Flinders University has awarded a Degree of Doctor of the University (DUniv) to Professor Pratikno (pictured), Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada and one of Indonesia’s leading experts on Indonesian politics, who is also a Flinders PhD graduate.
“Professor Pratikno’s distinguished roles in Indonesia, in senior leadership positions in education and in government appointments, and the ongoing links between Universitas Gadjah Mada and Flinders, to which he has made an important contribution, make him a worthy recipient of the Degree of Doctor of the University,” said Professor Michael Barber, Flinders University’s Vice-Chancellor.
Since his PhD studies in the School of Social Sciences, Professor Pratikno has maintained close ties with Flinders by undertaking collaborative research with staff in the School of International Studies.
His research in Indonesian local politics is increasingly important for Indonesia and Australia, given Indonesia’s successful democratisation and radical decentralisation.
Universitas Gadjah Mada has an active Memorandum of Understanding with Flinders University, and for more than 15 years Flinders graduates and students have studied Indonesian language and culture there.
There are also links in areas such as International Studies, Population Studies and Law, with other areas of collaboration being investigated.
Born in a remote village in East Java in 1962, Professor Pratikno completed high school in 1980 and, after graduating from Universitas Gadjah Mada, was appointed Lecturer in the University’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences.
He later completed a Master of Development Administration at the University of Birmingham and a PhD at Flinders.
He was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada before being elected as the university’s Rector in 2012.
In addition to his academic responsibilities, Professor Pratikno, who moderated the Indonesian presidential candidate debate in 2009, has undertaken a number of government appointments to committees, working groups and advisory bodies at national and regional levels in areas that include elections, human rights and regional governance.
The honorary degree was presented as part of the April graduation ceremonies, which will see 1620 graduates receive their official parchments from the University’s Chancellor, Mr Stephen Gerlach.