Sustainable Fund, Alumni Cooperation to Maintain Access to Education
Amidst the series of events for the 2025 IPB Alumni Homecoming Festival (PRA IPK), IPB University introduced Sustainable Fund as a collective effort by the academic community and alumni to maintain the sustainability of the institution.
Rector Dr Alim Setiawan Slamet emphasized that Sustainable Fund is a symbol of shared concern and responsibility to ensure that IPB University continues to contribute to the nation and state.
“Sustainable Fund is a manifestation of IPB’s commitment to building institutional sustainability through the joint participation of the academic community and alumni. It is a symbol of mutual cooperation, concern, and shared responsibility for the future of IPB,” said Dr Alim during the inauguration (12/21) at the Dramaga Campus.
As a state-owned university with legal entity status (PTNBH), IPB University faces a dilemma between expanding access to education and improving quality and global reputation.
“On the one hand, we are committed to expanding access so that all children of the nation have equal opportunities to pursue higher education, regardless of their economic background. On the other hand, improving quality requires significant investment in human resources, laboratories, facilities, and research,” he explained.
He mentioned that nearly 40 percent of IPB University students are scholarship recipients, so he is committed to not burdening students with increases in single tuition fees (UKT).
“As long as they have academic capacity and readiness to learn, that is what we select. Therefore, we cannot rely on income from students,” he added.
Dr Alim explained that currently, only about 25 percent of IPB University’s funding comes from the government, while about 23 percent comes from student tuition fees (UKT). This means that nearly 52 percent of the institution’s budget must be obtained from other sources in order for the three pillars of higher education to function optimally.
“IPB University’s budget for next year is planned to reach around Rp2,3 trillion. Therefore, we must find other sustainable sources of funding without burdening students with costs,” he said.
IPB University has also developed an endowment fund scheme divided into two categories, namely the Permanent Fund and the Sustainable Fund. The Permanent Fund comes from efficiency and surplus internal financial management, which currently amounts to nearly Rp360 billion. Meanwhile, the Sustainable Fund comes from crowdfunding and public participation, including alumni.
“The Sustainable Fund is relatively new. Currently, its value is around Rp12 billion because it has only been running for two years. In the future, we hope that the participation of alumni, students, and partners will increase,” he said.
He emphasized that contributions to the Sustainable Fund are voluntary and not mandatory.
According to him, the Sustainable Fund is expected to strengthen the institution’s capacity to generate innovation, expand access to education, and increase the tangible contributions of IPB University, particularly in the fields of food, agriculture, marine science, and tropical bioscience.
In the future, IPB University will open opportunities for collaboration with various partners, including the banking sector and financial institutions, to optimize the management of Sustainable Fund through various safe and productive financial channels and portfolios.
“We are open to discussion and collaboration so that Sustainable Fund and Permanent Fund can be managed optimally and provide maximum benefits for IPB University,” he concluded. (AS) (IAAS/FMT)
