The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, participated in the 2026 Symposium of the Forum of Deans of Social Sciences in Indonesia, known as FORDEKIIS, held by the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, at the UGM Auditorium, Jakarta Campus. The national forum brought together deans and faculty leaders from various Indonesian state universities to discuss the future direction of higher education governance in the social sciences.Carrying the theme “Quality and Impactful Higher Education Governance,” the symposium served as a strategic platform for strengthening academic networks, sharing institutional best practices, and formulating collective responses to the increasingly complex challenges facing higher education. These challenges include digital transformation, the rapid development of artificial intelligence, shifting global dynamics, and the growing demand for universities to demonstrate concrete contributions to society.The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, was represented by Dr. Rama Kertamukti, Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Cooperation. His presence reflected the faculty’s institutional commitment to expanding academic collaboration, strengthening student development, and enhancing the role of social sciences and humanities in addressing contemporary societal issues.
For FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga, participation in FORDEKIIS 2026 was highly significant. As a faculty that develops social science and humanities disciplines within an Islamic higher education environment, FISHUM occupies a distinctive position in integrating modern social inquiry, humanistic values, Islamic ethical perspectives, and national responsibility. This integrative orientation is increasingly relevant in a period when universities are expected not only to produce graduates but also to generate knowledge, critical reflection, and social innovation.
The forum also functioned as a space for institutional consolidation among faculties of social sciences across Indonesia. Through such a meeting, faculty leaders were able to exchange experiences in academic governance, curriculum development, research management, student affairs, national and international cooperation, and strategies for adapting to technological disruption. In the long term, FORDEKIIS is expected to contribute to a shared national agenda for strengthening the role of social sciences in responding to issues such as social inequality, democratic governance, public communication, community welfare, cultural diversity, and digital literacy.
One of the major highlights of the symposium was the opportunity to hear the views of Prof. Dr. Pratikno, M.Soc.Sc., Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. As a former Dean of FISIP UGM, Prof. Pratikno shared reflections on academic leadership, institutional governance, and the importance of developing higher education that produces meaningful impact for society and national development.In his remarks, Prof. Pratikno emphasized that leadership in higher education cannot be separated from the ability to build institutional vision, strengthen governance systems, and ensure that education does not stop at administrative achievement. Universities, he argued, must be able to produce knowledge that responds to public needs, supports better governance, and contributes to inclusive and equitable development.
This perspective resonates strongly with the direction of FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga. In an increasingly competitive higher education landscape, faculties must develop governance systems that are not merely regulatory or procedural, but substantively oriented toward academic quality and public relevance. Quality education must be reflected in relevant curricula, participatory learning, rigorous research, ethical academic culture, and community engagement based on real social needs.
The symposium also featured Prof. Stella Christie, Ph.D., Vice Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. The professor from Tsinghua University presented ideas on the development of outstanding Indonesian talent, the strengthening of research culture, innovation, and the use of artificial intelligence in education. Her presentation underlined the importance of preparing Indonesian higher education institutions to respond to technological change while maintaining intellectual integrity and social responsibility.
In the context of social sciences and humanities, the use of artificial intelligence cannot be understood merely as a technical matter. AI brings epistemological, ethical, social, and cultural implications that require critical examination. On the one hand, AI offers significant opportunities to improve learning quality, support social data analysis, enhance academic services, and broaden access to knowledge. On the other hand, it raises serious concerns related to algorithmic bias, data privacy, unequal access to technology, academic integrity, and changing relations between humans, knowledge, and machines.For this reason, the involvement of FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga in a national forum such as FORDEKIIS is important to ensure that discussions on digital transformation are not dominated solely by technological approaches. They must also include social, humanistic, ethical, and cultural perspectives. The social sciences and humanities have a crucial role in examining the impact of technology on society, questioning power relations behind digital knowledge production, and formulating more humane and equitable approaches to technological use.
The participation of Dr. Rama Kertamukti also highlighted FISHUM’s attention to student affairs and institutional cooperation. In the current transformation of higher education, students can no longer be positioned merely as recipients of academic services. They are important actors in innovation, social networking, community engagement, and knowledge production. Therefore, student affairs governance must be directed toward developing academic character, social leadership, digital literacy, ethical communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration.As Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Cooperation, Dr. Rama Kertamukti represented FISHUM’s commitment to building an academic ecosystem that supports creativity, student well-being, capacity development, and meaningful participation. This commitment aligns with the needs of contemporary higher education, which requires universities to provide inclusive, safe, productive, and adaptive learning environments. Students must be equipped not only with theoretical knowledge but also with the ability to solve problems, understand social realities, communicate ethically, and work within increasingly digital environments.
FORDEKIIS 2026 also opened opportunities for strengthening cooperation among universities. For FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga, this national network can become an entry point for collaboration in lecturer and student exchanges, joint research, academic publication, curriculum development, community service, and cross-campus academic forums. Such collaboration is increasingly necessary because many social problems cannot be solved by a single discipline or institution. Poverty, intolerance, disinformation, youth vulnerability, social conflict, and digital inequality require interdisciplinary approaches and strong institutional partnerships.
During the forum, participants also discussed the importance of good practices in higher education governance. These include strengthening quality assurance systems, managing academic human resources, developing a healthy academic atmosphere, integrating research and teaching, and using data for decision-making. For faculties of social sciences, good governance also means protecting academic freedom, strengthening research ethics, and ensuring that universities remain spaces for critical and responsible dialogue.
FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga views the theme of “quality and impact” as something that must be translated into concrete institutional development. Quality should not be measured only through administrative indicators, but also through the depth of academic processes, research integrity, graduate competence, and the relevance of faculty contributions to society. Meanwhile, impact should not be understood merely as a quantitative output, but as meaningful social change that can be felt by communities, institutions, and the wider public.In this framework, FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga continues to strengthen its position as a center for the development of inclusive, critical, and transformative social sciences and humanities. Its participation in FORDEKIIS 2026 became part of an institutional learning process: absorbing experiences from other universities while also contributing the distinctive perspective of UIN Sunan Kalijaga in developing higher education that integrates knowledge, human values, and social responsibility.Through this forum, FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga reaffirmed the importance of national synergy in addressing the challenges of higher education. In an era marked by technological acceleration and global uncertainty, universities cannot work in isolation. They require collaboration, innovation, institutional openness, and a strong commitment to maintaining academic quality and social relevance.
The FORDEKIIS 2026 Symposium thus became an important momentum for faculties of social sciences in Indonesia to strengthen their strategic role in shaping the future of higher education. For FISHUM UIN Sunan Kalijaga, the forum was not merely a ceremonial gathering, but a valuable opportunity to build networks, exchange ideas, and contribute to the development of higher education that is adaptive, accountable, and impactful for the nation.