SLEMAN - On October 6 five years ago, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed the Presidential Regulation Number 121 of 2014 concerning the Establishment of Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Yogyakarta as a State University in the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The signing of state documents officially marked the changing status of UPNVY as a Private Higher Education being a State Higher Education.

Long before the award in 2014, UPNVY had previously been in the status of State University Department under the Veterans Ministry. By the time went by, the status of higher education was changed to private one.

"On the way it went, for one or another reason, it became a private university (PTS). When it was a PTS, its assets were still state assets of the Ministry of Defense. In its journey, there were findings got by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) asking why the state assets became a PTS", said UPNVY Chancellor, Mohamad Irhas Effendi, Sunday (6/10).

The Chancellor continued, to meet the findings at BPK, then his party agreed to re-stated the university.

"This change in its status does not change the character of UPNVY as a university characterized by the national defense. Why is it called a National Defense PTN? It is because the Founding Fathers at the Ministry of Defense see that the need for the state defense education must be started from institutions", explained Irhas.

Until now, UPNVY is still developing national defense courses in Wimaya subjects. Wimaya or Widya Mwat Yasa is the UPNVY core, which is basically to love of the motherland, and have a willingness to have a scarification  for the nation and the Republic of Indonesia. This subject makes UPNVY be different from other universities.

At the age of 5 years of being a state university, UPNVY continuely improve and develop itself in academics, student affairs, and facilities and services.

"The process of changes certainly gave a lot of challenges, but we can go through", he said.

The quality of input and output, said Irhas, is continuely to be addressed, one of which is the increase of  the high interest of the prospective students who register at UPNVY.

Similarly, the average study period spent by students is also getting shorter, namely 3.5 years.

The Chancellor hopes that the support of the academic community will improve the quality and realize the vision of UPNVY to be a pioneering university on the spirit of national defense in the global era. (wwj / PR)