Alumni do not cease to be part of their alma mater once they have put on the graduation gown. In various spheres of service, government, business, the professions, and society at large, they carry with them both the knowledge and the identity shaped by their university. From that awareness, the UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta Alumni Family Association (IKASUKA) has set out its work agenda for the next five years through the Catur Dharma (Four Pillars of Service).

This idea emerged at the Central Board Work Meeting of IKASUKA, held on Saturday (9/26/2026) at the 1st-Floor Convention Hall of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. The forum was attended by the Chair of the IKASUKA Central Presidium, who is also Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Arifah Choiri Fauzi; Chair of the Advisory Board Ngatawi Al-Zastrow; and a number of alumni now active across various sectors, including Member of Commission IV of the DPR RI (People's Representative Council) Hindun Anisa, Deputy Chair of Commission IX of the DPR RI Nihayatul Wafiroh, IT Director of BPJS Kesehatan Ihsanuddin, Rector of UIN Mataram Prof. Masnun, and hundreds of other alumni.

Chair of the IKASUKA Central Presidium, Arifah, said the presence of alumni at the work meeting demonstrates a commitment to continue contributing, both to their alma mater and to the nation more broadly. According to her, the work meeting serves as a shared foundation for translating that commitment into programs that can be carried out throughout the term of this leadership.

“We will focus on four areas: institutional strengthening, network strengthening, fundraising, and human resource development,” she said.

On the institutional front, Arifah encouraged IKASUKA to reactivate leadership at the provincial level and strengthen leadership at the regency/city level. Two new provincial boards have been formed, in Banten and North Maluku, while 26 boards have been established at the regency/city level.

The next agenda is to build a more organized alumni database. This database is projected to serve as a foundation for understanding alumni potential while strengthening the networks that have already formed across various sectors.

Chair of the IKASUKA Advisory Board, Ngatawi Al-Zastrow, emphasized that all of these agendas need to be carried out in a spirit of equality among fellow alumni. The positions and titles attached to each person's profession, he said, should never become barriers to building shared work.

Zastrow described the four agendas as IKASUKA's Catur Dharma of service over the five-year term. First, solid and strong institutional strengthening. Second, building a broad and beneficial network. Third, strengthening resources through planned funding. Fourth, improving the quality of alumni human resources.

In terms of institutional strengthening, Zastrow encouraged IKASUKA to establish legal standing as a foundation for building formal partnerships, to set up a secretariat with administrative infrastructure on the UIN Sunan Kalijaga campus and a representative office in Jakarta, and to develop a digital technology system as a database of alumni and their career potential.

On the network front, IKASUKA is directed to build cooperation with a range of parties. Zastrow cited a target of partnerships with at least five ministries/agencies, five companies, and five professional groups or communities.

In terms of fundraising, IKASUKA is directed to develop a more sustainable funding scheme, including the idea of establishing an IKASUKA endowment fund with a target of Rp500 million over the five-year term. This effort would also involve capitalizing on the social capital held by alumni.

The fourth agenda targets alumni capacity building. As Chair of the Advisory Board, Zastrow directed IKASUKA to target at least 50 alumni receiving scholarships and 100 alumni participating in career development training over the five years.

This work plan has been translated into a number of divisions that will serve as the engines for carrying out IKASUKA's programs. The Organization and Membership Division is directed toward reactivating leadership, forming new regional and branch boards, and conducting alumni data collection and mapping.

Meanwhile, the Human Resources and Certification Division will facilitate alumni certification, including opening access to competency development. The Cooperation and Networking Division is tasked with building collaboration with various parties, while the Entrepreneurship and Economy Division is directed toward connecting alumni business owners and facilitating capital needs.

Other agendas include strengthening the competencies and promotion of alumni da'i (Islamic preachers) through the Da'wah Division, developing scholarship programs, opening access to education and economic opportunities abroad, and raising donations and endowment funds through the Social and Philanthropy Division.

IKASUKA is also establishing an Information and Technology Division to digitize alumni data, a Research Division for research and its funding facilitation, and a Career and Potential Development Division to manage a database of high-potential alumni and document alumni journeys through book publications.

Two other areas also given space are Media and Publications, as well as Culture and Arts. With this structure, IKASUKA's work does not stop at alumni reunions, but is directed toward becoming an ecosystem that connects knowledge, professions, networks, and opportunities for contribution.

Arifah said all of these agendas ultimately converge on one purpose: making IKASUKA's presence increasingly beneficial for alumni, the alma mater, and society.

That spirit is also reflected in the values IKASUKA upholds, as described by Zastrow: integrity, scholarship, action, synergy, excellence, care, and adaptability. These values are expected to serve as a shared foundation for building collaborative work across professions and generations of alumni.

With the targets and programs set out in the work meeting, IKASUKA is beginning to organize ways for alumni from various cohorts and professions to connect with one another. From those connections, opportunities open up to share knowledge, help fellow alumni, and bring service rooted in UIN Sunan Kalijaga closer to the community. (humassk)