SPEECH BY THE RECTOR OF ITB
ITB'S FIRST GRADUATION FOR THE 2022/2023 ACADEMIC YEAR
"THE AMBASSADORS OF SCIENTIFIC CULTURE"

The honorable,
Chairman and Members of the Board of Trustees,
Chairman and Members of the Academic Senate,
Leaders and Members of the Professor's Forum,
All Lecturers and Non-Academic Staff,
Graduates,
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

Assalamu'alaikum warrahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Greetings to all of us.

By expressing praise and gratitude to the presence of Allah SWT and accompanied by a sense of pride, I congratulate all graduates of the Doctoral Program, Master Program, and Bachelor Program in the Open Session of the First Graduation of the Institut Teknologi Bandung for the 2022/2023 Academic Year.

On this day, you get a new degree from ITB as a form of recognition for the competencies you have succeeded in achieving. By holding the new title, you are now carrying out a new responsibility that is higher than before, to be able to take part and contribute to the people and nation of Indonesia.

I believe that undergoing and completing academic studies in a crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic poses challenges. Challenges that are not easy to face. But you have successfully met the challenge with your hard work, fortitude, patience, and the moral support and prayers of all your family and relatives.

For this reason, let us both offer praise and gratitude to the presence of Allah, God Almighty, for protection and the overflow of His mercy and gifts to all of us.

Today, after more than two years of carrying out Tridharma activities followed by various social restrictions, the condition of the Covid-19 pandemic has now become more controllable.

This good improvement is inseparable from the National Vaccination Program, which the Government has intensively implemented since early 2021, and our consent to implement health protocols. Improving these conditions allows us to start 'Return to Campus' and carry out various offline activities. Nevertheless, we still need to be vigilant and cautious. Various offline activities must be carried out while maintaining compliance with Health Protocols and implementing New Habit Adaptation.

The honorable graduates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to convey a few things related to our challenges in moving forward to the future. If we look at the history of human civilization, we will find that people's lives are characterized by the continuous improvement of relations between nations.

Since ancient times, trade and culture have been important factors that trigger and encourage the development of relations between nations. Cultural and scientific exchanges between the two countries took place, along with the expansion of trade relations between the two people.

The Indonesian people have also established international relations for over a thousand years, starting with the Indians, Chinese, Arabs, Persians, European nations, and various other nations.

A nation's development and progress seem inseparable from the connection between countries. For example, the development of science, technology, and the modern economy in the era of the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution is inseparable from the relationships between European nations and other nations such as Arabs, Chinese, and Indians.

In the Renaissance era, these international relations became a source for progress in astronomy, mechanics, mathematics, art and architecture, health sciences, sociology, and others. Various knowledge about production and trade also developed through international work.

Today, the patterns and forms of international relations have become increasingly complex and intensive. Advances in energy, transportation, and information and communication technology (ICT) have spurred trade relations and cultural exchanges on a multi-national and global scale.

Then, the development of the internet, smartphones, and Big Data / AI has encouraged the presence of various digital platforms that allow the expansion of connectivity in multiple aspects of life. With digital media, we can have one event in one place and connect it easily to another event in a different place.

We can store and process everything as information, allowing us to do various analyses, make decisions, or gain new experiences. The so-called virtual world is not a world separated from the real world.

Instead, it is a medium by which we can extend connectivity with various activities across time and space. Expanding connectivity or hyper-connectivity creates new opportunities in economics/trade, learning, innovation, socio-cultural, and politics.

We can use these opportunities to generate broad benefits, such as innovations triggered by exchanging ideas through digital platforms. Unfortunately, these opportunities can be used for deviant purposes like hoax news and hate speech that can potentially provoke socio-political conflicts.

Although the world community has become more hyperconnected, it does not mean that the world has become borderless. In times of crisis, such as economic crises, or crises due to a pandemic, we know that the unity of a nation and national solidarity are crucial factors in crisis mitigation or post-crisis recovery.

In addition, national unity is also an essential factor in creating inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development.
The above discussion brings us to a vision that the world community is characterized by connectivity or hyper-connectivity while facing the challenge of building and strengthening the nation's unity.

On the one hand, actualizing Unity in Diversity or Bhinneka Tunggal Ika is challenging. On the other, it is a challenge to maintain Unity within Connectivity, which is the nation's unity in connection with various elements of the world community.

Our unity as a nation is the foundation to continue expanding the connectivity with various elements of the world community. It is certainly not limited to digital connectivity. Instead, it includes intellectual, cultural, and socio-economic connectivity.

I believe the scholars who graduated from the Institut Teknologi Bandung can take a meaningful and essential role in responding to the challenges mentioned above. You can be a collaboration partner for various parties ranging from practitioners, culturalists, industry players, politicians, government actors, and other elements of society to collectively answer the challenges ahead for the nation's progress and the sustainability of the world community.

The honorable graduates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

ITB, through the Office of the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation (WRRI), has completed a document on Strengthening Superior Scientific Culture (BIU) ITB. The paper emphasizes the importance of research in a superior scientific culture. The considerations include the following:
i) scientific research and culture are essential characteristics of universities as knowledge institutions, which in turn determine the capacity, capability, and function of the universities;
ii) research is the “intellectual life blood” that determines the progress and updating of knowledge, as well as being the foundation for innovation, which supports the creation of added value in society.

Scientific culture is also essential for forming a knowledge society. Research/ learning activities are crucial for individuals and the entire community in an organization with a scientific culture. All community members are involved in various forms of interaction within the framework of efforts to encourage, carry out, and make research/learning activities successful.

Along with this, honesty, openness, equality, progress and excellence will become progesively upheld values. I believe that digital transformation needs to be accompanied by efforts to strengthen scientific culture, from universities to various societal elements. With a scientific culture, the community will have the ability to explore the opportunities created through digital connectivity.

In closing, I once again congratulate all the graduates. Let me express my gratitude to your parents, who entrusted their children to us to study at ITB.

I hope you can continue to work, maintain, and disseminate scientific culture—as an 'Ambassador of Scientific Culture of ITB' and consistently increase the spirit of leadership and strengthen solidarity to make a real contribution to the nation and state of Indonesia.

Your achievements are ITB's achievements, ITB's achievements are your achievements—in harmonia progressio.

May God Almighty bestow His mercy and gifts on our nation and us so that we can cooperatively realize economic recovery and achieve a better life together. Amen.

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Bandung, 22nd October 2022
Prof. Reini Wirahadikusumah, Ph.D.
Rector