PURWOKERTO – There are evenings when a dinner gathering is about more than food and light conversation. Behind the warm atmosphere of the Universitas Terbuka (UT) Purwokerto Gala Dinner was a much larger idea: how higher education can continue to expand access, broaden collaboration, and deliver tangible benefits to society.
The UT Purwokerto Gala Dinner was held at Table Nine on Sunday evening (23/8/2026), as part of a series of activities leading up to the Halaqah themed “From Open Access to Shared Benefits: Building the Inclusivity of Islamic Economics within the UT Environment.” The event brought together government figures, academics, socio-religious institutions, community organizations, and higher education partners in a more relaxed and informal setting.
Among those attending were Deputy for Coordination of Education Quality Improvement at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Kementerian Koordinator Bidang Pembangunan Manusia dan Kebudayaan – Kemenko PMK) Prof. Ojat Darojat, M.Bus., Ph.D., Banyumas Regent Drs. H. Sadewo Tri Lastiono, M.M., Chairman of Paguyuban Serulingmas Dr. Wisnu Suhardono, and Director of Studies and Development at BAZNAS RI KH. Muhammad Hazbi Zaenal, Ph.D.
A number of leaders and academics from various higher education institutions in the Barlingmascakeb region and beyond also attended. The meeting, which brought together people from different backgrounds, provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives while discussing the increasingly complex challenges facing higher education.
For UT Purwokerto, the informal atmosphere provided a space to strengthen ties and build trust among the parties involved.
Director of UT Purwokerto Dr. Prasetyarti Utami, S.Si., M.Si., said that maintaining good relations is an important foundation before inter-institutional relationships develop into more concrete forms of collaboration.
“If academic forums bring us together through ideas and discussions, tonight we are strengthening equally important things: friendship, trust, and togetherness.”
From this point, the Gala Dinner was designed to become more than just an informal gathering. The network established through the meeting is expected not to end as a one-night gathering. UT Purwokerto aims to encourage these relationships to develop into collaboration among higher education institutions, the government, socio-religious institutions, community organizations, and various other stakeholders.
This is because higher education today is not enough simply to produce graduates. Universities are also expected to respond to changing times, deliver innovation, expand access, and ensure that knowledge generated within academic environments can provide benefits to society.
This spirit is in line with SDG 4 on Quality Education, particularly in strengthening access to inclusive and quality education. At the same time, efforts to build networks and empower communities are also related to SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals, as sustainable change requires collaboration across sectors.
The Gala Dinner was one part of a series that began with a “Ziarah Dawuhan” in the afternoon and continued with the Halaqah on Monday (24/8/2026). The series reflected one common thread: the future of education requires not only technology and innovation, but also collaboration and concern for issues facing society.
The evening continued in a warm atmosphere with dinner and live music. However, when the event ended, the hope was that its ideas would not end with it.
From a dining table, conversation can turn into trust. From trust, collaboration can emerge. And from collaboration, education is expected to become not only a pathway to a degree, but also a pathway to change that can truly be felt by society.
