The PMB ITB 2023 event was attended by a total of 4,931 new undergraduate students, 1,395 postgraduate students, and 174 students of professional programmes from ITB for the year 2023. During this event, the new students were formally welcomed as students of ITB by the ITB Rector, Prof. Reini Wirahadikusumah, Ph.D.

Professor Reini conveyed her gratitude and appreciation to the incoming students of ITB for the year 2023. She expressed that being a member of ITB entails active contributions to the advancement of the country.

Beginning in 2023, ITB has prioritized more on integrity and matters surrounding corruption, requiring us to reflect on these issues internally. Professor Reini believes that these challenges can be effectively addressed through collective efforts, beginning with the incoming students at ITB.

During her speech, Professor Reini emphasized the importance of knowledge within the society. As a student, embarks made on an academic journey extends beyond obtaining a degree. This involves developing cognitive academic abilities, skills, attitudes, and personal qualities, fulfilling the expectations that advanced degrees will demonstrate the cultivation of positive attitudes as well as good personality.

She made an effort to articulate the definition of being a scholar and the conduct associated with it. As per the KBBI (Indonesian Dictionary), a scholar is an individual who has successfully obtained a bachelor's degree, which is the initial academic milestone attained after completing higher education. Scholarly conduct are influenced and moulded by knowledge. The primary focus is knowledge, as acquiring a degree necessitates knowledge.

"Knowledge is the most valuable asset for humanity," Prof. Reini stated.

Acquiring knowledge brings a person closer to understanding the truth and nature of reality. Having knowledge allows comprehension of both nature and principles of life. Knowledge plays a significant role in shaping our perspective and impacting our approach to overcoming life's obstacles. Acquiring knowledge is instrumental in developing wisdom and exhibiting wise conduct.

ITB is renowned for its research and technological advancements. Technology has the potential to free humanity from various restrictions and boundaries. This is achievable because humans possess knowledge of the principles that govern nature and apply them in different engineering pursuits, leading to technological progress.

Nevertheless, advancements in knowledge and technology do not ensure the complete elimination of negative behaviour and moral transgressions. Frequently, this leads to more economic inequalities as well as harm to the environment.

Moral violations encompass acts of indifference and neglect. Firstly, partial ignorance refers to the possessions of specific knowledge on a particular phenomenon while lacking knowledge in other aspects.

"Secondly, neglect refers to acknowledging the negative consequences of our actions but not deeming them significant enough to address or prioritise," she explained.

Professor Reini also observed that every individual has a limited amount of knowledge. Hence, it is inevitable for every individual to possess some level of ignorance. Nevertheless, this limitation will not yield adverse outcomes if individuals maintain receptiveness to fresh information and refrain from isolating themselves from alternative knowledge.

"Self-development can be achieved by actively engaging in multidisciplinary activities to strengthen character and expand insights into the workings of the world. Problem-solving should be approached through multi and interdisciplinary methods," she stated.

The higher education programme at ITB is specifically designed to fulfil the country's demand for knowledge that is rooted in strong character. Professor Reini expresses the expectation that the incoming batch of ITB students in 2023 will attain a heightened level of knowledge proficiency and exhibit strong moral values.

Reporter: Pravito Septadenova Dwi Ananta (Teknik Geologi, 2019)

Translator: Anggi Nurdiani (Manajemen, 2021)

Editor: Kezia Hosana S.