“Change” might be just a word of six letters to some, but to the University of Indonesia’s rector Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri, it’s a lifetime inspiration that keeps him moving forward.

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Saying he has always been intrigued by most Indonesians who feel satisfied with the same old situation, Gumilar, the youngest rector in the university’s history, is making giant steps in his institution, which he hopes will create a domino effect on society.

“What concerns me is that our people tend to be so inward-looking — we don’t feel it’s necessary to compete [with other nations] and we’re quite satisfied with the not-so-great current situation,” says the 47-year-old professor who was born in Tasikmalaya, West Java. “We don’t realize we have many rough ‘diamonds’ in Indonesia — smart and talented young people. If we could polish these ‘diamonds’, then we could be on the cutting edge,” he added.

Gumilar means every word he says. While making the University of Indonesia (UI) a “laboratory” to polish these “diamonds”, he is adopting a holistic transformation that includes improving the quality of its students and lecturers through excellent facilities, encouraging excellent research and developing a strong international network.

His experiment is certainly bearing fruit: In The Times Higher Education-QS Survey, the UI has climbed to a higher rank among the world’s leading universities in the past two years. In 2008, when Gumilar first took up his posting at the university, the UI jumped significantly from 395th to 287th, and climbed to 201st last year. The UI is now the fifth best university in Southeast Asia and the best in Indonesia. This year, Gumilar says, “we’re targeting to be at around 150th.”

Such an achievement might be visible to many, but Gumilar does acknowledge people still makes judgments on the transformation of the university based only on physical improvements.

“People think the changes we have made are merely to do with infrastructure — great facilities and all, but they don’t see how these changes have a non-tangible effect [on development],” says Gumilar, who has a PhD in sociology from the University of Bielefeld in Germany. “For example, we’re currently completing one of the biggest and the most beautiful libraries in the world. We’re not just erecting a beautiful building. We want to create a place where ideas will germinate and be exchanged, and where inspiration will flow.

“We want to be a leading example for how universities should play their role in making changes for a better civilization,” he adds.

Aside from being a place to explore new ideas, the library is also a breakthrough, as it embraces green values — using solar cell energy, promoting the wise use of water and limiting the use of paper and plastic products.

“We want UI to be a green campus, promoting an environmentally friendly culture [to society],” says Gumilar, adding that the UI had kicked off a bike-to-campus program earlier as part of its green culture.

“We provide bicycles for our students to be used within the campus area. And this year, we’ll be starting our tramway project. When it’s completed, we expect students will stop using cars or motorcycles on campus.”

Making changes is not just a fad for Gumilar. The day he was elected rector marked the start of a new era for the university, as besides being the youngest rector, Gumilar was the first ever to come from the School of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP).

“I believe ability doesn’t depend on age,” says Gumilar, the dean of the FISIP from 2002 to 2006.

“Before me, most of the [UI] rectors came from the School of Medicine. I’m the first from FISIP, but I had plenty of experience developing the School [of Social and Political Sciences].”

Gumilar may sound like an ambitious leader but, believe it or not, he never dreamt of becoming a university rector. It all began when he returned from Germany 16 years ago and started teaching at FISIP.

“At that time, my salary barely covered the installments on my house,” he recalls. “As a consequence, I took several part-time jobs — doing research and becoming a speaker at seminars.”

“Then I realized taking on additional part-time work was ‘unhealthy’. It hampered the quality of teaching, as lecturers could not focus on their main duties on campus,” he says. Besides, he goes further, “I’m a PhD graduate from a reputable foreign university and honored with summa cum laude.

So [the salary structure] was a little unfair — not only to me, but to all lecturers facing the same problems.”

Gumilar was so concerned about the situation that he kept telling himself: “This can’t be right. I want this to change.”

And that passion for change led him to become a leader. As the dean of FISIP, he fulfilled his promise to himself to raise the salaries of lecturers.

“I also managed to build cozy offices for lecturers. I wanted them stay on campus, so students could find them easily whenever they needed them,” says Gumilar.

No FISIP alumni could ever forget Gumilar’s routine checks, four times a day, on students who were playing cards, smoking or littering.

“I talked heart-to-heart with my students, explaining why they shouldn’t play cards on campus,” he says. “Campus life is supposed to revive that academic atmosphere — you know, people reading books, working on their assignment on laptops or computers. Playing cards just doesn’t fit this kind of ambiance.”

Special attention to small details like this, Gumilar says, is what complements a true leader — something he still believes in today.

“As a leader you have to have vision — to see the big picture. But pay attention to small details, too,” Gumilar says. “And don’t forget,” he continues, “be open to criticism and input.”

And Gumilar knows exactly what he is talking about, as criticism has been part of his daily life. He was recently criticized after rumors had circulated he would scrap programs like the Philosophy doctorate and the Women Studies master’s — because they didn’t generate enough profit for the university. In responding to such rumors and criticism, however, Gumilar looks calm and easy.

“I’ve never mentioned any such plans,” he says. “The rumors are really baseless and, until today, it has not happened, right?”

Gumilar takes the opportunity to address the never-ending criticism over increasing student fees for UI students.

“If a student fails to enter the UI, it’s not because he or she can’t pay the fees,” Gumilar laments.

“That’s simply because there is tight competition to get in here. You need to be one of the best to be accepted into the University of Indonesia.

“I take a strong stance on talented students. If disadvantaged students pass our tests, we welcome them to the university and support them through scholarships,” he promises.

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