Strategic Steps Toward Excellent Accreditation, UNU Jogja Faculty of Economics Active in AFEBNU National Forum

Malang, East Java – The Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta (UNU Jogja) attended the meeting of the Association of Nahdlatul Ulama Faculties of Economics and Business (AFEBNU), held at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Islam Malang (FEB UNISMA), Tuesday–Wednesday, February 3–4, 2026.

The meeting aimed to align visions for achieving Excellent accreditation, strengthen the implementation of an Outcome-Based Education (OBE) curriculum, and promote the internationalization of study programs. The forum was attended by deans representing AFEBNU member institutions from across Indonesia.

Dr. Diah Retno Wulandaru, Dean of the Faculty of Economics at UNU Jogja, stated that the forum serves as a strategic step in advancing the faculty’s pursuit of Excellent accreditation. This effort builds upon the achievements of its study programs, where the Management Study Program earned a “Good” accreditation and the Accounting Study Program achieved “Very Good.”

“Achieving Excellent accreditation is part of our commitment to ensuring high-quality education that enables our students to compete at both national and global levels,” she said.

Toward Excellent Accreditation at the Faculty of Economics UNU Jogja

One of the main focuses of the meeting was strengthening strategies to achieve and sustain Excellent accreditation within AFEBNU institutions. This aligns with the accelerated quality improvement efforts currently being undertaken by the Faculty of Economics at UNU Jogja.

Since its establishment in 2017, the Management and Accounting Study Programs at UNU Jogja have demonstrated progress in teaching and learning, research, and community engagement across two accreditation cycles. These achievements serve as important foundations for continuous quality improvement.

“Although we come from a relatively young university in Yogyakarta, we have achieved positive accreditation results in two consecutive evaluations. This gives us strong capital to move forward toward Excellent accreditation,” Dr. Diah added.

The Faculty of Economics at UNU Jogja has also implemented various acceleration programs, including strengthening partnerships with national and international institutions, enhancing the quality of the tridharma of higher education, and reinforcing quality-based governance.

Excellent Accreditation and OBE-Based Curriculum

During the discussion session, Dr. Dwiyani Sudaryanti served as the keynote speaker, providing a comprehensive overview of higher education accreditation dynamics, including challenges, opportunities, and contemporary approaches that academic leaders must understand. She emphasized that Excellent accreditation is not merely about fulfilling administrative requirements, but reflects adaptive governance, a sustainable quality culture, and visionary academic leadership.

Dr. Dwiyani also highlighted the importance of risk management in the accreditation process. Many study programs have strong academic potential but lack optimal risk management in institutional governance, human resources, learning processes, and academic outputs. A structured, measurable, and data-driven risk management approach is essential to ensure that accreditation efforts are proactive and sustainable.

In addition to accreditation, the development of an OBE-based curriculum emerged as a central issue. OBE is viewed as a learning paradigm that places graduate outcomes as the primary goal. An OBE curriculum ensures alignment between academic vision, graduate profiles, learning outcomes, teaching strategies, and assessment systems. Strengthening OBE is considered crucial for enhancing the relevance of FEB NU graduates to industry and workforce needs.

Internationalization and Global Networking

The international dimension of the forum was highlighted by the presence of Prof. Rangga Handika from Tokyo International University, who discussed the development of international Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programs. He outlined global trends in business education, particularly how EMBA programs are designed to meet the needs of professionals and organizational leaders in an increasingly dynamic global economy.

Prof. Rangga stressed the importance of integrating international perspectives, global case studies, cross-border collaboration, and strong academic and industry networks. His presentation broadened participants’ understanding that internationalization goes beyond the use of English or overseas partnerships—it requires a comprehensive transformation in curriculum design, teaching methods, and graduate orientation.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

As a concrete step in strengthening networks and collaborative commitments, the event was also marked by the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between AFEBNU member universities and several strategic partners. For the Faculty of Economics at UNU Jogja, these agreements open valuable opportunities to expand collaboration in curriculum development, faculty capacity building, joint research, and international programs.

The active participation of the Faculty of Economics UNU Jogja in the AFEBNU forum reflects the university’s strong commitment to contributing to collective quality improvement among Nahdlatul Ulama higher education institutions. Through this synergy, UNU Jogja reaffirms its path toward becoming an excellent, value-driven, and globally competitive faculty of economics and business. [Latifah]