11 October 2024
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Medan, 11 October 2024 - Universitas Sumatera Utara embeds the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across teaching, research, and operations through university-wide policies and academic guidance that ensure every student encounters SDG concepts. The university requires that faculty research and community service projects explicitly target relevant SDGs, with proposal templates, ethics and impact criteria, and reporting formats aligned to SDG indicators. To strengthen incentives and accountability, Universitas Sumatera Utara confers annual awards to lecturers with the highest volume and demonstrated impact of SDG-related research and community service, recognizing both quantity and quality (outputs, outcomes, and community benefit).
Students’ SDG Orientation
All new students take part in a structured Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) orientation that introduces global goals, national development agendas, and North Sumatra’s local priorities. The programme blends short lectures, interactive case discussions, and guided campus tours that showcase “living laboratories,” including waste management systems, water-reuse installations, and biodiversity green spaces. Orientation materials set expectations for academic integrity, ethical community engagement, and responsible data practices in fieldwork. By the end of the first month, each cohort receives a curated list of co-curricular pathways, student organisations, research assistantships, and community partnerships, to turn awareness into action. In addition, first-year students participate in hands-on SDG activities, notably campus and community tree-planting drives designed to enhance carbon sequestration, reduce urban heat, and help prevent future climate change.
USU SDGs Socialization for Students: Building Awareness and Action for Sustainable Impact
Universitas Sumatera Utara held a two-day SDGs socialization to deepen understanding and spur action across the academic community; day two was dedicated to students. Sessions covered systems thinking and SDG indicators (with an expert from JICA), best practices from an Indonesian SDGs Center network, and USU’s own roadmap for SDG contributions, linking education, research, and community engagement. The Vice-Rector for Student Affairs emphasized that universities must translate policy into tangible impact and invited students to co-create programs that advance the goals. Participants reported sharper awareness of campus initiatives (e.g., waste and circularity efforts) and a motivation to influence peers and undertake concrete projects, signaling improved comprehension and readiness to act on the SDGs.
USU Announces 2024 SDGs Ambassadors
Universitas Sumatera Utara has announced the winners of the 2024 SDGs Ambassador selection, following a campus competition held at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences. The program identifies student leaders who will promote the Sustainable Development Goals on campus and represent USU in national and international forums.
The selection took place in two stages. First, 50 candidates were tested on English proficiency, SDGs knowledge, and a psychometric assessment. Ten finalists then presented SDGs papers and underwent judging on substance, communication, and character. The event was organised by the Directorate of Student Achievement and Alumni Relations in collaboration with the Directorate of Internationalisation and Global Partnerships and the USU SDGs Center.
USU leaders emphasized that the ambassadors will help socialize the SDGs across campus and prepare to compete in international SDGs events. The initiative strengthens student engagement with sustainability and showcases USU’s commitment to turning SDGs awareness into concrete action.
USU SDGs Ambassadors Compete — and Win — at ASEAN Intervarsity Youth Competition 2024, Hat Yai
Universitas Sumatera Utara’s SDGs Ambassadors represented the university at the ASEAN Intervarsity Youth Competition (AIYC) 2024 hosted by Prince of Songkla University in Hat Yai, Thailand (5–9 June 2024). The event gathered ASEAN students for a speech contest, an ASEAN quiz, and a community-based tourism volunteer hackathon under the theme “ASEAN Youth Volunteerism for SDGs.”
USU’s delegation—Siti Nur Salsabila (Computer Science), Haris Fadhillah Nasution (Engineering), and Enrico Franditho Sihombing (Medicine)—earned multiple distinctions. Siti won 2nd runner-up in the speech competition, while teams involving Haris and Enrico received the PSU President Award and 1st runner-up in the volunteer hackathon, respectively. These results highlight USU students’ strength in public speaking, teamwork, and SDG-oriented problem solving.
Their participation builds on the campus SDGs Ambassador program, which equips student leaders to promote sustainability across learning and community service. The achievements in Hat Yai show that USU’s student ambassadors can compete on a regional stage and turn SDG knowledge into practical, high-impact action.
USU Advances SDG 3 and SDG 17 Through Indonesia–Malaysia Technical Exchange on Zoonotic Malaria Surveillance
Universitas Satya Terra Bhinneka Visits USU for Benchmarking on SDGs Center and Sustainability Living Lab Development
USU and VNU Hanoi Forge Strategic Partnership: A Cross-Border Collaboration on History and Education
