The Rector of Syiah Kuala University (USK), Prof. Dr. Mirza Tabrani, S.E., M.B.A., D.B.A., inaugurated Dr. drg. Zulfan M. Alibasyah, Sp. Perio as Dean of the USK Faculty of Dentistry (FKG) for the 2026–2031 term at the AAC Dayan Dawood Building in Banda Aceh on Monday, July 13, 2026. The inauguration took place alongside the appointment of 12 deans and one director of the Graduate Program at USK.
This inauguration marks the beginning of a new leadership era at the USK School of Dentistry, which is pursuing an agenda of institutional transformation to strengthen the quality of education, research, governance, and international competitiveness. This initiative is also part of Syiah Kuala University’s strategy to realize its vision of becoming an excellent, innovative, globally impactful, and sustainable university by 2031.
In his speech following the inauguration, Zulfan introduced the vision of “Outstanding, Innovative, and Impactful ASEAN Dentopreneurs.” This vision is aimed at building a faculty capable of producing professional, innovative, and entrepreneurial dentists who are competitive at the regional level.
According to him, the transformation of the faculty cannot be achieved through physical development alone, but must begin with a change in mindset, work culture, and organizational governance systems.
“The School of Dentistry must be an institution capable of anticipating the future, daring to innovate, and making a real impact—not merely going through the motions of academic routine. Every policy must be data-driven, every research project must be meaningful, and every graduate must be ready to become a leader of change,” said Zulfan.
He explained that the USK Faculty of Dentistry’s transformation agenda will be based on four main pillars: improving the quality of education to international standards, strengthening an ecosystem of impactful research and innovation, implementing evidence-based digital governance, and strengthening institutional autonomy through the development of academic collaboration and innovation.
The entire agenda was designed to support the achievement of Syiah Kuala University’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) while accelerating the faculty’s internationalization process.
As a first step, the new leadership of the USK Faculty of Dentistry has established a 100-day program focused on organizational consolidation through academic and institutional audits, quality mapping based on Outcome-Based Education (OBE), the digitization of governance, and strengthening collaboration with faculty, students, alumni, the Dental and Oral Hospital (RSGM), the business community, and international partners.
According to Zulfan, these foundations are necessary for building an organizational culture that is transparent, adaptive, and results-oriented.
In addition, the USK School of Dentistry will strengthen the internationalization of education and research, increase the number of reputable scientific publications, promote the commercialization of research results, develop academic business units and the RSGM as sources of financial independence, and align its OBE-based curriculum with ASEAN dental education standards.
A 2017 doctoral graduate of Padjadjaran University emphasized that all of the faculty’s work programs are designed to align with the development direction of Syiah Kuala University.
“We believe the new leadership at the School of Dentistry will be a driving force for innovation, strengthen a culture of quality, expand international networks, and make a tangible contribution to society. The university’s transformation begins with transformation at the school level,” he said.
He also ensured that all of the FKG USK’s targets were designed to support the achievement of Syiah Kuala University’s 12 Key Performance Indicators, ranging from enhancing the competitiveness of graduates in the global job market, commercializing research products, strengthening international accreditation, to increasing the university’s non-state budget revenue.
“The USK School of Dentistry does not operate in isolation. Every goal we set is a tangible contribution to USK’s grand vision of becoming an outstanding, innovative, globally impactful, and sustainable university by 2031,” said Zulfan.
He added that the success of his leadership would not be measured by the number of programs launched, but rather by the tangible changes felt by the academic community and the public.
“Our goal is not merely to become a better faculty than we are today, but to become a faculty that is recognized throughout ASEAN for the quality of its graduates, the strength of its research, its governance, and its impact on society. That is the true meaning of transformation,” he said.