20 July 2020
Threesna Sharfina
MEDAN—HUMAS USU: For the first time in its history, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) held a virtual graduation ceremony for 981 graduates of the Academic Year 2019/2020, Period III. The event was broadcast live through the official YouTube channel, usuofficial. This approach was adopted as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to hold an in-person ceremony due to the continued high risk of transmission. To date, USU has produced a total of 219,059 graduates.
“The Covid-19 pandemic, which has yet to subside, has forced us to accept the reality that this graduation must be held in a different format—online,” said the Rector in his opening remarks.
The Rector acknowledged the challenges of the current situation but encouraged the entire academic community to remain grateful that the graduation ceremony could still be conducted.
He further emphasized that USU continues to play an active role in handling the COVID-19 crisis, including providing assistance to economically affected communities. Contributions include distributing basic food packages to USU’s extended community and the general public and providing financial aid for students to support online learning.
Through USU Hospital, the university also provides health services for COVID-19 patients. The hospital has a swab testing laboratory, four PCR machines, and a dedicated isolation ward for COVID-19 patients. From June 8 to 12, 2020, the hospital also conducted free mass rapid testing. These efforts are ongoing in collaboration with government bodies and other institutions.
The Rector expressed appreciation to the Provincial Government of North Sumatra, the Central Government—through the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment—as well as private companies and social organizations that provided various forms of assistance, including reagents, personal protective equipment (PPE), food and beverages for medical teams, and other donations.
USU continues to develop its educational infrastructure, fostering an environment that encourages innovation and creativity, while introducing policies that promote scientific advancement and technological application across various fields. The Kwala Bekala campus now features a newly completed Faculty of Forestry building with full supporting facilities. Additionally, the new International Guest House at the Padang Bulan campus stands ready to be utilized according to its intended purpose.
Among the significant achievements of USU are:
Furthermore, on May 27, 2020, the Ministry of Research and Technology/National Research and Innovation Agency (Menristek/BRIN) ranked USU fifth in the Science and Technology Index (SINTA), following UI, UGM, ITB, and IPB. A total of 22 USU lecturers were among the top 500 researchers listed.
In 2019, USU ranked seventh in patent applications submitted to the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, with 96 applications and 35 patents granted that year.
In the ranking of scientific publications indexed by Scopus, USU ranked tenth nationally with 5,053 publications. According to Webometrics, USU currently ranks eighth in Indonesia and 1,872nd globally. Within Asia, USU is ranked 160th among the top 200 universities. Financially, for four consecutive years, USU has received an Unqualified Opinion (WTP) from a Public Accounting Firm.
