia. Right now, there is a process of disruption in various aspects of the economic business field. It happened as a result of technological development.
“Universally, the new technological development can also be defined as a sign of new civilization, era, climate, behavior, or even new revolution in economic sector,” said Prof. Jaja in the beginning of his speech.
If this disruptive innovation is not well-anticipated by some business parties, it could cause the fall of business organization itself, as what we have seen in Kodak, Nokia and several conventional transportation companies and freight forwarding services. “This phenomenon also occurs in the financial services industry which has disrupted the financial services industry landscape globally. It started from its structure, its intermediated technology and its marketing model to its customers,” he continued. These whole changes led to the emergence of other new phenomenon, or called as Financial Technology. *** (TS)
