Yogyakarta, September 21st 2026 — The Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (SPs UGM) organized the Welcoming Lecture for New Students of the 2025/2026 Even and 2026/2027 Odd academic years at the 5th Floor Auditorium. The first day’s events commenced with participant registration and morning refreshments to foster collaboration among incoming postgraduate students. The opening ceremony proceeded with the singing of the national anthem “Indonesia Raya” and the university hymn “Hymne Gadjah Mada”. An opening speech was delivered by the Dean of SPs UGM, Prof. Ir. Siti Malkhamah, M.Sc., Ph.D., welcoming the new cohort. The ceremony continued with the symbolic presentation of alma mater jackets to student representatives, marking their official induction into the UGM academic community.
The core agenda of the first day featured a public lecture addressing the strategic role of the Graduate School in elevating university reputation and sustainable national progress. The keynote address was delivered by the Chairman of the UGM Academic Senate for 2026–2031, Prof. Dr. Wahyudi Kumorotomo, M.P.P., moderated by the Vice Dean for Academic, Student Affairs, and Cooperation, Prof. Dr. Ir. Widyanto Dwi Nugroho, S.Hut., M.Agr. Prof. Wahyudi emphasized the necessity of transdisciplinary approaches for postgraduate students to tackle real-world challenges. He cited examples such as hurdles in the national solar panel project in Rempang due to insufficient social dialogue. Students were encouraged to collaborate wisely with Artificial Intelligence (AI) while upholding academic integrity and student-centered learning (4C) principles. The lecture concluded with an interactive question and answer session.
Following the public lecture, the program shifted to technical briefings on digital campus infrastructure, including Simaster and the Learning Management System (LMS) presented by Alia Bihrajihant Raya, S.P., M.P., Ph.D., Chief of the Extension and Development Communication Doctoral Program. The speaker detailed the functions of the Simaster portal for academic administration ranging from course registration to grade monitoring. Additionally, online learning platforms such as eLOK integrated with Google ecosystems and UGM Single Sign-On (SSO) emails were introduced. Technical briefings were followed by parallel academic explanation sessions: Master’s (S2) students were briefed by Vice Dean Prof. Widyanto Dwi Nugroho in the Auditorium, while Doctoral (S3) students attended a session directed by Dean Prof. Siti Malkhamah in Rooms 406 and 407. A midday recess for prayers and lunch (ISHOMA) was subsequently provided.
Afternoon sessions on the first day focused on physical and mental well-being as well as ethical safeguards with presentations on the Health Promoting University (HPU) initiative and campus sexual violence prevention. This session was delivered by the Chief of UGM Health Promoting University, Prof. Dra. Raden Ajeng Yayi Suryo Prabandari, M.Si., Ph.D. She reminded students to maintain physical fitness with regular exercise of at least 150 minutes weekly. Prof. Yayi also outlined the mandate of the UGM Task Force for the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence (PPKS) in maintaining a safe environment free from harassment. UGM enforces a strict zero-tolerance policy against violence stemming from structural power imbalances. The first day concluded with a library introduction and digital literature access briefing delivered by UGM Library Chief Wahyu Supriyanto, S.E., M.Si., encouraging students to maximize SSO accounts to access OPAC catalogs, international journals, and institutional repositories.
The welcoming lecture series continued on the second day, commencing with participant registration and morning snacks. The event was formally opened with an organized sequence guiding the day’s proceedings. The morning session focused on character building with an introduction to UGM core values delivered by the Chairman of the UGM Board of Professors for 2026–2031, Prof. Ir. Panut Mulyono, M.Eng., D.Eng. Prof. Panut elaborated on UGM’s historical and sociological mandates as a national university dedicated to public welfare. He asserted that fulfilling the Tri Dharma of Higher Education must be grounded in scientific honesty and research integrity without data manipulation. The spirit of mutual cooperation was emphasized with the local “Cemara Tujuh” philosophy encompassing Pitutur, Pituduh, and Pitulungan. The session concluded with moral lessons drawn from the narratives of Prophet Moses and Prophet Khidr, encouraging academics to cultivate intellectual curiosity, humility, and beyond-logical thinking.
The subsequent session featured mental resilience briefings with a mind-management lecture guided by the Vice Dean for Finance, Assets, and Human Resources of SPs UGM, Dr. tech. Khabib Mustofa, S.Si., M.Kom. Acknowledging postgraduate academic pressures, Khabib invited students to understand conscious and subconscious mental mechanisms to manage stress effectively. He explained that events are inherently neutral, and individuals retain authority in assigning meaning and regulating emotional responses. By adopting a growth mindset and mastering the four core pillars of mind management (focus, meaning, emotion, action), students are equipped with psychological endurance. Toward the conclusion of the second day, incoming students were introduced to campus organizations via a presentation on the Postgraduate Student Association delivered by its Chief Norol Latifah, S.H., to foster campus engagement and peer networks. The entire series of the SPs UGM New Student Welcoming Lectures concluded officially.