President Jokowi Appreciates ITHB’s Supply Chain Management Study Program

Institut Teknologi Harapan Bangsa (ITHB) recently received special attention from President Joko Widodo, who expressed his appreciation for the Supply Chain Management Study Program, a pioneering academic program in logistics in Indonesia. As the world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia has enormous needs for logistic services. The current rapid growth of online businesses, a stable economy, and the current massive transportation infrastructure development certainly contribute the high increase in economic, transport, and logistic business activities and operations in Indonesia. Unfortunately, however, very few higher educational institutions realize these huge logistic needs and have responded to them.

During the Indonesian universities’ National Anti-radicalism Action at Pulau Peninsula, Nusa Dua, Bali, on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, President Joko Widodo invited ITHB Rector, Dr. Ir. Samuel Tarigan, MBA to the stage to introduce the SCM Study Program to about 3000 rectors of different Indonesian universities who attended the declaration. This was a very rare opportunity for the president invited only 6 rectors from 6 universities with a logistics study program to accompany him on the stage until he concluded his address.

In his address, President Jokowi not only talked about the importance of enforcing the five principles of Pancasila, but also reminded university leaders to always make breakthroughs and foster innovations to answer present needs. The President cited an example of how for many years the faculty of economics in many universities has been offering the same study programs such as management, accounting, and development studies. “I haven’t seen any university offering a degree in online shop management, logistics, retail management, or animation. Now that I am speaking before a number of university leaders, I would like to underline my message,” said the president.

This is exactly where ITHB is different from thousands of other universities in Indonesia. A difference that has drawn the president’s attention. When requested by the president to come to the stage with five other university rectors, ITHB Rector Dr. Samuel Tarigan explained, “At Harapan Bangsa Institute of Technology, we started the Supply Chain Management Study Program in 2016. Therefore, we have two classes now,” to which President Jokowi responded positively. ITHB has also fulfilled the President’s expectation because ITHB is now offering a Digital Marketing & Online Business program, and a Visual Communication Design program where students can specialize in animation. These and other programs at ITHB are a smart and timely response to the substantially changing economy caused by the astounding development of the digital technology.

“Thank you for all the advanced innovations that have been brought,” commented Jokowi, complimenting the six rectors who accompanied him on the stage.

President Joko Widodo’s praise highlights ITHB’s effort to always stay ahead and connected to today’s needs of different industries. ITHB graduates are encouraged to follow a fast track in seeking their international career. The result has been impressive. Half of ITHB students are recruited before they even graduate by multinational IT-based companies from a number of advanced countries such as the US, Japan, the UK, and Singapore, bringing Indonesia to international repute.