“Happy anniversary, UIN Sunan Kalijaga!”

That greeting came from a local resident receiving a boxed meal after the fun walk marking UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta's 75th Anniversary (Dies Natalis) on Saturday (9/26/2026). Simple, spontaneous, yet part of the warmth surrounding UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta's anniversary celebration this year, as the university turns 75.

The fun walk, held from morning into midday with a gathering point at the courtyard of the Saifuddin Zuhri Building (PAU), was one part of the series of events marking UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta's 75th Anniversary. Once the event concluded, the joy of the occasion was carried beyond the boundaries of the campus.

The Public Relations (Humas) Team at UIN Sunan Kalijaga distributed boxed meals to members of the public going about their activities around the campus, particularly in the Sapen area. Roadside vendors, online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers, waste pickers, and a number of local residents received food as part of the spirit of sharing that marked the 75th Anniversary.

For some recipients, the gesture may have seemed simple. But for UIN Sunan Kalijaga, sharing is a way of bringing meaning to the celebration while also maintaining closeness between the university and the community around it.

A number of residents who received the food even offered their own well-wishes and prayers for UIN Sunan Kalijaga in return. Those words felt like a warm "reply" to the happiness UIN Sunan Kalijaga had shared that day.

This brief encounter between the campus community and the public showed that a university's presence is felt not only through academic activity within its classrooms, but also through its social relationships with the community around it.

This spirit of sharing is a small part of the effort to bring to life the theme of UIN Sunan Kalijaga's 75th Anniversary, “From Academic Excellence to Global Impact.” Before speaking of broader impact, benefit can begin close to home, with the community that lives and goes about its daily life around the campus.

As it turns 75, UIN Sunan Kalijaga continues to see its presence as part of the fabric of community life. The celebration, then, became not only a moment to reflect on the journey so far, but also an opportunity to share happiness and bring benefit, even through the simplest of gestures.

For an anniversary is not only about growing older. It is also about how an institution's presence can continue to hold meaning for the people around it.(humassk)