B

ina Nusantara University, also known as Binus, started off as a short-term computer training institute, the Modern Computer Course, on Oct. 21, 1974. Thanks to the rapid growth of the information technology industry in Indonesia, the school became the Akademi Teknik Komputer on July 1, 1981, offering a diploma program for Information Management and Computer Science.

Thirty years after its creation as a formal education institution, the Bina Nusantara Group has grown into an inclusive learning center -- from pre-school to university graduate programs as well as its online learning programs – with over 65,000 graduates.

At the helm of the university since last year, Rector Harjanto Prabowo has intensified efforts to gather Binus alumni (also known as Binusians) spread in 10 big cities in Indonesia and abroad. Below are excerpts from an interview with him on the university’s next moves.

Why is Binus intensifying its alumni program?

The success of an educational institution should be seen in the success of its graduates. We should not just give them an education and then soon as they graduate shake their hands and forget all about them.

Binus has a big mission of developing Indonesia and the educational world as stated by its founders. We realize that we, as an institution, cannot achieve this alone. It should be a shared mission within the Binus community, including our alumni.

Alumni are a valuable asset for the university to keep up with its mission. We are not bringing alumni together for a short-term benefit -- to amass money from membership fees, for instance.

The alumni who have been doing well with their work or business can benefit from the relationships as they exchange information. Gathered in one forum, it’s easier for the university to deliver our message on how the country needs them. For our alumni abroad, networking reminds them that they are not forgotten and left to struggle alone in foreign countries.

Another advantage of networking is that juniors at the university or high school can look up to their seniors and learn from their experience - valuable knowledge they won’t get in the classrooms.

Once networking set up, students and alumni can connect with each other. The alumni can even get into our online learning system and help the students with their subjects.

In the end, we want people to perceive Binus as a community, not just because of its curriculum or grand buildings.

What’s your vision for Binus University in the future?

I could divide the history of Binus University into two periods: For the first 15 years, it developed from an academy into a university. The second is when it grew bigger, as we have built more campuses with state-of-the-art facilities and achieved some recognition.

For the next 15 years, we have to write a new history. It won’t be my vision alone. All of us in the university’s management believe that Binus in the near future will be able to assist the government in providing quality
human resources.

The government might not be able to help us much because we are a privately-owned university. But we can help the government to develop education.

We have built networks not only with top-tier universities in this country, but also smaller universities in the regions as well as with businesses.

We will focus on quality education that is related to the industry needs, and of course, the competence of
our graduates.

It’s no longer enough to be the best nationwide or in the region. Binus has to be recognized as an asset to
this nation.

— Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak