Community service is the meeting point of the entire higher education process. Knowledge acquired in the lecture hall is deepened through research, then brought face to face with the realities of life through service. It is through this process that students not only implement the knowledge they have learned, but also come to understand communities, recognize challenges in the field, and build solutions together. Guided by this spirit, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta deployed 3,725 students for the Community Service Program (KKN) Batch 120 on Tuesday (7/7/2026), under the theme “Pemanfaatan Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Inovasi Pengabdian untuk Pembangunan Berkelanjutan” (Harnessing Knowledge and Service Innovation for Sustainable Development).

At the deployment ceremony held in the courtyard of the General Administrative Centre (PAU) Building, the Chair of the Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM) of UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Dr. Abdul Qoyum, explained that KKN Batch 120 opens an ever-broader space for learning and service. Beyond being deployed across various regions of Indonesia, students are also conducting service in Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea, as part of the university's efforts to expand cross-cultural experience while strengthening service networks at the global level.

The breadth of this service coverage, Dr. Qoyum noted, provides increasingly diverse learning experiences while demanding the readiness of every participant. He therefore reminded students to carry out their KKN with full responsibility and to always prioritize safety throughout the 45 days of service ahead.

Within the country, he continued, a total of 1,972 students organized into 91 groups are conducting KKN across 20 districts (kabupaten) outside the Special Region of Yogyakarta, while 1,634 other students divided into 158 groups are undertaking service across 27 villages (kalurahan) within DIY.

The program's reach also extends to a number of regions outside Java, including Sumba Barat Daya (East Nusa Tenggara), Bireuen (Aceh), Karangasem (Bali), Morotai (North Maluku), and Sintang (West Kalimantan). This spread gives students the opportunity to understand the diverse characters of communities, identify local potential, and learn to respond to development challenges in accordance with each region's context.

The same message was conveyed by the Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Cooperation, Prof. Dr. Abdur Rozaki, who described KKN as a laboratory of life that brings students face to face with the true face of Indonesia. Within communities, students learn to understand social life, practice leadership and patience, and build the spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation).

“KKN is not simply about going to a village; it is an opportunity to get to know Indonesia. Do not become a burden to the community; instead, get to know their lives and contribute to building communities in line with the assets they already possess,” he said.

On the same occasion, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Rector Prof. Noorhaidi Hasan, who symbolically deployed the KKN students through the striking of a gong, affirmed that the spirit of “Pengabdian Nyata, Inovasi Berkelanjutan” (Genuine Service, Sustainable Innovation) calls students to bring knowledge into community life while nurturing ideas capable of delivering benefit in a sustained manner.

Prof. Noorhaidi further explained that the spirit of sustainability carried in this KKN is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, one of the pillars of UIN Sunan Kalijaga's development through its SDGs Centre. Issues such as poverty alleviation, the elimination of hunger, equitable access to education and health, clean energy, equality, and social justice are shared challenges that require genuine contributions from universities.

“Therefore, understand the values of the SDGs and translate them into programs that are relevant to community needs. Make KKN both a space for learning and a space for delivering genuine action,” he said.

Closing his address, the Rector reminded all KKN participants to always uphold the good name of their alma mater by holding fast to morality, integrity, and ethics within the community. Every attitude, word, and work demonstrated during KKN reflects the values of UIN Sunan Kalijaga and reinforces its position as an excellent, impactful, and globally reputed university.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Regent of Rembang, Mochamad Hanies Cholil Barro', representing the regional government in symbolically receiving the KKN students, assessed their presence as a meeting point between the knowledge developed on campus and the regional development agenda.

“I hope the students will not simply arrive and complete their programs, but will be able to build collaboration with communities by drawing on the potential already possessed by each village,” he said.

This figure, who is also an alumnus of the Faculty of Sharia and Law of UIN Sunan Kalijaga, also encouraged students to actively engage with village governments and various other elements of the community as partners in carrying out empowerment programs.

UIN Sunan Kalijaga's commitment to supporting KKN implementation was also demonstrated through protection for all participants. At the ceremony, a representative of BPJS Kesehatan Yogyakarta Branch symbolically presented health insurance membership to the KKN students, part of the university's effort to ensure that students can undertake their learning and service safely, so they can focus more fully on developing programs that benefit the community.

An istighasah (communal supplication) and collective prayer also accompanied the students' departure, led by Dr. Adib Sofia, a lecturer from the Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought of UIN Sunan Kalijaga, together with Katib Syuriah PWNU DIY KH Eddy Mushoffa. This moment reflects the character of education at UIN Sunan Kalijaga, one that combines academic and spiritual striving as the provision for students to actualize knowledge, values, and care while serving within communities.

When knowledge is brought into dialogue with the lived experiences of the community, students gain not only the opportunity to implement their competencies; they also learn to listen, understand, and grow together with society. From this process, it is hoped that graduates will emerge who are not only academically outstanding, but also socially aware, capable of collaboration, and ready to contribute to the development of Indonesia and of global society. (humassk)