Two of Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) professors have entered their retirement. Prof. Dr. Bambang Sutopo, M.Com., Ak., and Prof. Dra. Soeparmi, M.A., Ph.D., delivered their Council of Professor Retirement Tribute Speech on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022.

Prof. Bambang Sutopo handed service baton to Taufiq Arifin, SE, M.Sc., Ph.D., Ak

On this occasion, which was hosted in a hybrid manner at the Second UNS Assembly Room Dr. Prakosa Building and also available through Zoom Meeting and UNS Youtube Channel, Prof. Bambang Sutopo delivered his Tribute Speech entitled Accounting Research at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Sebelas Maret: Achievements, Challenges, and Opportunities. Meanwhile, Prof. Dra. Soeparmi, M.A., Ph.D., delivered a speech entitled Research-Based Learning at Higher Education Institutions.

After delivering their speech, the two professors handed their baton of service devotion in UNS to younger colleagues. Prof. Bambang Sutopo handed his service baton to Taufiq Arifin, SE, M.Sc., Ph.D., Ak., while Prof. Soeparmi handed hers to Mohtar Yunianto, S.Si., M.Si., as the younger colleagues at UNS.

Prof. Soeparmi handed service baton to Mohtar Yunianto, S.Si., M.Si

Prof. Drs. Suranto, M.Sc, Ph.D., as the Head of the UNS Council of Professor, in his remarks, convey his congratulation to Prof. Bambang Sutopo and Prof. Soeparmi as senior professors in UNS after dedicating their excellent service to UNS for years.

“UNS Council of Professor Retirement Tribute Speech is an academic culture developed for UNS academic members, showing that we have a professor who had dedicated their service for 70 years in UNS and that we will organize a special ceremony for their service,” he revealed.

Further, he states that there must be a special term for emeritus professors. Indeed, in one of the UNS regulations, Prof. Suranto specifically requested the Head of the Academic Senate to specify Professor Retirement not to be on the same term as normal retirement.

Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Yunus, M.S., delivering Rector’s Remarks

If normal retirement is addressed to all academic support staff and lecturers, Professor retirement must be specifically addressed to the Council of Professors. According to him, this retirement is only addressed to professors entering their 70 years of service, a particular clause that was requested not to get amended.

In this term, all professors entering their retirement are requested to deliver their tribute speech and hand a baton of service to their junior.

Prof. Suranto, Head of UNS Council of Professors Delivering Remarks 

“We visited and requested for the professor to deliver their speech, not in a ceremonial style, but a tribute speech to be more flexible. This allows whether they wish to recount their experiences during their service in UNS, and what’s special is the professors will show the way to the juniors, who will continue to expand their study,” he explains.

Rector of Universitas Sebelas Maret, in his remark delivered by Prof. Dr. Ir. Ahmad Yunus, M.S., Vice-Rector for Academic and Students Affairs UNS, revealed to all invited guests that retirement is often associated with unproductive or a period to rest to enjoy their retirement age.

However, according to the Rector of UNS, retirement is not the end of all activities and shall not become a terrifying period. If retirement is only interpreted as a time limit to stop any activity and only rest, never retire.

Invited guest of the UNS Council of Professor Retirement Tribute Speech

However, if retiring means stopping working on boring routines and starting working on an exciting assignment that makes you happy, joyful, and feel useful, then by all means, retire as soon as possible. There are many of us, for instance, people out there who started our new careers after entering retirement.

Further, it was said that older adults are not those with sickness or patients who need to reduce their activity and constantly rest. Human minds are similar to a muscle, they need exercises and stimulation to remain active and stay well-maintained.

The Rector of UNS also gives an example of how Prof. Bambang Sutopo and Prof. Soeparmi, even after entering their 70th years of service, can maintain their sharp and clear thought. Both are innovative, always active, independent, productive, and diligently carries out their duty as a lecturer, with various duties involving supervising students, conducting research, and examining students’ thesis for bachelor, postgraduate, doctoral, and professional degree.

Our minds actually work according to certain cycles. We need to admit that our habits for decades will need great effort to establish new comfortable habits after entering retirement.

However, the Rector of UNS believes that Prof. Bambang Sutopo and Prof. Soeparmi will not find significant challenges in adjusting to the new life cycle.

At the end of the remark, the Rector of UNS congratulates Prof. Bambang Sutopo and Prof. Soeparmi for entering retirement. Both professors have shown their dedication, loyalty, and commendable and extraordinary dedication to UNS development. As one of UNS’s commitment and appreciation to Prof. Bambang Sutopo and Prof. Soeparmi’s service and dedication, the Rector of UNS invites both professors to dedicate their knowledge as emeritus professors in FEB and FMIPA UNS.