Shaping New Students Character Towards a Moderate Civilization

Palu (UINDK Palu PR) – The State Islamic University (UIN) Datokarama Palu has organized a Matriculation Program for New Students for the Academic Year 2023-2024. The program was officially opened by Prof. Dr. H. Sagaf S. Pettalongi, M.Pd, the Rector of UIN Datokarama Palu. The event took place at the Courtyard of the SBSN Building, Campus I, UIN Datokarama Palu, on Monday, August 28, 2023.

The Matriculation Program, spanning three days from August 28th to August 30th, is being attended by 1,586 new students. The theme for this year’s matriculation is “From UIN Datokarama Palu Towards a Moderately Civilized Generation.”

Throughout these three days, incoming students will receive matriculation materials covering Ethics, Religious Moderation, National Insight within the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), and Strategies for University-Level Learning.

During his opening remarks, Rector Prof. Sagaf S. Pettalongi, M.Pd, stated that this matriculation serves as an initial introduction to the fundamental concepts that form the mainstream at UIN Datokarama Palu. These concepts encompass ethical values, the practice of moderate Islam, nationalism, techniques for higher education learning, and academic writing.

“These five concepts form the core values of UIN Datokarama Palu’s mission. The objective is to acquaint our students with these foundational values that UIN students should possess before delving into their respective academic pursuits and curricula,” Prof. Sagaf remarked.

He emphasized that this approach is designed to inculcate a strong sense of identity from the outset of a student’s journey at UIN Datokarama Palu. Furthermore, these core values will be continually reinforced throughout the students’ academic progression through relevant coursework.

Prof. Sagaf also disclosed that the university’s academic guidelines have been tailored to accommodate the diverse backgrounds of the new students.

“We are also taking precautions to prevent any of our students, especially those from public schools, who may have been exposed to or participated in certain studies that tend towards anti-nationalism, radicalism, intolerance, and ethical values that do not align with the moderate Islamic principles upheld by UIN Datokarama Palu,” he elaborated.

Regarding the matriculation program, Prof. Sagaf pointed out that new students from different faculties have not been separated. This approach allows the university to observe how they interact and build communication, even though some students may already be acquainted with one another.

“Our aspiration with the Matriculation Program is to provide initial information and fundamental concepts while actively working to shape the character of UIN students in alignment with our vision—a vision that envisions our students as individuals with a moderate understanding of Islam and, as a result, exhibit strong national values,” Prof. Sagaf concluded.