BANDUNG – More than 70 lecturers from various universities in West Java gathered at the Seminar Room of Building B, Widyatama University on Thursday (October 2nd, 2025) to attend the “Workshop on Strategies for Accelerating Academic Careers and Article Publication Productivity to Achieve Full Professor Status.” The event, which took place from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Western Indonesian Time, was a collaboration between the Academic Corporate Innovation (INKOPA) of Widyatama University and the Indonesian Professors Association (Pergubi) of West Java. The activity aimed to analyze the challenges and strategies in the process of scientific journal publication in order to accelerate the highest academic career level, namely professor.
One participant revealed that the main challenge in scientific publishing is the pre-review process, which often takes a long time, as well as the need to thoroughly understand the scope of the target journal. “As writers, we must be very careful of the scope of the journal and its impact factor so that it suits our academic promotion needs,” he said. In addition, he also shared his strategy, which includes publishing in reputable journals, collaborating on research between universities, and increasing the use of research technology. He aims to break into international publications in the next three months, which he admits has its own challenges due to the length of the review process.
Inter-institutional Collaboration is Key
Collaboration was the common thread emphasized by the university leaders in attendance. Prof. Ir. Meilinda Nurbanasari, MT, Ph.D., Rector of Itenas, emphasized that cooperation between institutions is now a necessity. “We hope to conduct joint research and then publish jointly so that we can all progress together, especially private universities (PTS),” she said. In line with this, Prof. Dr. H. Purwadhi, M.Pd., Chair of the West Java DPD Pergubi and Rector of Ars University, appreciated the central role of Universitas Widyatama as a leading university that actively assists lecturers in accelerating their achievement of professorship through strategic programs such as this.
Prof. Ir. Sani Susanto, M.T., Ph.D., CRMP., IPU., AER., a professor at Parahyangan Catholic University, was a guest speaker at a workshop on strategies for accelerating the achievement of professorship held at Universitas Widyatama.
Professor is Not Just About Scientific Publications
Furthermore, Prof. Dr. Keni Kaniawati, S.E., M.Si., as Head of the INKOPA Bureau at Universitas Widyatama, reminded us that the journey to becoming a professor does not only rely on journal articles. There are other equally important components, such as securing a research grant as the principal investigator from the ministry or corporate sector, as well as fulfilling the Tri Dharma (three pillars) of Higher Education, which encompasses teaching, research, and community service. “All of these are evaluated, so lecturers must regularly update their information on the JAD (Academic Lecturer Position) platform and the Integrated Resource Information System (SISTER). Published articles must also be aligned with their field of study,” emphasized Prof. Keni.
This workshop is a concrete manifestation of the “Impactful Campus” vision promoted by many universities. By encouraging lecturers to reach the pinnacle of their academic careers, their contributions to society through research and community service will become even more significant. This not only improves the quality of higher education nationally but also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the pillars of Quality Education (SDG 4) and Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9). The message is clear: lecturers must continue to be creative, innovative, and persistent in pursuing their functional positions in order to have a broader positive impact.
Group photo of participants at the workshop on strategies for accelerating the achievement of professorship held at Universita Widyatama.
