EMPOWERING UNIVERSITY’S ALUMNI BY CREATING ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AS AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND SOCIAL NETWORKING

EMPOWERING UNIVERSITY’S ALUMNI BY CREATING ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AS AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Azhar Aziz Lubis

Universitas Negeri Medan

            Nowadays, in our country Indonesia, education is the most wanted issue to talk. It is quite familiar in our mind that our education seems could not reached by the poor. Moreover, the quality of the education itself is not as well as the quantity of the school and university. Yet, based on the data reached by UNESCO in 2011 that Education Development Index of Indonesia was in the 69^th from 127 countries in the world (http://kampus.okezone.com). In other words, our education still has weaknesses. Thus how to make our education being better than decades before?

            Generally, Indonesia has many state universities. It is subsidized universities in this country which mean government universities. Billion rupiahs were disbursed to those institutions to solve educational problems especially for the poor. But the result is still having a slow improvement and the impact doesn’t have any change to the poor. On the other hand, those universities (state and private universities) give forth million alumni every year. Then it impacts to a new social problem, job seeking. Most of them who failed in job seeking will be jobless and decreasing economy of the country. In fact, we do not only face the jobless problem which it’s the impact of the educational problem but also drop-out teenagers from their schools. To solve the drop-out teenagers’ problem, the minister of education of Indonesia would make mini-camp to catch the drop-out teenagers (http://kampus.okezone.com). But those solutions didn’t impact so much to the poor. It would be better if everyone has something to do in order to get along our education better. The writer believes that the youth may give some contribution for it.

            Most of our schools and universities in Indonesia have created the alumni association but mostly it comes from the prestigious schools and universities such as University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University, Bandung Technological Institute etc. Their alumni associations have made many activities in business, education, charity and law-defense. They vary their field activities not only for gathering among alumni but also making solution in order to give a social impact for the surroundings. It is quite better because a traditional way of the alumni association is only gathering but nowadays those alumni association creates many useful activities.

            The problem doesn’t come from those universities whose had the alumni association but it comes from the other universities who have no alumni association in their campus. Their alumni didn’t know how to make their selves more useful for others. Because we realize that creating an activity with association especially alumni association will make it easier and happier.

            The Advantages of Alumni Association

            We altogether realize that alumni association is very important for us especially the alumni of the university itself. By this, we would be able to keep in touch each other, donate for poverty and widen the networking overseas. Either we would be able in giving information about the universities we have graduated from. The information is very important to those who want to continue their study to the universities we have graduated from. Besides, they would know immediately about the universities by asking the alumni of the university. It is one of the ways to promote our education in Indonesia.

            Furthermore, by alumni association for example, we could make a social project to the rural area in this country. It would make a great impact to the poor in those rural areas. Because they would know that the social project maker in their village comes from the alumni of the university they admired. In other word, the alumni of the university have socialized their university.

            One more advantage of the alumni association is broadening the link of networking. In fact, we would not be able to socialize and broaden the networking without having many friends and colleagues all over the world. That is why one of the aims to create an alumni association is to broaden, link and keep in touch among alumni from decades ago. By creating the association for instance, the alumni of the association could be able to catch the drop-out teenagers in their town and donate some fund to solve those teenagers problem.

            Unfortunately, not all universities have the alumni association. In my university for instance, it has no alumni association as well as others. Therefore, there is no engaging relationship among the alumni. It impacts to the social environment around us. It seems an exclusive university which has no responsibility to encourage its surrounding whereas one of the aspects from Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi is dedication. It is quite embarrassing when other universities have moved forward the other still has no improvement to dedicate their selves. The quality should be similar each other if we want to improve our higher education.

            Provides Information and Social Networking

            One aspect that makes the university has a good credibility is its alumni dedication to the society. What they can do and what they can affect for their society is mostly the crucial one to ask. It is because the alumni of the university have had taught about four to five years in campus. It means they must have a brilliant concept to empower their society. At least, they should be the inspirer for their society.

            We altogether know that education is not cheap. It is very expensive especially in developed country Indonesia. If we want a qualified education, we should pay much more than the usual one. By the alumni association, we can collect some fund and channel ideas among the alumni to make a social project in Papua for example. The alumni could held a socialization about higher education and give several scholarship which submitted from alumni’s fund in order to help Papua’s teenagers going to universities in Java. It is really a noble activity.

            To actualize these ideas, the writer realizes that it is not easy as written above. It needs a sacrifice from the alumni to create an alumni association in their campus. Because the writer believe there is still many young people really wanted to make a change in order to enhance our education in Indonesia. Wallahu ‘alam bisshowab.