Dr. Ribut Priadi, M.I.Kom., Head of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau of Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU), was once again invited as a keynote speaker at the Private Higher Education Public Relations Workshop organized by LLDIKTI Region I North Sumatra.
The two-day workshop, held on Thursday–Friday (June 11–12) at the Mitra Husada Institute of Health Sciences (STIKes Mitra Husada) Medan, brought together representatives from 91 private higher education institutions across North Sumatra to strengthen institutional communication and public relations practices.
The event was officially opened by the Head of LLDIKTI Region I North Sumatra, represented by Ahmad Subahan, S.E., Head of the General Affairs Division. In his opening remarks, he encouraged private universities within the LLDIKTI Region I network to continue learning collaboratively and exchanging ideas to enhance their institutional image among the public and government.
“We are currently facing an era filled with significant challenges, but at the same time, these challenges present tremendous opportunities—especially in the field of public relations within higher education,” he said.
On the first day, Dr. Ribut Priadi delivered a presentation entitled “Best Practices in Managing Public Relations and Public Communication in Higher Education.” Moderated by Anggina Putri Pane, S.H., the session attracted enthusiastic participation from workshop attendees.
The program continued with several expert presentations, including:
- “Digital Public Relations Strategies for Higher Education: Digital Communication and Social Media Practices in Higher Education Institutions” by Dr. Ignatius Edward Riantono from BINUS University Medan Campus;
- “Challenges of Public Information Disclosure in the Digital Era” by Muhammad Safii Sitorus, S.H., M.H.; and
- A panel discussion entitled “Innovation and Best Practices in Digital Public Relations at Private Universities within LLDIKTI Region I,” featuring Dr. Herna Rinayanti, M.Kes. from STIKes Mitra Husada Medan and Abdul Karim Syahputra, M.Kom. from Royal University.
The second day featured speakers from Indonesia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek).
Doddy Zulkifli Indra Atmaja, S.I.Kom., M.Si., Head of the Ministry’s Public Relations and Protocol Division, presented a session entitled “Public Communication in the Era of Impact-Oriented Higher Education, Science, and Technology.”
This was followed by Agi Bahari Ediyana Rusly, S.I.Kom., Head of the Public Services, Information Services, and Library Division, who discussed “Strategies of the Integrated Service Unit (ULT) in Addressing the Challenges of Public Information Disclosure in the Digital Era.”
The workshop concluded with closing remarks from Prof. Drs. Saiful Anwar Matondang, M.A., Ph.D., Head of LLDIKTI Region I North Sumatra, followed by a group photo session.
The workshop reaffirmed the importance of strengthening public relations capacity within higher education institutions, particularly in responding to the challenges of digital communication, transparency, and public engagement. UMSU’s participation as a keynote speaker further reflects the university’s recognition as one of the leading institutions in strategic communication and higher education public relations in Indonesia.
