Blogger Indonesia of the Week (69): Deden Rukmana

Posted on September 1, 2007
Filed Under Blogger Indonesia, Blogger of Week, Fatih Syuhud, Indonesia

An Indonesian Young Professor of Urban Studies in the US

In 1993 Dr. Sri Bintang Pamungkas, in a one-day seminar I attended, expressed his happiness over the shift of policy on Indonesian higher education system that will enable a young talented scholars getting their professorship in a relatively young age.

Before that change of policy, even a highly qualified academician will never get the title Professor until and unless they’re very old, around 55 to 60 years old, that’s when their hair are gone. A balding professor, therefore, became a common phenomenon. That’s why we jokingly used to call “professor” those with balding hair.

That’s over. Now you can see many professors are young, smart, energetic and handsome. Among the first lucky academicians who got their professorship in their late 30s or early 40s are Juwono Sudarsono of Universitas Indonesia, currently Minister of Defense and Nazaruddin Syamsuddin, former head of Election Commission (KPU).In other parts of the world such as USA, a young professor is not a big deal. We see many young professor whose hair are still firmly in place. Some of Indonesian young scholars are also getting their professorship in some American universities like Merlyna Liem and Ahmad Syamil, among others, including Deden Rukmana, whose blog is focusing on Indonesian urban studies, a field of study that he teachs at Savannah State University, USA.Anyone who are interested in urban studies nitty-gritty, his blog is the right place to visit.

And for Indonesian bloggers community, it’s time yet again to celebrate. Another scholar-blogger means another quality content. If the future of blogging is in the quality content, as Budi Putra puts it, then their presence–every one of them–needs to be supported by any Blogger Indonesia.