ITB Cirebon Campus: Nurturing Excellence for Advancing the Metropolitan Rebana Region

By Anggun Nindita

Editor Anggun Nindita

CIREBON, itb.ac.id – Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), as a State Higher Education Institution of Incorporated Legal Entity (SHE-ILE) Indonesia, is committed to actively developing science, technology, and arts. Through the tagline "Locally Relevant, Globally Respected," ITB is ready to become a technology-based university boasting global quality education.

To actualize this vision, ITB has implemented various institutional development programs, one of them being multicampus development. In its evolution, one of the successful programs of ITB's multicampus development is the Cirebon Campus.ITB Cirebon Campus has two locations, one in the Watubelah Subdistrict and the other in the Arjawinangun Subdistrict, Cirebon Regency. The presence of ITB Cirebon Campus is a realization of ITB’s effort in developing excellent human resources, fulfilling the mandate of academic, research, and community service in the Cirebon Regency.

The academic program of ITB Cirebon Campus has been ongoing since the 2016/2017 academic year as part of multicampus development. It was categorized as a Central Campus Extra Study Program (CCESP), executing outside the Bandung region.

There are three original study programs offered at ITB Cirebon Campus: Undergraduate Program in Crafts, Undergraduate Program in Industrial Engineering, and Undergraduate Study Program in Urban and Regional Planning (URP). Later on, in 2014, four new study programs were opened, including Geophysical Engineering, Oceanography, Petroleum Engineering, and Mining Engineering.

“Initially, the academic programs were conducted at the ITB Jatinangor Campus, simultaneous with the construction of the campus building in Cirebon. In January 2022, academic programs were gradually conducted at the ITB Cirebon Campus," stated Dr. Ir. Iwan Kustiwan, M.T., in his official statement.

As of now, the three original study programs opened at ITB Cirebon Campus are still under the CCESP proposal process, while the other four programs are still classified as parallel classes, signifying their transitional period before becoming independent study programs.

ITB Cirebon Campus offers various advantages, such as a more realistic laboratory condition around the campus environment. For example, the Undergraduate Study Program in Oceanography allows students to conduct direct observation on the nearby seas.

The Undergraduate Study Program in Crafts directly interrelates with the diverse treasure and potential in arts among the local communities of Cirebon and its surroundings, including the Trusmi Batik product and the Gerabah Sitiwinangun Village.

Meanwhile, the Undergraduate Program in URP can reevaluate the various development potentials of areas near the Rebana region (Cirebon, Indramayu, Majalengka, and Kuningan).

“Each theme or final student assessment, academic research, as well as community service programs will be directed around the potential and challenges around the Rebana region,” suggested Dr. Iwan Kustiwan.“Of course, the intended implication includes the establishment of partnerships with various stakeholders in the regional administration, from the village level to the regency level, as well as many private institutions in Cirebon and nearby areas,” he continued.

Every program at ITB Cirebon Campus is centrally coordinated by ITB, from new students’ initiation to academic and student affairs systems, financial systems, service and infrastructure systems and development, and graduation systems.

The Directorate of the ITB Cirebon Campus (DICC) plays a crucial role as an extension of various faculty/school units and supporting units to help coordinate, facilitate, as well as monitor various programs, especially regarding academic activity and infrastructure development.

“Overall, a majority of academic operations and infrastructure development utilize grants from the Provincial Government of West Java as a financial source,” he remarked.

In an effort to expand educational access for higher education in the counties through the CCESP route, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia has shown great impression towards the development of ITB Cirebon Campus.

In the future, ITB Cirebon Campus plans to include 3-4 new study programs during the New Students’ Orientation (NSO) of the 2024/2025 academic year, emphasizing the demand of local communities, especially in the Rebana region.

Hopefully, the presence of ITB Cirebon Campus could open new opportunities to contribute and collaborate with external parties, including the government, private sector, and the local community. Likewise, in the joint effort to develop the Rebana region, ITB Cirebon Campus becomes one of the objects of construction as a part of the national strategic project plan in the Rebana region, West Java.

The Metropolitan Rebana region is projected as a driver for economic growth in West Java. As well, ITB is ready to collaborate to foster the next generation in the ages to come.