Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

World Class Professor (WCP) Program 2020 was successfully held online on Friday (2/10) with the theme "Strategies for Success: Accounting Academic Career". WCP Program 2020 was held with the aim that lecturers or researchers in Indonesia could improve their academic life, competence, as well as their contribution to the national development of science and technology. This webinar program that was brought by the Ministry of Education and Culture of The Republic of Indonesia also inviting world-class professors from various well-known universities in the world to become visiting professors. In this webinar, there are three professors from Australia as the speakers and moderator for the International Perspective session.

The International Perspective session started the webinar. In this session, Prof. Keryn Chalmers from Swinburne University of Technology served as the moderator. The session is divided into two parts and the first one discussed strategies for successful research, outcomes, and publication. Prof. Robert Faff from the University of Queensland who’s also known as “The Pitch Doctor” was presenting in the first part. Prof. Robert Faff explained briefly about a systematic method using a framework consisting of eleven aspects in order to pitch your research well. He emphasized that the aim to pitch your research is to communicate your ideas and get feedback or suggestions you need. “The biggest mistake you can make is giving too much information,” he said.

The webinar continues to the second part which discusses how you progress your accounting academic career by presenting Prof. Jayne Godfrey, Director of Analytics Institute of Australia, as the speaker. The second part was held in the form of a question and answer (Q&A) with the moderator. Prof. Jayne Godfrey mentioned several aspects of the criteria that accounting academics must meet and fulfil in the form of portfolio including research, teaching, service, and leadership in order to develop their academic career optimally. “Promotion is inevitable for people who are achieving at a sustained level,” she said. She also added that career progression has no definite timeline, it all depends on the individual’s performances and attitudes.

The next session which is Indonesia Perspective was presented by Dr. Singgih Wijayana, M.Sc., CA., a FEB UGM Lecturer who also serves as a Member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (DSAK). As the speaker, Prof. Dr. Mahfud Sholihin, M.Acc., CA., Professor of Accounting at FEB UGM, also participated in this session. In the Q&A dialogue with the moderator, Prof. Mahfud shared about the progression of his accounting academic career. He admits that it is indeed challenging when academics are required to be able to balance and fulfill all of the three points of Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi which include education and teaching, research and development, and community service. “However, no matter how hard it is, if we have passion and enthusiasm, InsyaAllah, God will be with us,” he added.

When asked further about one of the important points regarding the synergy of the Tri Dharma aspects and portfolios that academics required to fulfill, in his opinion it is very possible to do so. In synergizing the Tri Dharma for instance, an academic who had done a community service could write an article about it for publication. He also added, teaching experience is also possible to be written into articles and published as it has been done by Prof. Mahfud himself. The entire WCP Program 2020 webinar session ended with a Q&A session given from the webinar participants.

Reportage: Kirana Lalita Pristy / Sony Budiarso

Video: https://youtu.be/nU38E77fopQ