Syarief Gerald Prasetya, who is fondly known as Syarief, has officially earned the title of Doctor after completing the Doctor of Management Science (DIM) program at Universitas Terbuka (UT). His doctoral thesis, titled “Sustainability Performance Through the Hypothesis Model Approach of Green Entrepreneurial Orientation Finance (GEOF) in Companies Listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange,” earned him the prestigious Cum Laude distinction. 

The open doctoral promotion session took place in person at the Universitas Terbuka Multipurpose Building on August 20, 2024. Syarief, who also serves as a lecturer at Binaniaga Indonesia University in Bogor, was awarded the Cum Laude distinction for his outstanding achievements. These include completing his studies on time (six semesters), winning the BIMA research grant, and publishing articles in Scopus-indexed international journals. 

The open promotion session was chaired by the Director of the Graduate School, Prof. Dr. Maman Rumanta, M.Si, representing the Rector of UT. The promoter team consisted of Prof. Dr. Syamsu Alam, S.E., M.Si as the Promoter, Dr. Julia Safitri, S.T., M.M as Co-Promoter 1, and Dr. Andi Harmoko Arifin, S.E., M.Si as Co-Promoter 2. The examining committee included Prof. Dr. Harjum Muharam, S.E., M.E., and Dr. Ira Geraldina, S.E., Ak., M.S.Ak., CA. The event was also attended by the Vice Rector for Finance, Resources, and General Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ali Muktiyanto, S.E., M.Si, the Senate Chair, Prof. Dr. Chanif Nurcholis, and the Secretary of the UT Board of Trustees, Dr. Ake Wihadanto, S.E., M.T., M.Si. Additionally, this event was attended by family and colleagues, along with the Rector and Vice Rector and the Dean of FEB Binaniaga Indonesia University. 

The novelty of the promovendus research lies in the development of the GEOF proposition and the foundational Theoretical Model of GEOF, empirically proven to play a mediating role in sustainability finance, thus enhancing sustainability performance. 

The Director of the Graduate School expressed the hope that Dr. Syarief’s research would benefit society, the nation, and the country. As the first graduate of UT’s DIM program to achieve Cum Laude status, he is expected to inspire other students to complete their doctoral education on time, despite their busy schedules.